A(2A) adenosine receptors are differentially modulated by pharmacological treatments in rheumatoid arthritis patients and their stimulation ameliorates adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

A(2A) adenosine receptors (ARs) play a key role in the inhibition of the inflammatory process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the modulation of A(2A)ARs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after different pharmacological treatments and to investigate the effect of A(2A)AR stimulation in a rat model of arthritis. We investigated A(2A)AR density and functionality in RA progression by using a longitudinal study in RA patients before and after methotrexate (MTX), anti-TNFα agents or rituximab treatments.

Brief report: successful pregnancies but a higher risk of preterm births in patients with systemic sclerosis: an Italian multicenter study.

Objective: To assess fetal and maternal outcomes in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Prospectively collected data on 99 women with SSc from 25 Italian centers were analyzed retrospectively. Women with SSc were observed during 109 pregnancies (from 2000 to 2011), and outcomes were compared to those in the general obstetric population (total of 3,939 deliveries).

Pregnancy in patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease: a prospective case-control study.

Objectives: To assess the outcome of pregnancy and disease flare or differentiation into well-defined connective tissue disease (CTD), in a cohort of pregnant patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) and to compare these findings with those obtained from a population of non-pregnant women with UCTD.

Methods: In total, 55 pregnancies (in 50 UCTD patients) were monitored from the positive pregnancy test until the sixth month after delivery. Likewise, during a 15-month timeframe, the incidence of flares or evolution into a major CTD was also recorded in a population of 53 non-pregnant women with UCTD.

Optimizing clinical monitoring of central nervous system involvement in SLE.

Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement is a frequent SLE manifestation occurring in 15-75% of patients. However, diagnosis of CNS involvement is a difficult task and requires a careful clinical and laboratory assessment along with instrumental evaluation. In recent years major advances in neuroimaging techniques allowed a great improvement in our understanding of SLE pathogenesis.