Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Era of Biologics

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a severe manifestation in connective tissue diseases (CTD), with an overall incidence of 15%, and it is still a challenge for clinicians evaluation and management. ILD is the most common manifestation of lung involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), observed in up to 80% of biopsies, 50% of chest Computed Tomography (CT) and only 5% of chest radiographs. Histopatological patterns of ILD in RA may present with different patterns, such as: usual interstitial pneumonia, non specific interstitial pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, and eosinophilic infiltration. The incidence of ILD in RA patients is not only related to the disease itself, many drugs may be in fact associated with the development of pulmonary damage. Some reports suggest a causative role for TNFα inhibitors in RA-ILD development/worsening, anyway, no definitive statement can be drawn thus data are incomplete and affected by several variables. A tight control (pulmonary function tests and/or HRCT) is mandatory in patients with preexisting ILD, but it should be also performed in those presenting risk factors for ILD and mild respiratory symptoms. Biologic therapy should be interrupted, and, after excluding triggering infections, corticosteroids should be administered

Use of botulinum toxin in aesthetic medicine and gynaecology. current approaches, controversies, and future directions

This review looks at the use of botulinum toxin in the gynaecological field with the aim of determining what needs to be further investigated to achieve a standardized application. Numerous studies have been conducted to explore how botulinum toxins (BoNT) can be applied, and it is becoming popular for treating various disorders such as chronic pelvic pain, vestibulodynia, and vaginism. However, the exact dosage and ideal location for injections still need to be clarified. The objective of this study is to point out which aspects need to be more carefully studied to ensure a consistent use of BoNT in gynaecology

Analysis of gut microbiota in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Disease-related dysbiosis and modifications induced by etanercept

A certain number of studies were carried out to address the question of how dysbiosis could affect the onset and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but little is known about the reciprocal influence between microbiota composition and immunosuppressive drugs, and how this interaction may have an impact on the clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to characterize the intestinal microbiota in a groups of RA patients treatment-naïve, under methotrexate, and/or etanercept (ETN). Correlations between the gut microbiota composition and validated immunological and clinical parameters of disease activity were also evaluated. In the current study, a 16S analysis was employed to explore the gut microbiota of 42 patients affected by RA and 10 healthy controls. Disease activity score on 28 joints (DAS-28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides, and dietary and smoking habits were assessed. The composition of the gut microbiota in RA patients free of therapy is characterized by several abnormalities compared to healthy controls. Gut dysbiosis in RA patients is associated with different serological and clinical parameters; in particular, the phylum of Euryarchaeota was directly correlated to DAS and emerged as an independent risk factor. Patients under treatment with ETN present a partial restoration of a beneficial microbiota. The results of our study confirm that gut dysbiosis is a hallmark of the disease, and shows, for the first time, that the anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) ETN is able to modify microbial communities, at least partially restoring a beneficial microbiota

Obstructed Hemivagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly Syndrome. A Systematic Review about Diagnosis and Surgical Management

Obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis (OHVIRA) syndrome is a rare congenital defect of the Müllerian ducts characterized by uterus didelphys, unilateral obstructed hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the main symptoms and presentation of the OHVIRA syndrome, as well as the different types of management, fertility, and obstetrical outcomes. A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases since inception to May 1, 2022, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. After duplicate records removed, the search strategy retrieved 103 articles. The full texts of 73 articles further were assessed for eligibility, and 44 studies were finally included in the systematic review. The mainstay surgical treatment of OHVIRA syndrome is usually a minimally invasive vaginal approach to remove the septum. Ultrasound-guided hysteroscopic resection and laparoscopic resection of the septum have been described as alternatives. Considering the feasibility of minimally invasive approach for the management of the syndrome, laparotomy should be avoided as much as possible and considered only in selected cases

Review Article Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Era of Biologics

