C Salvarani

..A reliable alternative to steroids for treating polymyalgia rheumatica has not yet been identified. Although infliximab has been used occasionally in steroid-resistant cases, its efficacy has not been demonstrated in a controlled study...

..To investigate the epidemiology and clinical course of Behçet's disease (BD) over a 17-year period in a defined area of northern Italy...

..To evaluate the potential role of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)Δ32 polymorphism in the susceptibility to and clinical expression of Behçet's disease (BD) in a cohort of Italian patients...

..The differential diagnosis includes reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes and secondary cerebral vasculitis...

..Tocilizumab holds promise for patients with refractory TA. Larger studies are required to confirm our findings...

..The combination of ADA and cyclosporine seems to be more effective than ADA monotherapy in patients with active PsA and inadequate response to methotrexate; however, this observation must be confirmed in RCT...

..Future epidemiological studies should be carried out in larger numbers of patients diagnosed using consistent criteria...

..The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of LVV in newly diagnosed GCA using colour-Doppler sonography (CDS) and to compare the clinical and laboratory findings of GCA patients with and without LVV...

..To evaluate the inflammatory involvement of cervical interspinous bursae in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) using MRI...

..To describe a subset of cases in a large retrospectively identified cohort of patients with primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV) who present with intracranial hemorrhage...

..In addition, GCs are fraught with numerous adverse events. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) antibody tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with LVV...

..Other laboratory investigations could be useful in the diagnosis or follow-up of GCA and TA, but more studies are required...

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..To update the 2006 Italian Society for Rheumatology recommendations for the use of biologic (TNF-α blocking) agents in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA)...

..To propose recommendations for the use of biologic (TNF-alpha blocking) agents in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA)...

..To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha monoclonal antibody infliximab in the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) resistant to previous symptom modifying antirheumatic drugs...

..We will review the existing assessment modalities of PsA focusing on axial disease, peripheral arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis. Measures of function and disability recommended for PsA will be also reviewed...

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..To evaluate the frequency of visual manifestations at presentation in an Italian population-based cohort of patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA), and to investigate predictors for the development of permanent visual loss...

..To evaluate the presence and extent of large-vessel inflammation in patients with chronic periaortitis (CP) using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)...

..To evaluate the impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, carotid atherosclerosis and the effect of anti-platelet/anti-coagulant therapy on the occurrence of severe cranial ischaemic events (CIEs) in GCA...

..The beneficial effects of CsA in angiogenesis-related diseases such as PsA and cutaneous psoriasis may also be mediated by its ability to block the angiogenic effects induced by vascular endothelial growth factor...

..To investigate potential associations between-463 G/A myeloperoxidase (MPO) promoter polymorphism and susceptibility to, and clinical features of giant cell arteritis (GCA)...

..To evaluate potential associations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms with Behçet's disease (BD) and disease expression...

..Large, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are required to define the role of methotrexate and anti-TNF-alpha agents as corticosteroid-sparing drugs in PMR...

..To investigate whether infliximab has a steroid-sparing effect in the treatment of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who are resistant to corticosteroid (CS) therapy and have had CS-related side effects...

..These agents are able to slow joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis and they are effective on spinal symptoms in ankylosing spondylitis. Hopefully, these findings will prove true in PsA as well...

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..ICAM-1 genes may contribute to the inflammatory PMR/GCA processes. We examined potential associations of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms with PMR/GCA susceptibility and severity...

..To determine the efficacy and safety of shoulder corticosteroid injections in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)...

..Awareness of these findings will help to facilitate the proper diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy for this disease...

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..The aim of this study was to examine if the 32 base pair deletion allele in CCR5 (CCR5 delta 32 allele) might be associated with PMR susceptibility and influence the disease outcome...

..Lymphoscintigraphy and MRI are useful in defining the structures involved and in predicting the prognosis...

..Trials of steroid-sparing drugs have yielded conflicting results. A greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis should provide new targets for therapy...

..To investigate potential associations of the PlA1/A2 polymorphism of the platelet glycoprotein IIIa (GPIIIa) gene with susceptibility to, and clinical expression of, giant cell arteritis (GCA)...

..Evidence of a dark halo on ultrasonography has been considered a specific sign of giant-cell arteritis and may replace temporal artery biopsy for the diagnosis of giant-cell arteritis in patients with typical clinical manifestations...

..We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical spectrum of musculoskeletal manifestations in an inception cohort of European IBD patients...

..To compare the efficacy and tolerability of cyclosporine (CSA) with that of symptomatic therapy (ST) alone and sulfasalazine (SSZ) in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA)...

..To analyze potential associations of Glu-Asp298 polymorphism in exon 7 and 4 a/b polymorphism in intron 4 of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene with susceptibility for Behçet's disease (BD)...

..The aim of this review was to cover the recent major advances made in the fields of clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of adult primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV)...

..To investigate potential associations between toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to, and clinical features of giant cell arteritis (GCA)...

..To investigate potential associations between toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to, clinical features, and severity of Behçet's disease (BD)...

..To investigate potential associations between the -463 G/A myeloperoxidase (MPO) promoter polymorphism and susceptibility to, and clinical expression of, Behçet's disease (BD)...

..To investigate whether polymorphisms in the interleukin (IL)-1 locus (human chrom. 2q13) and TNF-alpha gene are associated with susceptibility to or severity of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)...

..ICAM-1 genes may contribute to the inflammatory events responsible for the vessel damage in BD. We examined potential associations of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms with BD susceptibility...

