Publications by authors named "Maria-Sole Chimenti"
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the spine and peripheral joints, causing pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. This narrative review examines how lifestyle factors-specifically smoking, alcohol consumption, and unhealthy diet-contribute to the onset and progression of SpA. It highlights their impact on disease activity, comorbidities, radiographic damage, and treatment response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Some concerns remain about the safety of nintedanib in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA-ILD), such as in presence of comorbidities or in combination with biologic, targeted synthetic and/or conventional synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In this multicentre study, we retrospectively evaluated the safety of nintedanib in a real-world population of RA-ILD patients from Italian GISEA registry and the possible role of comorbidities and DMARDs on drug safety and withdrawal. Secondary aim was to investigate the causes of nintedanib discontinuation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to explore gender differences in the phenotypical expression of Behçet's disease (BD) using data from the International AIDA Network Registry, focusing on damage index, disease manifestations, and cardiovascular risk.
- A total of 1024 patients (567 males and 457 females) were examined, revealing that males had a significantly higher overall damage index and more frequent occurrences of uveitis and vascular involvement, while females showed higher instances of arthralgia, arthritis, and CNS involvement.
- Key factors associated with major organ involvement included male gender, treatment with biologic agents, origin from endemic regions, and longer disease duration, indicating a more severe course of BD in males compared to females.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on understanding neuropathic pain in different types of spondyloarthritis (SpA), such as axial SpA, psoriatic arthritis, and undifferentiated peripheral SpA, aiming to identify its prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors.
- Conducted at two rheumatology centers, the research involved 177 patients and utilized specific questionnaires to assess neuropathic pain, revealing that 22.2% likely experienced significant neuropathic pain while 64.9% showed no significant issues.
- Findings indicated that factors like gender and obesity influenced pain scores, and notable correlations were found between neuropathic pain and clinical disease activity, stressing the need for routine pain assessments in SpA treatment.
Objectives: to evaluate over a 48-month follow-up period the: 1) long-term effectiveness and safety; 2) drug retention rate (DRR); 3) impact of comorbidities and bDMARDs line on MDA and DAPSA remission/low disease activity (LDA) of secukinumab in a multicenter Italian cohort of PsA patients.
Methods: Consecutive PsA patients receiving secukinumab were followed prospectively in Italian centers between 2016 and 2023. Disease characteristics, previous/ongoing treatments, comorbidities and follow-up duration were recorded.
Objectives: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an immune-inflammatory disease occurring in a subgroup of patients suffering from psoriasis. Dactylitis is recognised as a hallmark of PsA, being present in about 50% of patients. This article gives an overview of the complexity of psoriatic dactylitis, looking at clinical aspects as well as pathogenetic aspects and subsequent insights into treatment strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical and Ultrasonographic Remission in Bio-naïve and Bio-failure Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 24 Weeks of Upadacitinib Treatment: The UPARAREMUS Real-Life Study.
Rheumatol Ther
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Clinical remission is the main goal for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but studies have found that some patients in remission still show signs of synovitis detected by ultrasound.
- The UPARAREMUS study observed the effects of upadacitinib, a selective Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, showing it resulted in significantly higher rates of remission at 24 weeks compared to other treatments like adalimumab and abatacept.
- In this study, 63.6% of patients achieved both clinical and ultrasound remission after 24 weeks, with the likelihood of achieving this higher among bio-naïve patients, indicating that the drug may be more effective in patients who haven't received prior biological treatments.
Clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with systemic sclerosis: an observational, multicentre study of GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale).
Clin Exp Rheumatol
August 2024
Objectives: Conflicting results about clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the associated risk factors have been reported. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in a large number of Italian SSc patients and the associated risk factors.
Methods: This study included 613 SSc patients from 11 Italian tertiary Rheumatologic Units.
