In vivo reduction of biofilm seeded on orthopaedic implants.

Aims: Electromagnetic induction heating has demonstrated in vitro antibacterial efficacy over biofilms on metallic biomaterials, although no in vivo studies have been published. Assessment of side effects, including thermal necrosis of adjacent tissue, would determine transferability into clinical practice. Our goal was to assess bone necrosis and antibacterial efficacy of induction heating on biofilm-infected implants in an in vivo setting.

Biofilm on total joint replacement materials can be reduced through electromagnetic induction heating using a portable device.

Background: Periprosthetic joint infection is a serious complication following joint replacement. The development of bacterial biofilms bestows antibiotic resistance and restricts treatment via implant retention surgery. Electromagnetic induction heating is a novel technique for antibacterial treatment of metallic surfaces that has demonstrated in-vitro efficacy.

Tumor location on electroporation therapies by means of multi-electrode structures and machine learning.

Electroporation is a phenomenon produced in the cell membrane when it is exposed to high pulsed electric fields that increases its permeability. Among other application fields, this phenomenon can be exploited in a clinical environment for tumor ablation therapies. In this context to achieve optimum results, it is convenient to focus the treatment on the tumor tissue to minimize side effects.

OMERACT International Consensus for Ultrasound Definitions of Tenosynovitis in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Systematic Literature Review and Delphi Process.

Objective: Synovitis and tenosynovitis are present in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), both as joint pain and/or inflammation, making them difficult to detect on physical examination. Although ultrasonography (US) allows for discrimination of the 2 entities, only definitions and scoring of synovitis in children have been established. This study was undertaken to produce consensus-based US definitions of tenosynovitis in JIA.

Preliminary evaluation of the safety and efficacy of glucose solution infusion through the hepatic artery on irreversible electroporation focusing.

Due to electrical features of the tissue, such as impedance, which have a significant impact on irreversible electroporation (IRE) function, the administration of glucose solution 5% (GS5%) through the hepatic artery would focus IRE on scattered liver tumors. By creating a differential impedance between healthy and tumor tissue. This study aimed to determine the effects of the GS5% protocol on healthy liver tissue and its safety.

Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

An association between knee osteoarthritis (OA) and sarcopenia has been proposed, but the evidence is controversial, with the recent literature showing disparate results. Therefore, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in knee OA patients compared to people not affected by this condition. We searched several databases until 22 February 2022.

Liver tissue remodeling following ablation with irreversible electroporation in a porcine model.

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a method of non-thermal focal tissue ablation characterized by irreversibly permeabilizing the cell membranes while preserving the extracellular matrix. This study aimed to investigate tissue remodeling after IRE in a porcine model, especially focusing on the extracellular matrix and hepatic stellate cells. IRE ablation was performed on 11 female pigs at 2,000 V/cm electric field strength using a versatile high-voltage generator and 3 cm diameter parallel-plate electrodes.

The incidence of the multiple sclerosis in Italy: 2011-2015.

Introduction: There are very few scientific papers (and only on de-limited areas) about incidence and prevalence of the multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy. We analysed 2011-2015 national data by correlating INPS database with ISTAT data. Materials: we assessed 10,725 MS invalids.

Role of Ultrasound Evaluation of Temporomandibular Joint in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Systematic Review.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is childhood's most frequent chronic rheumatic disease. JIA is a broad term that includes all arthritides starting before 16 years, lasting at least six weeks, and of unknown cause. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) could be involved in JIA both at onset and during the disease course.

Synovial Fluid-Derived Extracellular Vesicles of Patients with Arthritides Contribute to Hippocampal Synaptic Dysfunctions and Increase with Mood Disorders Severity in Humans.

Arthritides are a highly heterogeneous group of disorders that include two major clinical entities, localized joint disorders such as osteoarthritis (OA) and systemic autoimmune-driven diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Arthritides are characterized by chronic debilitating musculoskeletal conditions and systemic chronic inflammation. Poor mental health is also one of the most common comorbidities of arthritides.

Ultrasound versus physical examination in predicting disease flare in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a systematic literature review and qualitative synthesis.

In this systematic review we analyzed the published articles related to the predictive value for flare of subclinical synovitis assessed by ultrasound (US) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched from 1990 to 2020 by two authors, using PICO methodology. The study is built and reported according to PRISMA guidelines.