..We examined the possible associations of this polymorphism with the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its severity in a series of RA patients of Italian origin...

..Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) plays an important role in the inflammatory synovial activity in RA. The aim of this study was to examine the potential associations of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms with RA and its severity...

..To describe the clinical features and outcomes of patients with primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) from a large cohort of consecutive patients with PCNSV treated at a single institution...

..CONCLUSION: Local VIP production in PMR synovial tissue might contribute to the typical musculoskeletal discomfort and it may have a role in the immunomodulation of synovial inflammation...

..To investigate potential associations between A-13G and G79A polymorphisms of the protein Z gene and venous thrombosis and other clinical manifestations in Italian patients with Behçet's disease (BD)...

..To evaluate the usefulness of C-reactive protein (CRP) and ESR in the assessment of PMR activity...

..To evaluate the frequency and the clinical characteristics of distal extremity swelling with pitting edema in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA)...

..To evaluate PTX3 feasibility to provide a prognostic tool in PMR clinical practice...

..We review the literature and discuss the relationship between "cranial" GCA, large-vessel GCA and female genital GCA...

..These data suggest that while clinical indices and inflammatory markers may be useful to assess disease activity, Pet may be more sensitive...

..To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of infliximab in patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and refractory bilateral posterior uveitis, and to assess the proportion of relapse-free subjects through months 12 and 24...

..Secondary end-point was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography (US) compared to MRI in the assessment of hip lesions...

..CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that carriers of C634 and I alleles are associated with susceptibility to developing GCA...

..To evaluate whether RANKL/OPG balance is modified in PMR patients, either in the active phase of the disease or during corticosteroid treatment...

..To report a case of biopsy-proven, ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) involving the central nervous system (CNS) and to review the relevant literature...

..CONCLUSION: Behçet's disease in Italian patients is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations in agreement with the medical literature. Panuveitis and posterior uveitis/retinitis occur more frequently in male patients...

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..To evaluate the presence and the glycosylation pattern of reelin in synovial fluid and serum of patients affected by different rheumatic pathologies...

..We also investigated whether this polymorphism modulates the circulating level of IL-6 and the risk of relapse/recurrence in a series of patients with PMR followed up prospectively...

..By contrast, there is no evidence that giant cell arteritis is associated with an increased prevalence of malignancies or that it may represent a paraneoplastic syndrome...

..To evaluate the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) treatment on apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..We suggest that cutaneous lesions with a pernio-like aspect as observed in our patient may be included in the spectrum of the cutaneous manifestations of Behçet's disease...

..To investigate whether etanercept has a steroid-sparing effect in the treatment of patients with relapsing polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)...

..Sulphasalazine may be recommended in some patients. There is no indication for the systemic use of steroids...

..Transthoracic echocardiography (as well as transesophageal echocardiography in selected cases) must be considered as an essential component of the initial diagnostic work-up in patients presenting with antiphospholipid antibodies...

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..To determine laboratory parameters that may be useful in identifying polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients who require long-term corticosteroid therapy...

..To evaluate the frequency and type of vascular lesions and to study the association of factor V gene G1691A (Leiden) and prothrombin gene G20210A polymorphisms with venous thrombosis in Italian patients with Behçet's disease (BD)...

..To determine if ultrasonography (US) and power Doppler (PD) may be useful in identifying polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients with relapsing disease...

..To investigate potential associations between interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to, and clinical features of, giant cell arteritis (GCA)...

..The aim of this review is to establish the optimal schedule of glucocorticoid administration, and to ascertain which other treatments may be used as glucocorticoid-sparing agents...

..Based on our findings, remission is possible in up to 24% of patients with peripheral PsA. It is significantly more frequent, but not longer, in patients receiving anti-TNF drugs compared to those treated with traditional DMARD...

..However, since most imaging findings are not entirely specific for any given condition, it is important to interpret the results of imaging in the broader clinical context...

..It is conceivable that the definition of different patterns of inflammation in giant cell arteritis in the future might facilitate the design of differentiated therapeutic approaches...

..The aim of our study was to determine the effects of different anti-TNF-alpha agents on FLS apoptosis...

..To summarize the evidence about the relationship between polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA)...

..The previously observed cyclic pattern of annual incidence rates was still apparent over a 50-year period. Overall survival in GCA was similar to that in the population...

..Imaging procedures can also be used to monitor the disease course. However, imaging signs of inflammation may sometimes persist despite clinical remission and, conversely, seemingly unaffected vessels may develop alterations later on...

..To identify the determinants of anti-TNF-naive patients' preferences for the route of administration of anti-TNF agents...

..To update clinicians on the recent advances in the treatment of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease...

..CONCLUSION: TNF-a has an anti-apoptotic effect in human FLS. Activation of Akt and BAD may have an important role in this process...

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..To evaluate the sites of inflammatory process in the shoulders of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) using fat suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...

..To report a case of biopsy-verified Wegener granulomatosis (WG) with positive c-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies who had evidence of spleen infarction and to review the relevant literature on spleen involvement in WG...

..The ESR was normal in 7 of these 9 other events. CONCLUSION: A low ESR in active GCA is not a rare occurrence. Causes may include localized arteritis in some patients and an inability to mount an acute phase serologic response in others...

..This review discusses the general aspects of the pathogenic mechanisms and clinical features cardiovascular involvement in BD, and provides the data of cardiovascular involvement in a cohort of Italian BD patients...

..We investigated whether CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)Δ32 polymorphism confers susceptibility to CP...