Search results for " Rheumatoid Arthritis"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
Guidelines for biomarkers in autoimmune rheumatic diseases - evidence based analysis
2018
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases are characterised by an abnormal immune system response, complement activation, cytokines dysregulation and inflammation. In last years, despite many progresses in managing these patients, it has been shown that clinical remission is reached in less than 50% of patients and a personalised and tailored therapeutic approach is still lacking resulting in a significant gap between guidelines and real-world practice. In this context, the need for biomarkers facilitating early diagnosis and profiling those individuals at the highest risk for a poor outcome has become of crucial interest. A biomarker generally refers to a measured characteristic which may be used as a…
The emerging role of IL-1 inhibition in patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes
2018
Background Although in the past, prevention of the joint destruction and disability was strongly emphasised in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), at present, a growing body of evidence is focused at identifying the best management of associated comorbidities, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Recently, the hypothesis that blocking pro-inflammatory activity may be helpful in the treatment of some comorbidities has been proposed in RA patients. Objective We reviewed the role of IL-1β during RA and T2D, the efficacy of IL-1 blocking agents in controlling both diseases and, possible, decreasing the concomitant enhanced atherosclerotic process. Method After literature search, the available evidence has bee…
Subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the 3-year, multicentre, prospective, observational GIRRCS (Gruppo Ita…
2019
Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, when compared with general population, largely due to enhanced atherosclerotic disease. In this work, we aimed at assessing both occurrence and predictive factors of subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis in RA. Methods From January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, consecutive participants with RA, admitted to Italian Rheumatology Units, were assessed in the GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale) cohort. After that, those participants were followed up in a 3-year, prospective, observational study, assessing the occurrence of subclinical and clinical ather…
Safety and efficacy of intra-articular anti-tumor necrosis factor α agents compared to corticosteroids in a treat-to-target strategy in patients with…
2015
The aim of this study was to assess safety and efficacy of ultrasonography (US)-guided intra-articular injections using tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers compared to corticosteroids in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients, experiencing refractory monoarthritis despite the current systemic therapy. Eighty-two patients were randomized to receive three intra-articular injections monthly of either corticosteroid or TNF blockers. Primary endpoints were the safety and an improvement greater than 20% for visual analogic scales of involved joint pain in patients injected with anti-TNFα. Further clinical, US, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations were consid…
International consensus: What else can we do to improve diagnosis and therapeutic strategies in patients affected by autoimmune rheumatic diseases (r…
2017
Autoimmune diseases are a complex set of diseases characterized by immune system activation and, although many progresses have been done in the last 15 years, several unmet needs in the management of these patients may be still identified. Recently, a panel of international Experts, divided in different working groups according to their clinical and scientific expertise, were asked to identify, debate and formulate a list of key unmet needs within the field of rheumatology, serving as a roadmap for research as well as support for clinicians. After a systematic review of the literature, the results and the discussions from each working group were summarised in different statements. Due to th…
IL-1β at the crossroad between rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes: may we kill two birds with one stone?
2016
ABSTRACT: Although in the past the prevention of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was strongly emphasized, now a great interest is focused on associated comorbidities in these patients. Multiple data suggest that a large percentage of RA patients are affected by Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), whose incidence has reached epidemic levels in recent years, thus increasing the health care costs. A better knowledge about the pathogenesis of these diseases as well as the mechanisms of action of drugs may allow both policy designers and physicians to choose the most effective treatments, thus lowering the costs. This review will focus on the role of Interleukin (IL)-1β in the pathogenesis of …
The growing role of precision medicine for the treatment of autoimmune diseases; results of a systematic review of literature and Experts’ Consensus
2021
International audience; Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) share similar serological, clinical, and radiological findings, but, behind these common features, there are different pathogenic mechanisms, immune cells dysfunctions, and targeted organs. In this context, multiple lines of evidence suggest the application of precision medicine principles to AIDs to reduce the treatment failure. Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of therapeutic strategies to the individual characteristics of each patient, thus it could be a new approach for management of AIDS which considers individual variability in genes, environmental exposure, and lifestyle. Precision medicine would also assist physicians in ch…
Interleukin-9 and T helper type 9 cells in rheumatic diseases
2016
Summary Interleukin (IL)-9 is a 28-30 kDa monomeric glycosylated polypeptide belonging to the IL-7/IL-9 family of proteins that bind to a composite receptor consisting of the private receptor IL-9R and the IL-2 receptor, gamma (IL-2RG), a common gamma subunit shared by the receptors of many different cytokines. The IL-9R is expressed widely and IL-9 impacts a number of effector cells, such as effector T cells, B cells, innate lymphoid cells, mast cells, polymorphonuclear cells, epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells, playing an important role in regulating inflammatory immunity. The critical role of IL-9 in promoting cellular and humoral immune responses makes it an important focus of pot…
Safety of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
2008
The prevalence of concurrent rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is probably underestimated because of the increasing spread of this virus worldwide, especially in developing countries. In these patients, anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) therapy may aggravate hepatitis and increase viremia. We evaluated the safety of these treatments, which remain controversial.Thirty-one HCV-positive patients (23 women, 8 men, mean age 59+/-13 yrs, mean disease duration 13+/-11.5 SD yrs) with active RA [Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28)3.2] unresponsive to conventional therapies were treated with TNF-alpha blockers (infliximab 11, etanercept 17, adalimumab 3) at…
Downregulation of miRNA17-92 cluster marks Vγ9Vδ2 T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis
2018
Abstract Background We aimed to evaluate the phenotype, function, and microRNA (miRNA)17–92 cluster expression in Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell subsets and the correlation with immune response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Methods Peripheral blood from 10 early RA untreated patients and 10 healthy donors (HD) was obtained. Polyclonal Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell lines were generated and analysed by flow cytometry. Analysis of miRNA17–92 cluster expression was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and expression of mRNA target genes was also studied. Results A remarkable change in the distribution of Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell functional subsets was observed in the peripheral blood of RA patients compared…