Objectives: This study aims to evaluate in a real-life Italian multicenter cohort of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) (1) the 4-year effectiveness and safety of secukinumab, (2) the drug retention rate (DRR), and (3) the impact of the line of bDMARDs treatment, subtype of axSpA, and sex on achieving low disease activity (LDA) and very low disease activity (VLDA).
Methods: Consecutive axSpA patients receiving secukinumab between 2016 and 2023 were prospectively evaluated. Data on disease characteristics, previous/ongoing treatments, comorbidities, and follow-up duration were collected.
Objectives: To compare the treatment effectiveness of secukinumab in radiographic (r) versus non-radiographic (nr) axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients treated in routine care across Europe.
Methods: Prospectively collected data on secukinumab-treated axSpA patients with known radiographic status were pooled from nine countries.Remission rates based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs; Numeric Rating Scale (0-10), for example, pain ≤2/Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) ≤2 and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) inactive disease (ID) <1.
Objectives: We aimed to evaluate ixekizumab (IXE) effectiveness, drug survival and clinical response predictors in moderate-severe psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients in different clinical scenarios.
Methods: This was a multicentre real-life observational study based on Gruppo Italiano Studio Early Arthritis (GISEA) registry of IXE treatment in PsA patients (January 2019-June 2023). Data were collected at baseline and every six months.
Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an immune-inflammatory disease that affects both joints and entheses, and with diverse extra-articular manifestations (psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and uveitis). A wide range of comorbid conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), mental health disorders (depression/anxiety), and osteoporosis are highly prevalent in course of PsA.Biological DMARDs (bDMARD), including TNF-inhibitors (TNFi), Interleukin (IL-17i) and IL-23i represent the cornerstone of the management of active disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The Patient Acceptable Symptoms State (PASS) is a validated instrument that is used to assess whether a patient with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) accepts her/his disease status by asking them a simple question: "Think about all the ways your PsA has affected you during the last 48 h. If you were to remain in the next few months as you were during the last 48 h, would this be acceptable to you?" The aim of the present study was to explore any PASS differences in patients with PsA based on sex by looking at the corresponding thresholds of Disease Activity for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of the Disease-12 (PsAID-12) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) in female and male patients.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that included two PsA cohorts.
Article Synopsis
- - The study explored lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) as potential biomarkers to predict how well Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients respond to treatment, focusing on their expression profiles in relation to drug effectiveness.
- - Researchers analyzed 48 treated PsA patients over 12 months and found significant differences in the expression levels of specific lncRNAs between those who responded to treatment and those who didn't, particularly for treatments with TNFi and IL17i.
- - The results suggest that the lncRNA MEG3 may be linked to treatment response and may also have a dose-dependent impact on disease activity, indicating its potential importance in tailoring treatment strategies for PsA patients.
Purpose: The clinical relevance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) subtypes such as HLA-B51 on Behçet's disease (BD)-related uveitis and non-infectious uveitis (NIU) unrelated to BD remains largely unknown.
Methods: Data were prospectively collected from the International AIDA Network Registry for BD and for NIU. We assessed differences between groups (NIU unrelated to BD and positive for HLA-B51, BD-related uveitis positive for HLA-B51 and BD-related uveitis negative for HLA-B51) in terms of long-term ocular complications, visual acuity (VA) measured by best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anatomical pattern, occurrence of retinal vasculitis (RV) and macular edema over time.
Introduction: JAK-inhibitors (JAK-i) represent an effective treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). Oral glucocorticoids (OGC) are commonly used in combination with JAK-i to reach therapeutic target. We aimed to assess, in a real-life setting, the reduction of OGC dose during JAK-i treatment in active RA and PsA patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManagement of pregnancy in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: maternal disease course, gestational and neonatal outcomes and use of medications in the prospectiveItalian P-RHEUM.it study.
RMD Open
April 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study examined pregnancy outcomes in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) enrolled in the Italian P-RHEUM.it cohort from 2018 to 2023, focusing on maternal and infant health.
