Application of the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey in three national languages in Switzerland: Exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis.

Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is a complex and context-specific phenomenon that is linked to under-immunization and poses challenges to immunization programs. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) is an instrument developed to measure VH. We translated the PACV into three languages (German, French and Italian) and administered it to 1388 Swiss parents.

Non-criteria Antiphospholipid Antibodies: a narrative review.

The 2006 Revised Sapporo Classification Criteria for Definite Antiphospholipid Syndrome included as laboratory criteria the tests for antiphospholipid antibodies whose accuracy was regarded as satisfactory according to the evidence available at that time. In practice, however, the sensitivity and specificity of these "criteria" of antiphospholipid antibodies are sometimes insufficient for identifying or ruling out antiphospholipid syndrome. It has been studied whether the accuracy of the laboratory diagnosis of the syndrome could be improved by testing for non-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies.

Antiphospholipid Syndrome Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology position statement on the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

Background: The term Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) refers to a group of drugs that inhibit factor Xa or thrombin. Even though their use for treating different thrombotic or prothrombotic conditions is increasing recently, there is no compelling evidence indicating that those medications are safe in all antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) patients.

Methodology: To address this issue, specialists from the Antiphospholipid Syndrome Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology performed a comprehensive review of the literature regarding DOACs use in APS to answer the three following questions: (1) potential mechanisms of action of these drugs that could be relevant to APS pathogenesis, (2) DOACs interference on lupus anticoagulant testing, and (3) the efficacy of DOACs in APS.

Ultrasound inflammatory parameters and Treg/Th17 cell profiles in established rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Imbalance and disfuntion in regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and IL-17 producer lymphocytes (Th17) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Gray scale synovial proliferation (GS), power Doppler signal (pD) and bone erosions seen on high resolution muskuloskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) are hallmarks of destructive articular disease.

Objective: To evaluate the association of peripheral Tregs and Th17 with MSUS findings in RA.

Ultrasound and its clinical use in rheumatoid arthritis: where do we stand?

High-resolution musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) has been increasingly employed in daily rheumatological practice and in clinical research. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), MSUS can be now considered a complement to physical examination. This method evaluates synovitis through gray-scale and power Doppler and it is also able to identify bone erosions.