Not simply a matter of psoriatic arthritis: epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in psoriatic patients

This study investigated the occurrence of rheumatic conditions (RCs) in a psoriasis (PSO)-dedicated dermatological clinic. PSO subjects with musculo-skeletal discomfort, and/or carrying signs (articular/systemic, even asymptomatic) of RCs; and/or suffering flares of previously established psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were referred to rheumatologist for evaluation. Laboratory tests/imaging were performed as needed. Categorization adhered to RCs classification endorsed by the Italian Society of Rheumatology. Of the 1,200 psoriatic subjects, 277 (23.1 %) were enrolled (146 females). The mean age was 55.7 years (range 21–81), PSO duration was 13.5 years (range 0–62). Thirty-seven patients (13.4 %) were asymptomatic. On an average, 92 (7.6 %) patients/year were evaluated, of whom 79.4 % näive to rheumatological consultations (NRC). Osteoarthritis (OA) and PsA (isolated or combined) showed the highest prevalence, with 156 (56.3 %) and 110 cases (39.7 %), respectively. Among NRC subjects, the mean PsA annual incidence was 29.5 % (standard error of the mean ±5.4 %). Other RCs, isolated or associated with PsA/OA, were diagnosed in 31 cases (11.2 %). Thirty-two subjects (11.5 %) had arthralgias, 20 of whom due to congenital/mechanical disorders, the remaining were unclassifiable. In conclusion, the largest part (88.5 %) of PSO subjects referred to rheumatologist showed some RCs. On annual basis, 29.5 % of näive enrolled patients were diagnosed as PsA

Long-term survival of methotrexate in psoriatic arthritis

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival rate of Methotrexate (MTX) in the peripheral joint involvement of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in a setting of everyday clinical practice. Methods. This was an observational restrospective study performed using the data from a dermatological-rheumatological PsA clinic. All of the patients evaluated at this clinic from March 1997 to December 2007 who were started on MTX alone, had a three-year follow-up time or had discontinued the therapy were included into the survey. Results. Of the 174 evaluable patients, 104 (59.8%) were still taking MTX after three years of treament. The reasons of therapy discontinuation in the remaining 70 (40.2%) patients were: 34 (19.5%) lost-to-follow-up, 18 (10.3%) adverse events, 14 (8%) inefficacies, and 4 (2.3%) deaths (none related to the therapy). MTX was effective in controlling joint inflammation but not in preventing their deterioration. Overall, adverse events were recorded in 43 patients (36.4% of the 114 patients with a three-year follow-up). No serious side effect occurred in the study population. Conclusions. The results of this study showed that, in a setting of clinical pratice, MTX had a good three-year performance in patients with peripheral PsA. Almost 60% of them were still taking this drug at the end of the study period and the toxicity was more than acceptable. In our opinion, MTX might be considered the non-biological DMARD of choice for the treatment of this condition. However it should be used earlier and at higher doses

Disability quotas: past or future policy?

This article considers the issues associated with the use of quota systems for the employment of workers with a disability. It examines the use and experiences of such quotas in Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom. Italy has a long established quota for the employment of such workers, whilst the modern Russian system it is a more recent innovation. In contrast the UK abandoned its quotas in the 1990s. We draw on the experiences of the three countries to consider generally whether the use of quotas is either an acceptable means of encouraging employers to take on disabled workers, or is necessary to achieve this objective

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules (THYCOVID): a retrospective, international, multicentre, cross-sectional study

Background Since its outbreak in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted resources from non-urgent and elective procedures, leading to diagnosis and treatment delays, with an increased number of neoplasms at advanced stages worldwide. The aims of this study were to quantify the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to evaluate whether delays in surgery led to an increased occurrence of aggressive tumours.Methods In this retrospective, international, cross-sectional study, centres were invited to participate in June 22, 2022; each centre joining the study was asked to provide data from medical records on all surgical thyroidectomies consecutively performed from Jan 1, 2019, to Dec 31, 2021. Patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules were divided into three groups according to when they underwent surgery: from Jan 1, 2019, to Feb 29, 2020 (global prepandemic phase), from March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021 (pandemic escalation phase), and from June 1 to Dec 31, 2021 (pandemic decrease phase). The main outcomes were, for each phase, the number of surgeries for indeterminate thyroid nodules, and in patients with a postoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancers, the occurrence of tumours larger than 10 mm, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastases, vascular invasion, distant metastases, and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence. Univariate analysis was used to compare the probability of aggressive thyroid features between the first and third study phases. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05178186.Findings Data from 157 centres (n=49 countries) on 87 467 patients who underwent surgery for benign and malignant thyroid disease were collected, of whom 22 974 patients (18 052 [78 center dot 6%] female patients and 4922 [21 center dot 4%] male patients) received surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules. We observed a significant reduction in surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the pandemic escalation phase (median monthly surgeries per centre, 1 center dot 4 [IQR 0 center dot 6-3 center dot 4]) compared with the prepandemic phase (2 center dot 0 [0 center dot 9-3 center dot 7]; p<0 center dot 0001) and pandemic decrease phase (2 center dot 3 [1 center dot 0-5 center dot 0]; p<0 center dot 0001). Compared with the prepandemic phase, in the pandemic decrease phase we observed an increased occurrence of thyroid tumours larger than 10 mm (2554 [69 center dot 0%] of 3704 vs 1515 [71 center dot 5%] of 2119; OR 1 center dot 1 [95% CI 1 center dot 0-1 center dot 3]; p=0 center dot 042), lymph node metastases (343 [9 center dot 3%] vs 264 [12 center dot 5%]; OR 1 center dot 4 [1 center dot 2-1 center dot 7]; p=0 center dot 0001), and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence (203 [5 center dot 7%] of 3584 vs 155 [7 center dot 7%] of 2006; OR 1 center dot 4 [1 center dot 1-1 center dot 7]; p=0 center dot 0039).Interpretation Our study suggests that the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic period could have led to an increased occurrence of aggressive thyroid tumours. However, other compelling hypotheses, including increased selection of patients with aggressive malignancies during this period, should be considered. We suggest that surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules should no longer be postponed even in future instances of pandemic escalation.Funding None.Copyright (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Castro, località Capanne. L’analisi dei resti faunistici

