Search results for "ARTHRITIS"
showing 10 items of 1029 documents
Long term structural effects of combination therapy in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: five year follow up of a prospective double blind co…
2003
Objective: To evaluate whether early combined therapy with methotrexate (MTX) and sulfasalazine (SSZ) during the first year in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) induces long term beneficial effects, compared with monotherapy, when the further treatment strategy is a free choice. Methods: Study design: five year multicentre prospective longitudinal trial. Participants: 146/205 patients with RA previously included in a one year prospective randomised trial comparing the effects of treatment with MTX, SSZ, or a combination of both. Criteria for inclusion: patients with early RA (⩽1 year duration). Follow up: between the end of years 1 and 5, patients were followed up and treated by their own rhe…
Safety of etanercept therapy in rheumatoid patients undergoing surgery: preliminary report
2009
This is a preliminary report on a case-series of rheumatoid patients that underwent various kinds of elective surgery but did not withdraw etanercept therapy in spite of physician advise. Elective surgery consisted of right knee surgical prosthesis, bilateral cataract, bilateral hallux valgus, right hip prosthesis, bladder stone by cystoscopy and left inguinal hernia. All the patients had a regular healing rate. During follow-up (6-12 months) no one of these patients were suffering from infective complications after surgery. According to same recent literature results, our data suggest that it is the time to value rheumatoid patient preferences through a correct information about cost-benef…
T2-mapping of the sacroiliac joints at 1.5 Tesla: a feasibility and reproducibility study
2018
Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of T2 relaxation time measurements of the sacroiliac joints at 1.5 T. Materials and methods: Healthy volunteers underwent an oblique axial multislice multiecho spin-echo sequence of the sacroiliac joints at 1.5 T. Regions of interest were manually drawn using a dedicated software by two musculoskeletal radiologists to include the cartilaginous part of the sacroiliac joints. A senior radiologist performed the measurement twice, while a resident measured once. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was tested using the Bland-Altman method. Association between sex and T2 relaxation times was tested using the Mann-Whitney U test. Correlation between…
Mid- to Long-Term Outcome of Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty in Younger Patients
2010
Purpose. To assess mid- to long-term outcomes of cementless primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) in younger patients. Methods. Records of 28 women and 34 men (75 hips) aged 18 to 55 (mean, 38) years who underwent primary THA using a hydroxyapatite-coated stem and a threaded cup and had been followed up for a mean of 10 (6–15) years were reviewed. 13 of the patients had bilateral THAs. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were evaluated. Results. After a minimum follow-up of 7 (range, 7–14) years, 12 (16%) of the hips were revised, of which 8 (11%) were for the cup. The causes for revision were late deep infections (n=2), aseptic loosening of the cup (n=4), and polyethylene wear (n=6). No stem…
Expansion of intestinal Prevotella copri correlates with enhanced susceptibility to arthritis.
2013
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent systemic autoimmune disease, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Animal models suggest a role for intestinal bacteria in supporting the systemic immune response required for joint inflammation. Here we performed 16S sequencing on 114 stool samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls, and shotgun sequencing on a subset of 44 such samples. We identified the presence of Prevotella copri as strongly correlated with disease in new-onset untreated rheumatoid arthritis (NORA) patients. Increases in Prevotella abundance correlated with a reduction in Bacteroides and a loss of reportedly beneficial microbes in NORA subjec…
Vitiligo susceptibility and catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms in sicilian population
2018
BACKGROUND Catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms were analyzed as responsible for the deficiency of catalase enzyme activity and concomitant accumulation of excessive hydrogen peroxide in vitiligo patients. Catalase is a well-known oxidative stress regulator that could play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. This study was conducted to evaluate three CAT gene polymorphisms (-89A/T, 389C/T, 419C/T) and their association with vitiligo susceptibility in Sicilian population. METHODS Sixty out of 73 Sicilian patients with vitiligo were enrolled and submitted to CAT gene analysis. RESULTS Contrary to the Northern part of Europe but likewise to the Mediterranean area, the frequency of …
Safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab therapy in patients with different autoimmune diseases: experience from a national registry (GRAID)
2011
Introduction: Evidence from a number of open-label, uncontrolled studies has suggested that rituximab may benefit patients with autoimmune diseases who are refractory to standard-of-care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab in several standard-of-care-refractory autoimmune diseases (within rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and neurology) other than rheumatoid arthritis or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: Patients who received rituximab having shown an inadequate response to standard-of-care had their safety and clinical outcomes data retrospectively analysed as part of the German Registry of Autoimmune…
Severe chronic spontaneous urticaria in children – treatment options according to the guidelines and beyond – a 10 years review
2020
This is a retrospective study of 18 children with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), where standard therapies, including up-dosing of antihistamines and omalizumab, were unable to cure the disease and where alternative strategies with experimental and off-label medication had to be used. Being aware that our questionnaire is validated only for elder children or adults, we utilized the UAS7 to monitor disease control with the help of the parents. The UAS7 score decreased from a mean of 25 to an average of 13 after 8 weeks of therapy in 13 patients. Five patients had no significant reduction of UAS7 by week 8. In two of five patients, where periodic improvement was seen, omalizumab therapy …
Evaluation of Xerostomia and salivary flow rate in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
2015
Background: One of the most common causes of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto´s Thyroiditis (HT). Early detection of dry mouth is critical in preserving and promoting systemic and oral health. In this study we have assessed, for the first time, salivary function and xerostomia in HT patients who have not been involved with Sjögren´s syndrome. Material and Methods: HT was diagnosed in 40 patients based on clinical findings and positive anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO). Controls, matched by sex, age and body mass index (BMI), and with no history of thyroid disease, were selected. A questionnaire was used for diagnosis of xerostomia. Saliva samples were taken between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.,…
Transitional care of young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Italy: results of a Delphi consensus survey
2018
OBJECTIVES: To present the results of a Delphi consensus survey among Italian paediatric and adult rheumatologists on transitional care (TC) of young people (YP) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS: A taskforce of 27 paediatric and adult rheumatologists evaluated the applicability of the 2016 EULAR/PReS recommendations for TC to the Italian rheumatology practice and healthcare system and formulated additional country-specific statements aimed to increase their suitability. After a two-round discussion, applicability of EULAR/PReS recommendations and agreement with newly-proposed statements were voted on a 0-10 scale (where 0 = no applicability/agreement and 10 = total applicab…