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a severe manifestation in connective tissue diseases (CTD), with an overall incidence of 15%, and it is still a challenge for clinicians evaluation and management. ILD is the most common manifestation of lung involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), observed in up to 80% of biopsies, 50% of chest Computed Tomography (CT) and only 5% of chest radiographs. Histopatological patterns of ILD in RA may present with different patterns, such as: usual interstitial pneumonia, non specific interstitial pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, and eosinophilic infiltration. The incidence of ILD in RA patients is not only related to the disease itself, many drugs may be in fact associated with the development of pulmonary damage. Some reports suggest a causative role for TNFα inhibitors in RA-ILD development/worsening, anyway, no definitive statement can be drawn thus data are incomplete and affected by several variables. A tight control (pulmonary function tests and/or HRCT) is mandatory in patients with preexisting ILD, but it should be also performed in those presenting risk factors for ILD and mild respiratory symptoms. Biologic therapy should be interrupted, and, after excluding triggering infections, corticosteroids should be administered

Androgens and Female Sexuality: Molecular Insights, Neuroendocrine Crosstalk and Future Therapeutic Directions

Objective: The scientific community has recently directed its attention towards investigating the role of androgens in female sexuality. This narrative review aims to elucidate the central and peripheral androgen-mediated mechanisms involved in female sexual health and function. Additionally, the current state of androgen therapeutic options is discussed. Mechanism: We searched several scientific literature databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Scopus, utilizing keywords, index terms, and MeSH terms, such as “androgen*”, “female sexuality”, “female sexual function”, “women’s sexual dysfunctions”, “androgen therapy in women”, and various combinations thereof. Findings in Brief: Progesterone or estrogens are commonly prescribed as first-line treatments for female sexual dysfunctions. However, these medications may frequently lead to therapeutic failure and cause harm by increasing sex-hormone-binding-globulin plasma levels and decreasing testosterone plasma concentrations. Currently, there are limited androgen therapies available for women, and the evidence for their effectiveness and safety is still limited. Conclusions: The knowledge of neuroendocrine interactions that underlie sexual arousal and pleasure is rapidly expanding, and ongoing research is striving to develop more appropriate clinical practices for managing sexual dysfunctions in women

VIRGO: visualization of A-to-I RNA editing sites in genomic sequences.

RNA Editing is a type of post-transcriptional modification that takes place in the eukaryotes. It alters the sequence of primary RNA transcripts by deleting, inserting or modifying residues. Several forms of RNA editing have been discovered including A-to-I, C-to-U, U-to-C and G-to-A. In recent years, the application of global approaches to the study of A-to-I editing, including high throughput sequencing, has led to important advances. However, in spite of enormous efforts, the real biological mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown.In this work, we present VIRGO (http://atlas.dmi.unict.it/virgo webcite), a web-based tool that maps Ato-G mismatches between genomic and EST sequences as candidate A-to-I editing sites. VIRGO is built on top of a knowledge-base integrating information of genes from UCSC, EST of NCBI, SNPs, DARNED, and Next Generations Sequencing data. The tool is equipped with a user-friendly interface allowing users to analyze genomic sequences in order to identify candidate A-to-I editing sites

Atomic and molecular data for spacecraft re-entry plasmas

The modeling of atmospheric gas, interacting with the space vehicles in re-entry conditions in planetary exploration missions, requires a large set of scattering data for all those elementary processes occurring in the system. A fundamental aspect of re-entry problems is represented by the strong non-equilibrium conditions met in the atmospheric plasma close to the surface of the thermal shield, where numerous interconnected relaxation processes determine the evolution of the gaseous system towards equilibrium conditions. A central role is played by the vibrational exchanges of energy, so that collisional processes involving vibrationally excited molecules assume a particular importance. In the present paper, theoretical calculations of complete sets of vibrationally state-resolved cross sections and rate coefficients are reviewed, focusing on the relevant classes of collisional processes: resonant and non-resonant electron-impact excitation of molecules, atom-diatom and molecule-molecule collisions as well as gas-surface interaction. In particular, collisional processes involving atomic and molecular species, relevant to Earth (N2, O2, NO), Mars (CO2, CO, N2) and Jupiter (H2, He) atmospheres are considered

The impact of COVID-19 quarantine on patients with dementia and family caregivers: a nation-wide survey.

Quarantine for COVID-19 is associated with an acute worsening of clinical symptoms in patients with dementia as well as increase of caregivers’ burden. These findings emphasize the importance to implement new strategies to mitigate the effects of quarantine in patients with dementia