Nel presente lavoro è esaminato il campione di resti animali rinvenuti durante la campagna di scavo condotta nel 2007 a Castro dal Dipartimento di Beni Culturali dell’Università del Salento. Il contesto di riferimento (US 110) è stato interpretato come una discarica di età ellenistica, in giacitura secondaria, questa si trovava a ridosso di una struttura muraria, forse pertinente a fortificazioni messapiche o a fondazioni di un tempio, tagliate nella parte superiore dal successivo impianto delle mura aragonesi. I resti faunistici esaminati, pur nella loro esiguità, forniscono alcune utili informazioni sulle probabili attività cultuali che si svolgevano nel santuario. Si segnala la presenza di alcuni astragali, specialmente di ovicaprini, la cui peculiarità consiste nell’essere stati modificati mediante l’asportazione o l’abrasione di porzioni superficiali su una o più facce. Tali porzioni scheletriche possono essere interpretate come oggetti di particolare significato religioso, così come documentato in molti contesti cultuali e funerari dell’antichità. A conferma della natura cultuale concorrono, inoltre, anche altre caratteristiche dei reperti: come le frequenti tracce di macellazione e combustione, ma soprattutto l’età giovanile di abbattimento degli ovicaprini e suini, che potrebbe evidenziare una selezione degli animali per il sacrificio

Iron metabolism in thalassemia intermedia

Iron overload is frequently present in patients with thalassemia intermedia, and it becomes evident mainly after the second and third decades of life. The degree of the iron load is heterogeneous ranging from mild to severe. In this study we evaluated the iron status of 38 adult patients with thalassemia intermedia and we looked for factors possibly related to the observed heterogeneity of the iron status. The levels of transferrin saturation (TS), serum ferritin (SF) and desferrioxamine-induced urinary iron excretion (DFU) were spread in a wide range from normal to markedly increased. These indices did not correlate with other parameters such as age, hemoglobin levels and entity of the erythropoietic status. A significant difference in the degree of iron overload was observed between patients who underwent splenectomy and non-splenectomized patients. TS, SF and DFU were significantly higher in splenectomized than in non- splenectomized patients, indicating that the spleen could have a role in the regulation of iron metabolism in these patient

The EPIPSOFIRE project: A Preliminary Report

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a musculoskeletal condition complicating psoriasis that can lead to joint deformity and disability; however, psoriatic patients may suffer from other kind of arthropathies that could be confused with PsA by nonrheumatologists. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of PsA and to determine the prevalence of other musculoskeletal conditions in a cohort of psoriatic patients. In this cohort, musculoskeletal discomfort was frequently reported, while inflammatory disorders were detected in 20 years) or severe cutaneous disease. Because musculoskeletal discomfort symptoms affected about 62% of patients, other disorders, particularly morphologic conditions, need careful evaluation in psoriasis subjects

Bone and joint involvement in genetic hemochromatosis : role of cirrhosis and iron overload

Objective. To evaluate the frequency of arthropathy and osteoporosis in genetic hemochromatosis (GH) and to quantify potential risk factors for these 2 conditions. Methods. Radiographic evidence of arthropathy was systematically sought in plain radiographs of 32 patients (28 men) with histologically proven GH (17 with hepatic cirrhosis). Bone mineral density was measured by x-ray absorptiometry of L2-L4 and osteoporosis was defined as a T score greater than or equal to 2.5 standard deviation below the mean. Potential risk factors investigated were age, body mass index, cirrhosis, alcohol abuse, hepatitis B and C infections, HLA phenotype, serum free testosterone levels, and the amount of iron removed by phlebotomy to reach depletion. The independent role of risk factors for the presence of osteoporosis was tested by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results. Radiologic signs of arthropathy were observed in 81.3% of cases. Patients with arthropathy were older than patients without (p < 0.001), but did not differ in the frequency of cirrhosis, amount of iron removed, and HLA typing. Osteoporosis was observed in 9 patients and was positively associated with the amount of iron removed and cirrhosis. However, in multivariate analysis, cirrhosis was not independently associated with osteoporosis, but patients with higher iron removed had a greater probability to have osteoporosis [odds ratio (OR) = 3.23 for any increase of 5 g, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-9.58], whereas the presence of HLA-A3 was associated with a reduction of risk (OR 0.013, 95% CI: 0.0015-1.13). Conclusion. These findings indicate the high prevalence of osteoarticular involvement in Italian patients with GH. Neither cirrhosis nor the amount of iron removed was associated with arthropathy. In contrast, in univariate analysis the risk of osteoporosis was significantly increased by liver cirrhosis. With multivariate analysis we found that osteoporosis was highly influenced by the degree of iron overload, playing an independent role in accelerating bone loss in patients with GH