Publications by authors named "Luigi Boiardi"
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to identify genes that are differently expressed in temporal artery biopsies (TABs) from patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) showing varied inflammation patterns, specifically transmural inflammation (TMI) and inflammation limited to adventitia (ILA), compared to non-GCA controls.
- - An analysis of 770 immune-related genes revealed that TABs with TMI had significantly more gene expression changes (256 upregulated and 31 downregulated) versus normal TABs, while TABs with ILA mostly resembled normal samples with fewer significant changes.
- - The findings highlighted that TMI TABs exhibit a unique gene expression profile that contributes to understanding GCA's underlying mechanisms, as opposed to TABs with ILA
Objectives: To assess the maintenance of efficacy of one year of tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy after its discontinuation in large vessel-GCA (LV-GCA).
Methods: 17 patients with active LV-GCA were previously treated with 3 boluses of intravenous methylprednisone and weekly subcutaneous TCZ in monotherapy for 52 weeks. Patients in relapse-free clinical remission at week 52 discontinued TCZ and entered part two, which was a 26-week observational follow-up period.
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease of large/medium-sized arteries. MiRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that inhibit gene expression at post-transcriptional level. Several miRNAs have been shown to be dysregulated in temporal artery biopsies (TABs) from GCA patients, but their role is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To describe the clinical findings, response to therapy and course of patients with transmural eosinophilic infiltration at temporal artery biopsy (TAB).
Methods: The study consisted of a retrospective cohort of 254 consecutive GCA patients with evidence of transmural inflammation at TAB seen at the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital over a 28-year period. The findings of the 22 patients with eosinophilic infiltration (≥ 20 eosinophils/hpf) at TAB were compared with those of 232 patients without.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and safety of the 26-week tapering regimen of glucocorticoids (GC) used in the GiACTA trial in a prospective cohort of treatment-naive, biopsy-proven GCA patients.
Methods: Patients with a new diagnosis of biopsy-proven GCA enrolled in the GC arm of the START project (molecular stratification of patients with GCA to tailor GC and tocilizumab therapy) were included. All patients were treated with the 26-week taper regimen of GC used in the GiACTA trial.
Objectives: To investigate potential associations between the two functional C-reactive protein (CRP) gene polymorphisms at position 3872C>T (rs1205) and 4741G>C (rs3093068) and susceptibility, clinical expression, laboratory and pathological findings, and outcomes of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a Nothern Italian population.
Methods: One hundred and seventy Italian patients with biopsy-proven GCA resident in Reggio Emilia area, Italy, and 200 healthy controls from the same geographic area were genotyped for rs1205 and rs3093068 CRP gene polymorphisms by molecular methods. The patients were subgrouped on the basis of the presence or absence of clinical manifestations, histological and laboratory findings, and outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- A study compared two ways of giving a medicine called tocilizumab to patients with a disease called Takayasu arteritis (TAK).
- They looked at 109 patients from different countries and found that both methods worked similarly well after 6 months, with about 69% showing improvement.
- However, patients who got tocilizumab as a shot under the skin had a higher chance of getting worse again compared to those who received it through an IV.
Objectives: To assess the impact of tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy after ultra-short-pulse glucocorticoids (GCs) on clinical manifestations, and vessel inflammation and damage in large vessel-GCA (LV-GCA).
Methods: In this prospective observational study, we enrolled patients with active LV-GCA. All patients received 500 mg per day i.
Large-vessel vasculitides (LVVs) include giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu's arteritis (TAK). Even if similar, these two entities differ in terms of treatment and outcomes.High doses of glucocorticoids (GCs) are still the first choice for the treatment of both conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To compare clinical and imaging characteristics in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and large vessel-giant cell arteritis (LV-GCA) in an Italian population.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective monocenter study comparing characteristics and outcomes of a cohort of 59 patients with TAK and a cohort of 127 patients with LV-GCA diagnosed between 1996 and 2016. Most of them (92%) were followed up for at least 24 months at Reggio Emilia Hospital (Italy).