- Results showed that out of 866 pregnancies, 15.6% experienced maternal disease flares, 30.1% had obstetrical complications, and 91.7% resulted in live births, with a relatively low rate of perinatal deaths and complications.
- The research concluded that effective preconception counseling and proper medication management during pregnancy may help reduce disease-related risks, suggesting that outcomes for women with ARD were comparable to those in the general obstetric population.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of filgotinib, a medication for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using data from the Italian GISEA registry.
- In a cohort of 246 RA patients, significant improvements in disease activity and pain levels were observed after 3 and 12 months of treatment, with retention rates of 84.5% at 6 months and 75.8% at 12 months.
- Overall, filgotinib was found to be safe and effective, with a higher risk of discontinuation in difficult-to-treat RA patients compared to those who were new to biologic treatment.
Article Synopsis
- - SAPHO syndrome is a rare disease with both inflammatory arthritis and skin issues, and there's limited research, leading therapies to rely on small case studies instead of clinical trials.
- - A 63-year-old woman with SAPHO syndrome was treated with Risankizumab after trying multiple other medications unsuccessfully; she showed significant improvement in symptoms and quality of life after 24 weeks and maintained this progress after a year.
- - The case highlights Risankizumab as an effective and safe treatment option for SAPHO syndrome, especially for patients who haven't responded well to other biologic therapies.
The management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease-associated spondyloarthritis: Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD) and Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR) recommendations based on a pseudo-Delphi consensus.
Autoimmun Rev
May 2024
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is the most frequent extraintestinal manifestation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). When IBD and spondyloarthritis coexist, musculoskeletal and intestinal disease features should be considered when planning a therapeutic strategy. Treatment options for IBD and SpA have expanded enormously over the last few years, but randomized controlled trials with specific endpoints focused on SpA are not available in the IBD setting.
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- * Treatment options include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and biological therapies targeting TNFα or IL-17, but pain is a significant concern that remains despite treatment, especially in advanced stages.
- * The JAK/STAT signaling pathway plays a crucial role in both the disease process and pain perception in axSpA, with new JAK inhibitors showing promise for rapid pain relief based on preclinical and clinical trial data.
The rs11568820 Variant in the Promoter Region of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Is Associated with Clinical Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors.
Genes (Basel)
February 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the link between a specific genetic variant (rs11568820) in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and the effectiveness of anti-TNF therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- Researchers evaluated 178 Italian RA patients, observing that those carrying the variant allele of the VDR gene had a lower rate of remission after 52 and 104 weeks of treatment.
- The findings indicate that genetic variations in the VDR may influence how well patients respond to anti-TNF drugs, highlighting the importance of personalizing RA treatment based on genetic factors.
Article Synopsis
- Enteropathic spondyloarthritides (eSpAs) are joint diseases linked to inflammatory bowel disease, with significant underreporting of arthritis cases due to medication masking symptoms and delayed diagnoses.
- In a study involving 190 eSpA patients, it was found that the median diagnostic delay was 48 months, with no notable difference between axial and peripheral types, though radiographic-axial SpA (r-axSpA) showed longer delays compared to non-radiographic cases.
- Key factors influencing diagnostic delays include age, education level, disease duration, and the presence of specific radiographic features, with men experiencing more spinal damage and higher diagnostic delays than women.
Objectives: To develop an intensive training programme for ultrasound (US)-guided synovial tissue (ST) biopsy on knees and wrists in inflammatory arthritis and to assess the learning curve, patient tolerability, sample quality and trainees' expectations.
Methods: Active or remission rheumatoid arthritis patients were enrolled. Nine trainees joined the 4-month programme in a centre experienced in performing US-guided ST biopsies consisting of four sequential phases: (1) observation, (2) performance of guided step-by-step phases, (3) execution of the whole procedure on paired joints (knees or wrists) of the same patient in parallel with the trainer and (4) performance of the procedure autonomously.