Infliximab treatment in psoriatic arthritis: our experience.

The aim of this work was to give clinical practice recommendations on the use of tumour necrosis factor blocking agents in psoriatic arthritis, underlining the pathogenetic mechanism of this condition and its articular and dermatologic manifestations. We retrace the stages leading to the therapeutic indications of biological agents that are presently used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis: Entanercept, Adalimumab, Infliximab. We also report our personal experience describing an emblematic case of a patient with psoriatic arthritis in which a decisive regression of joint/skin involvement was obtained with Infliximab treatment.

Outcome and prognostic factors during the course of primary small-vessel vasculitides.

Objective: To identify the prognostic factors of relapse and/or death during the course of primary small-vessel vasculitides (PSVV), and to differentiate their prognostic relevance by the type of vasculitis.

Methods: Seventy-five patients were retrospectively followed up after diagnosis: 36 with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), 23 with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), and 16 with microscopic polyangiitis. Cox regression analysis was used to identify the significant predictors of relapse and death.

[Specific inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2): current knowledge and perspectives].

The Authors summarize the current knowledge on a new class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the coxib (celecoxib and rofecoxib), in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Celecoxib and rofecoxib are selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors which possess the same anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, but a better gastric tolerability compared to the non-selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors. The Authors also report other possible therapeutic effects of these NSADIs as evidenced by the more recent data of the literature.