Purpose Of Review: To summarize the histologic findings of vasculitis, and to give some practical considerations on biopsy samples.
Recent Findings: The larger use of imaging and the discoveries of serological markers in the diagnosis of vasculitis have increased the clinical recognition of these entities. Nevertheless, biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis in most cases.
Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of PET/CT and of PET vascular activity score (PETVAS) in assessing disease activity and the ability of PETVAS in predicting relapses in a large single-centre cohort of patients with large vessel vasculitis (LVV).
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data of consecutive patients diagnosed with LVV who underwent at least one PET/CT scan between 2007 and 2020. The nuclear medicine physician's interpretation of each PET/CT scan (active/inactive vasculitis) was compared with disease activity clinical judgement (active disease/remission).
Objective: The aim was to identify any association between imaging signs of vessel wall inflammation (positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) score and CT/MR wall thickening) and synchronous and subsequent vascular damage (stenoses/dilations) in patients with large vessel vasculitis (LVV).
Methods: Consecutive patients with LVV referred to a tertiary centre in 2007-2020 with baseline PET-CT and morphological imaging (CT/MR angiography) performed within 3 months were included. All available PET-CT and CT/MR scans were reviewed to assess PET-CT uptake (4-point semi-quantitative score), wall thickening, stenoses and dilations for 15 vascular segments.
Objective: To identify patients with VEXAS syndrome (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic syndrome) from a single-center cohort of Italian patients with vasculitis, using a clinically oriented phenotype-first approach.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 147 consecutive male patients followed up in our vasculitis clinic from 2013 to date. All patients with a diagnosis of vasculitis and treatment-resistant manifestations of inflammation, persistently elevated inflammation markers, and hematologic abnormalities were identified.
Article Synopsis
- This study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of TNF-α antagonists and tocilizumab in treating Takayasu arteritis (TAK) in 209 patients, primarily young women.
- Results show that both treatment options achieved a high rate of complete response (66% for TNF-α and 70% for tocilizumab) after 6 months, although older age was positively correlated with response while certain baseline symptoms were negatively associated.
- The incidence of treatment relapses and adverse effects was similar for both therapies, indicating that they are equally effective for managing refractory TAK over a median follow-up of 36 months.
Objectives: To investigate the epidemiology of the entire spectrum of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) in a well-defined population from a Northern Italian area.
Methods: All patients with incident giant cell arteritis (GCA) diagnosed from 2005 to 2016 and all patients with incident Takayasu arteritis (TAK) diagnosed from 1998 to 2016 living in the Reggio Emilia area were identified. Only patients satisfying the modified inclusion criteria of the GiACTA trial, and the 1990 ACR classification criteria for TAK were included.
Objectives: Efficacy evaluation of GCA treatment is primarily based on non-specific symptoms and laboratory markers. We aimed to assess the change in vascular inflammation in patients with large vessel (LV)-GCA under different treatments using [18F]FDG PET/CT.
Methods: Observational study on patients with new-onset, active LV-GCA starting treatment with either prednisolone monotherapy (PRED) or combination with MTX or tocilizumab (TOC).
Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and significance of inflammation restricted (RI) to the adventitial and/or periadventitial tissue on temporal artery biopsy (TAB).
Methods: We studied a retrospective cohort of 80 patients with RI, extending our earlier series of 39 patients. For comparison purposes, we collected the same data from 254 patients with transmural inflammation (TMI) and 81 TAB-negative patients.
Objective: To evaluate the susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with autoimmune conditions treated with antimalarials in a population-based study.
Methods: All residents treated with chloroquine (CQ)/hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) from July through December 2019 and living in 3 provinces of Regione Emilia-Romagna were identified by drug prescription registries and matched with the registry containing all residents living in the same areas who have had swabs and tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.
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.