Publications by authors named "Scire C"
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a dermatologist-filled-in 7-item questionnaire (called HERACLES) as a screening tool for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis.
Methods: This study was performed in Italy in seven dermatology centres cooperating with rheumatology centres. Adults with psoriasis were consecutively recruited up to a calculated number of 750.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focused on anti-synthetase syndrome (ASSD), a rare autoimmune disease, aiming to identify clinical and lab features for potential classification criteria.
- - Researchers analyzed data from 948 ASSD patients and 1077 control subjects, finding that certain symptoms like arthritis and specific autoantibodies were more common in ASSD cases.
- - The findings will assist clinicians in diagnosing ASSD and contribute to creating more standardized, data-driven classification criteria for the syndrome.
Article Synopsis
- Ceres has notable amounts of aliphatic organics, with concentrations ranging from 5 to over 30 weight % in certain areas of its surface.
- The origins and longevity of these organics are questioned, especially since radiation levels in Ceres' orbit should typically break them down, complicating their detection.
- Laboratory experiments suggest that organic materials degrade quickly under radiation, indicating that buried organics may have been exposed in the recent past, and estimates show the initial abundance of aliphatics could be 2 to 30 times higher than what is currently observed.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to analyze the disease, demographic, and imaging characteristics linked to different types of calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease, focusing on recurrent acute CPP crystal arthritis, chronic CPP crystal inflammatory arthritis, and crowned dens syndrome (CDS).
- Researchers utilized data from an international cohort of 618 individuals to investigate the phenotypic traits of each type of CPPD and performed multivariable logistic regression to assess associations between risk factors and inflammatory phenotypes.
- Key findings indicated that longer disease duration correlated with recurrent acute arthritis, while chronic arthritis was linked to specific joint issues and less associated with metabolic risks, and CDS was more common in males with greater joint involvement. *
New evidence from 2023 has slightly shifted some perspectives on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management. Glucocorticoids have reaffirmed their role as bridging therapy, while novel studies on JAK inhibitors have examined efficacy, mechanism of action, and their potential in high-risk populations, bolstering our understanding with real-world data.Additionally, among treatment strategies, achieving low disease activity has emerged as comparable to achieving remission in the long term, and new insights have been gained regarding tapering both biological and conventional synthetic DMARDs.
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- 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 CLASS project aims to develop data-driven classification criteria for anti-synthetase syndrome (ASSD) by assessing the effectiveness of local immunoassays for detecting anti-aminoacyl tRNA synthetase antibodies (anti-ARS) in real-world settings.
- - Researchers collected 787 serum samples from various centers and compared local testing results with a central standard using immunoprecipitation and other methods to evaluate tests' sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values.
- - While local detection of anti-Jo1 antibodies showed high reliability, the agreement for anti-non-Jo1 antibodies varied, indicating some local tests may not align well with central definitions.
Objectives: The management of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) poses considerable challenges due to limited clinical trials. Therapeutic decisions are customized based on suspected pathogenic mechanisms and symptoms severity. This study aimed to investigate therapeutic strategies and disease outcome for patients with NPSLE experiencing their first neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Over the last years ultrasound has shown to be an important tool for evaluating lung involvement, including interstitial lung disease (ILD) a potentially severe systemic involvement in many rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD). Despite the potential sensitivity of the technique the actual use is hampered by the lack of consensual definitions of elementary lesions to be assessed and of the scanning protocol to apply. Within the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Ultrasound Working Group we aimed at developing consensus-based definitions for ultrasound detected ILD findings in RMDs and assessing their reliability in dynamic images.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This post-hoc analysis was carried out on data acquired in the longitudinal Sonographic Tenosynovitis/arthritis Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Remission (STARTER) study. Its primary aim was to determine the predictive clinical and MSUS features factors for disease flare in RA patients in clinical remission, whilst its secondary aim was to evaluate the probability of disease flare based on clinical and MSUS features.
Methods: The analysis included a total of 389 RA patients in DAS28-defined remission.
Background: Inflammatory arthritis (IAs), such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), are characterized by the presence of chronic synovitis. The Krenn's synovitis score (KSS), a simple tool detectable by haematoxylin/eosin staining of synovial biopsy samples, allows the discrimination between high-grade and low-grade synovitis. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical associations of KSS and to evaluate the relationship between high-grade synovitis and treatment response in IA patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate the in vitro effect of tofacitinib on autophagy activity of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), and to confirm its activity on inflammatory and invasive properties of FLS and synovial cells, deepening the impact on mitochondrial function.
Methods: FLS, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and synovial cells from active PsA patients were cultured with tofacitinib 1 μM or vehicle control for 24 h. Autophagy was measured by Western blot and by fluorescence microscopy.
Objective: To develop the optimal US scanning protocol for the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition (CPPD) disease.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, consecutive patients with a crystal-proven diagnosis of CPPD disease, and age-, sex-matched disease controls with a negative synovial fluid analysis were prospectively enrolled in two Italian Institutions. Four rheumatologists, blinded to patients' clinical details, performed US examinations using a standardized scanning protocol including 20 joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, metacarpophalangeal joints from second to fifth fingers, hips, knees, ankles).
