The Italian Fibromyalgia Registry: a new way of using routine real-world data concerning patient-reported disease status in healthcare research and clinical practice.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM), the most frequently encountered cause of widespread musculoskeletal pain, affects an estimated 2% of the general Italian population. However, it is not a homogeneous clinical entity, and a number of interacting factors can influence patient prognosis and the outcomes of standardised treatment programmes. Registries are a source of high-quality data for clinical research, but relating this information to individual patients is technically challenging.

Risk factors of damage in early diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus: results of the Italian multicentre Early Lupus Project inception cohort.

Objective: To investigate risk factors for damage development in a prospective inception cohort of early diagnosed SLE patients.

Methods: The Early Lupus Project recruited an inception cohort of patients within 12 months of SLE classification (1997 ACR criteria). At enrolment and every 6 months thereafter, the SLICC/ACR Damage Index was recorded.

Abatacept retention and clinical outcomes in Austrian patients with rheumatoid arthritis: real-world data from the 2-year ACTION study.

Background: AbataCepT In rOutiNe clinical practice (ACTION; NCT02109666) was a 2-year international observational study of patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: Baseline characteristics, abatacept retention rates, and clinical outcomes were compared by treatment line in the Austrian cohort of ACTION.

Results: Of 100 patients enrolled in Austria, 98 (98.

Biosimilars vs originators: Are they the same?

Biological drugs have revolutionised the treatment of rheumatic diseases, and the recent expiry of the patents for many biological agents has generated considerable interest among pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies, and led to the marketing of highly similar, low-cost versions known as biosimilars. The increasing trend of switching patients from effective but expensive drugs to their biosimilar counterparts will have a considerable economic impact in the coming years. However, although this will greatly extend patient access the latest treatments, clinicians, scientific societies and the patients themselves have expressed a number of concerns about their long-term efficacy and safety, as well as the consequences of potentially multiple switches being dictated by economic pressure rather than medical needs.

Can we wean patients with inflammatory arthritis from biological therapies?

Biological therapies have represented a cornerstone in the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Their advent combined with implementation of a treat-to-target approach has meant that remission or low disease activity are now realistic targets for treatment achieved by a significant number of patients. However, biologicals are not risk free and their elevated costs continue to present an important economic burden to national healthcare services.

Antiphospholipid syndrome's genetic and epigenetic aspects.

Studies on last genetic and epigenetic predisposition to APS are summarized. It is well known that genetic predisposition is in HLA system (DR4 and DRw53) and that lupus anticoagulant (LA) and anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) are both associated with the same HLA antigens. Other genes, outside the MHC, give their contribution to the development of this autoimmune syndrome, such as IRF5, STAT4 and those related to inherited thrombophilia - factor V Leiden and G20210A prothrombin polymorphisms.

An observational prospective study on predictors of clinical response at six months in patients with active psoriatic arthritis treated with golimumab.

Objectives: Recently, research has been focused on the identification of predictors of response to treatment in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The objective of this study was to develop a model to predict the clinical response at 6 months in patients with PsA starting the anti-tumour necrosis factor-α golimumab.

Methods: This prospective observational study explored a range of factors, including demographic data and baseline characteristics of the disease, measures of disease activity and functional disability, and potential laboratory biomarkers in the prediction of response, defined as the achievement of modified-minimal disease activity (mMDA), to golimumab in PsA patients.

Rheumatic immune related adverse events in patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors for immunotherapy of cancer.

Immune checkpoints are small molecules expressed by immune cells that play critical roles in maintaining immune homeostasis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) are new cancer drugs that target self-tolerance pathways exploited by tumors to escape immune destruction, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1). Several ICPIs have been approved by Food and Drug Administration, increasing overall survival with different cancers.

Different drug survival of first line tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis: a multicentre retrospective survey.

Objectives: Good drug survival of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) has been shown in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients treated in real-life setting. However, few studies have compared drug survival of the first TNF inhibitor between radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA) patients in real-world clinical practice. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness by assessing the retention rate of first-line TNFi in r-axSpA and nr-axSpA patients.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints in SpA: with or without intravenous contrast media? A preliminary report.

Object: Active sacroiliitis based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without intravenous (I.V.) contrast material injection is considered sufficient for the diagnosis of spondyloarthritis (SpA), according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria.

Predictors of abatacept retention over 2 years in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the real-world ACTION study.

Objectives: Evaluate abatacept retention over 2 years in the AbataCepT In rOutiNe clinical practice (ACTION) study.

Method: ACTION was an international, observational study of patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated intravenous abatacept. Crude abatacept retention rates over 2 years were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analyses in biologic-naive and -failure patients.

Efficacy of anti-tumour necrosis factor-α monoclonal antibodies in patients with non-infectious anterior uveitis.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of monoclonal anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents in patients with anterior uveitis (AU) in terms of decrease of recurrences, variation of visual acuity and steroid sparing effect and to identify any demographic, clinical or therapeutic variables associated with a sustained response to monoclonal TNF-α inhibitors.

