Treatment or Prophylaxis against Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Patients with Rheumatic Disease Undergoing Immunosuppressive Therapy: An Update.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) flares or reactivations are serious causes of morbidity or mortality in rheumatologic patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. The recent insights in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases led to the use of new immunosuppressive therapies indicated in case of failure, partial response, or intolerance of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Based on these premises, this review examines and discusses the main rheumatologic treatments that could require the initiation of prophylactic treatment or close monitoring of occult HBV infection in patients beginning antiviral therapy at the first signs of HBV reactivation, or antiviral treatment in chronic HBV-infected patients.

Association Between Specimen Length and Number of Sections and Diagnostic Yield of Temporal Artery Biopsy for Giant Cell Arteritis.

Objective: To investigate the association between specimen length and number of sections evaluated and the diagnostic yield of temporal artery biopsy (TAB) for giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: A pathologist reviewed all TABs performed for suspected GCA between January 1991 and December 2012. The blocks of all the inadequate and negative biopsy specimens were recut, and further slides at deeper levels were stained with hematoxylin and eosin in order to avoid missing inflammatory changes.