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare COVID-19 outcomes among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and spondyloarthritis (SPA) before vaccination, given conflicting data on their prognosis.
- Analysis of the CONTROL-19 Database revealed that SLE and RA patients had similar severe outcome rates, while SPA patients had better outcomes than those with SLE.
- Key risk factors for severe outcomes in SLE patients included being over 65, having hypertension, and using prednisone, while hydroxychloroquine use appeared to reduce risk.
Background: Major improvements in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have made clinical remission an achievable and desirable goal but, despite the relevance gained by a profound disease suppression, many patients with RA still miss clinical remission due to several factors influencing disease activity, including treatment adherence.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of adherence to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) on the achievement of clinical remission in a cohort of patients with new-onset inflammatory arthritis.
Study Design: A prospective cohort study was conducted using the ELECTRA database, which consists of clinical data from patients followed at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation (Pavia, Italy), linked to regional administrative healthcare databases.
Objective: Approximately one third of individuals worldwide have not received a COVID-19 vaccine. Although studies have investigated risk factors linked to severe COVID-19 among unvaccinated people with rheumatic diseases (RDs), we know less about whether these factors changed as the pandemic progressed. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated individuals in different pandemic epochs corresponding to major variants of concern.
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- Recent findings from 2022 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management emphasize the importance of customizing treatment based on individual patient characteristics and response to medications.
- Research into biomarkers and remote care applications highlights the shift towards precision medicine and a more patient-centered approach in treating RA.
- Updated guidelines from new vaccination developments and literature also impact the management of RA-related issues, such as interstitial lung disease and pregnancy.
Article Synopsis
- Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease is common but previously lacked validated classification criteria, which have now been developed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and EULAR.
- A multinational group established these criteria by generating lists of candidate items, refining definitions, and validating the framework through patient profiles and statistical analysis.
- The new criteria allow for CPPD classification based on specific symptoms, testing results, and a scoring system, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity in identifying the disease.
Article Synopsis
- Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease lacks established classification criteria, prompting the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and EULAR to create the first validated criteria for symptomatic cases.
- A multinational team developed these criteria by analyzing patient profiles, defining candidate items, and employing decision-making methods to establish a scoring system for classification.
- The new criteria showed high sensitivity (92.2% in one cohort; 99.2% in another) and specificity (87.9% and 92.5%, respectively), making them effective tools for diagnosing CPPD disease and advancing research.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by multisystemic clinical manifestations ranging from a relatively mild involvement to potentially life-threatening complications. Due to this complexity, a multidisciplinary (MD) approach is the best strategy for optimizing patients' care. The main aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to scrutinize the published data regarding the MD approach for the management of SLE patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Electronic health databases are used to identify people at risk of poor outcomes. Using electronic regional health databases (e-RHD), we aimed to develop and validate a frailty index (FI), compare it with a clinically based FI, and assess its association with health outcomes in community-dwellers with SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: Data retrieved from the Lombardy e-RHD were used to develop a 40-item FI (e-RHD-FI) in adults (i.
Objectives: To identify the prevalence of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition (CPPD) using ultrasound and conventional radiology at peripheral joints in patients with suspected or definite CPPD.
Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Embase using pre-defined search strategies from inception to April 2021 to identify studies that evaluated conventional radiology and ultrasound in detecting CPPD at peripheral joints, including definite or suspected CPPD [Research question 1 (RQ1) and Research Question 2 (RQ2), respectively]. For the meta-analysis, the first, second, and third sub-analysis included studies with the knee, and knee or wrist as the index joint for CPPD (without restrictions on the reference standard) and synovial fluid analysis or histology as a reference standard (without restrictions on the index joint), respectively.
Recent studies have shown that people who are immunocompromised may inadvertently play a role in spurring the mutations of the virus that create new variants. This is because some immunocompromised individuals remain at risk of getting COVID-19 despite vaccination, experience more severe disease, are susceptible to being chronically infected and remain contagious for longer if they become infected and considering that immunocompromised individuals represent approximately 2% of the overall population, this aspect should be carefully considered. So far, some autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARD) patients with COVID-19 have been treated with antiviral therapies or anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody products.
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- The systematic literature review aimed to analyze the effects of approved biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) on the synovial membrane in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and explore potential biomarkers for treatment response.
- A comprehensive search through various databases led to the inclusion of 22 studies, with the majority focusing on the effects of TNF inhibitors and using immunohistochemistry as the primary method for analysis.
- The meta-analysis revealed a significant decrease in CD3+ lymphocytes and CD68+ macrophages in patients treated with bDMARDs, with the reduction in CD3+ cells correlating with clinical response, highlighting its potential as a reliable biomarker
Objective: To describe demographic, clinical and laboratory features of systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) in a large multicentre systemic sclerosis (SSc) cohort.
Methods: Data involving 1808 SSc patients from Italian Systemic sclerosis PRogression INvestiGation registry were collected. The ssSSc was defined by the absence of any cutaneous sclerosis and/or puffy fingers.