Thrombosis in Autoimmune Diseases: A Role for Immunosuppressive Treatments?

Autoimmune diseases are not infrequently associated with arterial or venous thrombotic events. Chronic inflammation and immune system impairment are considered the main pathogenetic mechanisms. Some of the drugs used in the treatment of such diseases have been associated with an increased risk of thrombosis.

Thromboembolic burden, prognostic assessment and outcomes of females compared to males in acute pulmonary embolism.

Background: Literature lacks on sex differences in acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Therefore, the aim of our study was to provide information about sex difference in thromboembolic burden, prognostic assessment and outcomes of PE.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed and compared differences between females and males retrieving data of a multicenter, observational, retrospective, cohort study aimed to analyze characteristics of PE patients admitted in Internal Medicine wards of Tuscany, Italy.

Neutrophil Activation Promotes Fibrinogen Oxidation and Thrombus Formation in Behçet Disease.

Background: Behçet disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis with a broad range of organ involvement, characterized by a multisystemic, immune-inflammatory disorder involving vessels of all sizes and often complicated by thrombosis. Systemic redox imbalance and circulating neutrophil hyperactivation have been observed in BD patients and are thought to be responsible for impaired coagulation. We here focused on the pathogenetic mechanisms potentially linking immune cell activation and thrombosis, and specifically examined whether neutrophil activation can affect fibrinogen modifications and consequently elicit thrombosis.

A new cytofluorimetric approach to evaluate the circulating microparticles in subjects with antiphospholipid antibodies.

Introduction: Growing evidence supports the idea that microparticles (MPs) could contribute to the pathogenesis of the thrombotic phenomena associated with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), inducing a hypercoagulable state. But, to date, different approaches to evaluate circulating MPs and conflicting results have been reported.

Materials And Methods: We have characterized the different circulating subpopulations of MPs in APS patients, and in asymptomatic aPL-positive subjects (carriers) by examining the correlation between the amount and phenotype of MPs and the clinical parameters.

Novel oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation: which novel oral anticoagulant for which patient?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common rhythm disorder and represents a major public health problem because it carries an increased risk of arterial thromboembolism and ischemic stroke. Current european society of cardiology guidelines recommend to stratify atrial fibrillation patients according to the CHA2DS2-VASc score and to administer anticoagulation, preferably with novel oral anticoagulants, that is, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or apixaban, if the CHA2DS2-VASc score is at least 1. All novel anticoagulants have shown the same, if not greater, efficacy and safety as warfarin, with some advantages.

Pharmacological prevention of venous thromboembolism in orthopaedic surgery.

The prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) with anticoagulant drugs is a long-established practice in hip and knee replacement surgery, as well as in the treatment of femoral neck fractures, while there are few data regarding the prevention of VTE in other fields of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. In order to provide practical recommendations for daily management of VTE prophylaxis in orthopaedic patients, recently the Italian Societies of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Orthopaedics and Traumatology and Anaesthesia have drawn up a first Intersociety Consensus on antithrombotic prophylaxis in total hip and knee replacement surgery, and in the treatment of femoral neck fracture, then updated in 2013, and a subsequent Intersocietary Consensus, in cooperation also with the Society of general practitioners, concerning antithrombotic prophylaxis in other types of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. Before starting any prophylactic treatment it is of crucial importance the assessment of both thrombotic and bleeding risk of patients undergoing surgery.

An approach to differential diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and related conditions.

The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is a systemic, acquired, immune-mediated disorder characterized by episodes of venous, arterial, or microcirculation thrombosis and/or pregnancy abnormalities, associated with the persistent presence of autoantibodies, confirmed at least in two occasions 12 weeks apart, directed to molecular complexes consisting of phospholipids and proteins. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome should always be considered as a potential diagnosis especially for young patients presenting with a history of thrombotic events, in particular when they occur without any obvious external trigger or any inherited thrombophilic mutation (even if 2006 criteria do not exclude antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in patients with other inherited or acquired prothrombotic conditions), or for women with recurrent pregnancy losses or later fetal deaths. Many other disorders are able to mimic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, so a broad range of alternative diagnoses should be investigated and ruled out during clinical workup.

Cardiovascular oncology: a new discipline inside internal medicine?

Cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence and prevalence have risen over the past few decades to become the leading causes of death. On the one hand, cancer patients will be treated with cardiotoxic chemotherapies; on the other, cardiovascular patients will receive a new diagnosis of cancer and will have to face treatments that may worsen their disease. Moreover, venous thromboembolism can commonly complicate the natural course of patients with cancer in an apparently spontaneous manner or can be triggered by a clinical event such as surgery, invasive procedures, a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy and is known to be the second cause of death in these patients who also may need to be treated for pre-existing medical conditions or comorbidities.

Behçet's syndrome pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets.

Behçet syndrome is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by multiorgan involvement such as oral and genital ulcers, uveitis, skin lesions as well as by less frequent, but often more severe, central nervous system and vascular manifestations. The pathogenetic mechanisms are still incompletely known; however the interaction between a specific genetic background and environmental or infectious factors certainly contributes to the immune dysregulation that characterizes this disease. The discovery of new immunological pathways in Behçet syndrome pathogenesis may help us to set up new treatments.