Publications by authors named "F Bellisai"
Objectives: Conflicting results about clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the associated risk factors have been reported. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in a large number of Italian SSc patients and the associated risk factors.
Methods: This study included 613 SSc patients from 11 Italian tertiary Rheumatologic Units.
Background: Novel progressive fibrotic phenotype has recently been proposed characterized by progressive and inexorable worsening of the disease. Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) has been proposed as fibrotic-ILD biomarker. We aimed to assess the role of KL-6 in fibrotic-ILD and the progressive phenotype in accordance with serial serum KL-6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManagement of pregnancy in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: maternal disease course, gestational and neonatal outcomes and use of medications in the prospectiveItalian P-RHEUM.it study.
RMD Open
April 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study examined pregnancy outcomes in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) enrolled in the Italian P-RHEUM.it cohort from 2018 to 2023, focusing on maternal and infant health.
- Results showed that out of 866 pregnancies, 15.6% experienced maternal disease flares, 30.1% had obstetrical complications, and 91.7% resulted in live births, with a relatively low rate of perinatal deaths and complications.
- The research concluded that effective preconception counseling and proper medication management during pregnancy may help reduce disease-related risks, suggesting that outcomes for women with ARD were comparable to those in the general obstetric population.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the diagnostic accuracy of three ultrasound scoring systems for giant cell arteritis (GCA): the Southend halo score (HS), halo count (HC), and OMERACT GCA Ultrasonography Score (OGUS).
- In a sample of 79 patients, findings showed that OGUS had a diagnostic cutoff of 0.81 with 79.07% sensitivity and 97.22% specificity, while HC and HS had slightly different cutoffs with similar specificity.
- The results indicate that all scores are effective for diagnosing GCA, suggesting that the compression sign should be consistently evaluated in patients suspected of having cranial GCA.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of anti-cN1A antibodies for inclusion body myositis (IBM) by comparing two testing methods: line immunoassay (LIA) and enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA).
- Out of 340 patients, only 5.88% tested positive for anti-cN1A, but the majority did not have IBM, indicating low specificity for this condition.
- Findings showed strong agreement between LIA and ELISA results, suggesting that LIA could be a faster alternative, but anti-cN1A cannot be deemed a reliable biomarker for IBM due to overlap with other diseases.