Methods: Data from patients suffering from AU treated with adalimumab, infliximab, golimumab or certolizumab pegol were retrospectively collected and statistically analysed.

Results: Sixty-nine patients (22 males, 47 females), corresponding to 101 eyes, were enrolled.

Serum immunoglobulin D levels in patients with Behçet's disease according to different clinical manifestations.

Objectives: Behçet's disease (BD) is an autoinflammatory disorders mainly characterised by recurrent oral aphthosis, genital ulcers, and uveitis. The involvement of immunoglobulin D (IgD) in BD physiopathology is still unclear. The aim of our study was to assess the role of IgD in BD by comparing circulating levels of IgD in a cohort of BD patients and healthy controls (HC), as well as by correlating IgD levels with BD activity and different clinical presentations.

Epidemiological profile of non-infectious uveitis from the rheumatologist's perspective: a survey from two tertiary referral centres in Italy.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of non-infectious uveitis (NIU) in two tertiary referral rheumatology units in Central and Southern Italy.

Methods: Two hundred and seventy-eight consecutive NIU patients (417 eyes) evaluated between January 2016 and January 2017 were enrolled. Collected data were analysed in accordance with the primary anatomic site of inflammation, clinical course, and laterality.

Disease activity assessment of rheumatic diseases during pregnancy: a comprehensive review of indices used in clinical studies.

Pregnancy requires a special management in women with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (RDs), with the aim of controlling maternal disease activity and avoiding fetal complications. Despite the heterogeneous course of RDs during pregnancy, their impact on pregnancy largely relates to the extent of active inflammation at the time of conception. Therefore, accurate evaluation of disease activity is crucial for the best management of pregnant patients.

Categorisation of disease severity states in fibromyalgia: a first step to support decision-making in health care policy.

Objectives: To establish the cut-off points for disease severity states of two self-administered questionnaires (the revised version of the Fibromyalgia-Impact Questionnaire [FIQR] and the Fibromyalgia Assessment Status [FAS]) designed for the evaluation of multidimensional aspects of fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, consecutive FM patients completed both FIQR and FAS. The external criterion for grading disease severity was the item one of the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36).

Correction to: Long-term efficacy and safety of golimumab in the treatment of multirefractory Behçet's disease.

In the original version of this article the author name Gerardo Di Scala was originally presented incorrectly as 'Di Scala Gerardo'; this has been corrected in this article.

The Presence of Uveitis Is Associated with a Sustained Response to the Interleukin (IL)-1 Inhibitors Anakinra and Canakinumab in Behçet's Disease.

: To identify factors associated with sustained response to interleukin (IL)-1 inhibition among demographic, clinical and therapeutic data in patients with Behçet disease (BD).: BD patients treated with anakinra or canakinumab were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to the clinical response: group 1 included subjects showing a treatment duration of at least 52 weeks and no secondary inefficacy during the first follow-up year; the remaining patients were included in the group 2.

Tocilizumab modulates serum levels of adiponectin and chemerin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: potential cardiovascular protective role of IL-6 inhibition.

Objectives: Adipokines play an important role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), provide a link between the disease and overweight, contributing to explain the enhanced cardiovascular (CV) risk and influence the response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects of intravenous (IV) tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist, on serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, resistin, visfatin, and chemerin.

Methods: Forty-four RA patients with active disease (DAS28-ESR ≥3.

Prompt Clinical Response to Secukinumab in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis: Real Life Observational Data from Three Italian Referral Centers.

Background: Clinical research is needed to identify patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who are more likely to be responsive to interleukin (IL)-17 inhibition.

Objectives: To evaluate short-term efficacy of secukinumab in the management of axSpA.

Methods: Twenty-one patients (7 males, 14 females) with axSpA were consecutively treated with secukinumab.

Comparative efficacy between adalimumab and infliximab in the treatment of non-infectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, and panuveitis: a retrospective observational study of 107 patients.

To compare the efficacy of adalimumab (ADA) and infliximab (IFX) in patients with non-infectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, and panuveitis. Demographic, clinical, instrumental, and therapeutic data from patients enrolled were collected at the start of treatment, at 12-month follow-up, and at the last follow-up assessment. One hundred seven patients (46 females, 187 eyes) were enrolled, 66 (61.

Correlation of Serum Amyloid-A Levels, Clinical Manifestations, Treatment, and Disease Activity in Patients with Behçet's Disease.

Background: Behçet's disease (BD) is an inflammatory disorder potentially leading to life- and sight-threatening complications. No laboratory marker correlating with disease activity or predicting the occurrence of disease manifestations is currently available.

Objectives: To determine an association between serum amyloid-A (SAA) levels and disease activity via the BD Current Activity Form (BDCAF), to evaluate disease activity in relation to different SAA thresholds, to examine the association between single organ involvement and the overall major organ involvement with different SAA thresholds, and to assess the influence of biologic therapy on SAA levels.