Geographical disparities in fibromyalgia severity: An Italian study.

Background: Geographic origin may represent a variable capable of influencing health status. This study aims to investigate the presence of differences of disease severity in Italian patients with fibromyalgia from different macro-regions.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study involved patients included in the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry.

Fibromyalgia: one year in review 2024.

Fibromyalgia (FM) remains a condition with a pathogenesis that is not completely understood, affecting a significant portion of the global population. This article summarises the main advances in FM during the last year. Even in 2023, research on FM was notably active.

Pain Biomarkers in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Current Understanding and Future Directions.

Fibromyalgia is a complex and heterogeneous clinical syndrome, mainly characterized by the presence of widespread pain, possibly associated with a variety of other symptoms. Fibromyalgia can have an extremely negative impact on the psychological, physical and social lives of people affected, sometimes causing patients to experience dramatically impaired quality of life. Nowadays, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is still clinical, thus favoring diagnostic uncertainties and making its clear identification challenging to establish, especially in primary care centers.

Gender differences in the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: a pilot study.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic syndrome characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain associated with symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment. Prevalence is higher in females but the application of the 2010/2011 and 2016 revision of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria reduced prevalence differences and the actual female:male ratio is approximately 3:1. Even if lately some studies have been conducted regarding FM gender differences, disease severity is still assessed using questionnaires, such as the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), designed and validated through a predominantly female sample.

An Observational Study on Chronic Pain Biomarkers in Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis Patients: Which Role for Mu Opioid Receptor's Expression on NK Cells?

The evaluation of chronic pain is challenging because of the lack of specific biomarkers. We identified the Mu opioid receptor-positive (Mu+) B cell percentage of expression, named Mu-Lympho-Marker (MLM), as a candidate marker for chronic pain in fibromyalgia (FM) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Here, we investigate the role of MLM on natural killer (NK) cells in the same patients.

Gut Microbiota Structure and Metabolites, Before and After Treatment in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Pilot Study.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Modifications of gut microbiota seem to be associated with the disease, but the impact of gut microbiota on therapies' outcome remains unclear. A role of T cells in RA pathogenesis has been addressed, particularly on the Th17/Treg cells balance.

Gender influence on clinical manifestations, depressive symptoms and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum levels in patients affected by fibromyalgia.

Introduction: OBJECTIVES: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common rheumatic disorder characterized by chronic, widespread pain associated with several not painful symptoms. The contribution of gender to the manifestation of the disease may influence the higher prevalence of FM among women. In spite of this, how patients' gender influences the clinical manifestation of FM is still not well understood.

Adherence of Italian rheumatologists to the EULAR recommendations and outcomes in early rheumatoid arthritis patients after starting conventional DMARDs: Methotrexate in Italian patients wiTh Rheumatoid Arthritis (the MITRA study). A cohort study of the Italian Society for Rheumatology.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the real-life adherence of Italian rheumatologist to the 2013 EULAR recommendations and treatment outcome in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who started a conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (csDMARD).

Methods: The MITRA study is an Italian multicentre observational cohort focused on treatment naïve RA patients with early diagnosis recruited in an 18-month period starting from 2015. The data related to treatment with csDMARDs during the following 12 months follow-up were presented in this paper.

Mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: stress vulnerability, resilience and mood disturbances in fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic severely increased the stress levels in the population. The aim of present study was to investigate the impact of the lockdown measures on emotional well-being and disease activity in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a telemedicine approach.

Methods: An on-line survey, including demographic characteristics, disease-activity and psychometric scales (Stress-related Vulnerability Scale, Resiliency scale), Zung Anxiety and Depression Self-assessment Scale), was anonymously administered to FM, RA and healthy controls (HC).

Methotrexate in Italian patients wiTh Rheumatoid Arthritis (MITRA study): an observational study about the use of methotrexate in early RA patients and the adherence to the EULAR 2013 recommendations. A project of the Italian Society for Rheumatology.

Objectives: To assess the delay between the disease onset and the beginning of methotrexate (MTX) treatment in RA patients and to evaluate the Italian rheumatologists' adherence to the EULAR 2013 recommendations.

Methods: MITRA is an Italian multicentre observational study carried out on DMARD-naïve RA patients recruited in an 18-month period starting from 2015. The data related to the patients' characteristics at baseline will be presented.

Dietary Habits and Nutrition in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Can Diet Influence Disease Development and Clinical Manifestations?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by joint involvement, with progressive cartilage and bone destruction. Genetic and environmental factors determine RA susceptibility. In recent years, an increasing number of studies suggested that diet has a central role in disease risk and progression.

Identification of MOR-Positive B Cell as Possible Innovative Biomarker (Mu Lympho-Marker) for Chronic Pain Diagnosis in Patients with Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis Diseases.

Fibromyalgia (FM) diagnosis follows the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, based on clinical evaluation and written questionnaires without any objective diagnostic tool. The lack of specific biomarkers is a tragic aspect for FM and chronic pain diseases in general. Interestingly, the endogenous opioid system is close to the immune one because of the expression of opioid receptors on lymphocytes membrane.

Gender equality in Rheumatology.

Not available.

Mucosa-Environment Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Mucosal surfaces play a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several risk factors, such as cigarette smoking, environmental pollution, and periodontitis interact with the host at the mucosal level, triggering immune system activation. Moreover, the alteration of microbiota homeostasis is gaining increased attention for its involvement in the disease pathogenesis, modulating the immune cell response at a local and subsequently at a systemic level.

One year in review 2019: fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is characterised by chronic pain, fatigue and functional symptoms. Its aetiopathogenesis is still a matter of debate, but various pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are currently available for its treatment. We review the literature concerning the most recent findings related to the aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical aspects and treatment of FM published between January 2018 and January 2019.

Potential role of platelets for atherosclerotic events in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality that can be attributed to accelerated atherosclerosis. This pilot study aimed to investigate if changes in blood parameters were compatible with atherosclerotic events in RA patients. To this aim, 45 RA women (aged more than 18 years), and 25 age and gender-matched healthy donors (HD) were included.

Pain modulation in patients with fibromyalgia undergoing acupuncture treatment is associated with fluctuations in serum neuropeptide Y levels.

Objectives: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neurotransmitter released by sympathetic neurons, which is probably involved in pain modulation. Acupuncture is increasingly used as an alternative or complementary means of controlling pain in rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic widespread pain syndrome accompanied by allodynia and hyperalgesia. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of an acupuncture cycle on serum NPY levels in patients with FM, and identify possible correlations between its serum levels and clinical and clinimetric parameters.

Lung Infections in Systemic Rheumatic Disease: Focus on Opportunistic Infections.

Systemic rheumatic diseases have significant morbidity and mortality, due in large part to concurrent infections. The lung has been reported among the most frequent sites of infection in patients with rheumatic disease, who are susceptible to developing pneumonia sustained both by common pathogens and by opportunistic microorganisms. Patients with rheumatic disease show a peculiar vulnerability to infectious complications.

Circulating microRNA Profiles as Liquid Biopsies for the Characterization and Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

This work was aimed at investigating the circulating microRNA (miRNA) profiles in serum and saliva of patients affected by fibromyalgia syndrome (FM), correlating their expression values with clinical and clinimetric parameters and to suggest a mathematical model for the diagnosis of FM. A number of 14 FM patients and sex- and age-matched controls were enrolled in our study. The expression of a panel of 179 miRNAs was evaluated by qPCR.