Hyaluronic Acid Therapy in Hip OA Does Not Perform Equally in Osteoarthritis Secondary to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis When Compared to Primary Osteoarthritis: A 2-Year Preliminary Evaluation.

Objective: Hip involvement in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is one of most important causes of pain and disability. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is considered the standard when medical approaches fail to relieve pain. However, THA is problematic for many reasons.

Predictors, Risk Factors, and Incidence Rates of Psoriatic Arthritis Development in Psoriasis Patients: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Agreement on how to identify psoriasis (PsO) patients at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is lacking.

Objective: To identify predictors, risk factors and incidence rate (IR) of PsA development in PsO patients through a systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analyses (MA).

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched.

Potential Short-Term Air Pollution Effects on Rheumatoid Arthritis Activity in Metropolitan Areas in the North of Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) flare is related to increased joint damage, disability, and healthcare use. The impact of short-term air pollution exposure on RA disease activity is still a matter of debate. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated whether short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM), PM, nitrogen dioxide (NO), and ozone (O) affected RA disease activity (DAS28 and SDAI) in 422 consecutive RA residents in Lombardy, North of Italy.

Serum calprotectin (S100A8/9), clinical and ultrasound assessment in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objectives: To explore the association between serum S100A8/9 (calprotectin), clinical and ultrasound (US) assessment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients.

Methods: A total of 30 well-characterised consecutive patients (18 female) with non-systemic JIA and 20 age-matched healthy controls were included. Serum and plasma samples obtained the same day of the clinical and sonographical assessment were tested for calprotectin levels by ELISA.

Impact of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapies on symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large cohort of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis.

Background: Prevalence and outcomes of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 in relation to immunomodulatory medications are still unknown. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents on COVID-19 in a large cohort of patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis.

Methods: The study was conducted in the arthritis outpatient clinic at two large academic hospitals in the COVID-19 most endemic area of Northern Italy (Lombardy).

Sensitivity to change and clinical correlations of the novel DACtylitis glObal Sonographic (DACTOS) score in psoriatic arthritis.

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the performance of the DACTOS (DACtylitis glObal Sonographic) score in a PsA dactylitis clinical setting. In particular, we evaluated the ability of DACTOS to identify the affected fingers, its sensitivity to change after treatment, the correlations between DACTOS and clinical parameters, and the capacity of the score to identify the treatment responders.

Methods: Forty-six consecutive patients with symptomatic PsA hand dactylitis were enrolled.

A Posteriori Dietary Patterns and Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity: A Beneficial Role of Vegetable and Animal Unsaturated Fatty Acids.

To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the relationship between a posteriori dietary patterns (DPs)-representing current dietary behavior-and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We analyzed data from a recent Italian cross-sectional study including 365 RA patients (median age: 58.46 years, 78.

Salivary Gland Ultrasonography in Sjögren's Syndrome: A European Multicenter Reliability Exercise for the HarmonicSS Project.

Salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) is increasingly applied for the management of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). This study aims to: (i) compare the reliability between two SGUS scores; (ii) test the reliability among sonographers with different levels of experience. In the reliability exercise, two four-grade semi-quantitative SGUS scoring systems, namely De Vita et al.

Deep learning segmentation of Primary Sjögren's syndrome affected salivary glands from ultrasonography images.

Salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) has proven to be a promising tool for diagnosing various diseases manifesting with abnormalities in salivary glands (SGs), including primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). At present, the major obstacle for establishing SUGS as a standardized tool for pSS diagnosis is its low inter/intra observer reliability. The aim of this study was to address this problem by proposing a robust deep learning-based solution for the automated segmentation of SGUS images.

One-year efficacy and safety of single or one to three weekly injections of hylan G-F 20 for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of single or 1-3 weekly injections of hylan G-F 20 at 1 year following the first injection for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL and included relevant conference proceedings (January 1, 1995-August 17, 2020). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomized trials, and observational studies investigating 1-year efficacy and safety of 1-3 weekly injections or single hylan G-F 20 injection for knee OA were included.

Adherence to Mediterranean diet and patient perception of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate the association between the adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) and disease impact, activity, and comorbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Design: Consecutive patients with RA were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. For each patient, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints (DAS28), Simple Disease Activity Index (SDAI), RA Impact of Disease (RAID), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), patient global assessment (PGA) and general health (GH) and a self-reported questionnaire called MD score were recorded.