Identification of the Clinical Features Distinguishing Psoriatic Arthritis and Fibromyalgia

To identify the clinical features that can help to distinguish between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and fibromyalgia (FM)

Profile of ustekinumab and its potential in the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis

Monica Montepaone,1 Ennio Lubrano,2 Alessia Carboni,1 Antonio Spadaro1 1Unità Operativa Complessa di Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, 2Academic Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy Abstract: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis and considered to be a less severe condition than rheumatoid arthritis. PsA patients have been treated for a long time with a number of different agents, from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In the last decade, recognition of the central role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in the immunopathogenesis of many rheumatic diseases, including PsA, has led to the development of TNFα blockers. In PsA, these agents are uniquely efficacious in the treatment of different patterns of the disease, as well as slowing progression of erosive damage in the peripheral joints. However, a significant number of patients withdraw from therapy because of failure or poor tolerability. Among the novel therapeutic targets, interleukin (IL)-23/IL-12 has been investigated for the treatment of chronic inflammatory disease. In particular, ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that prevents human IL-12 and IL-23 from binding to the IL-12Rβ1 receptor chain of IL-12 (IL-12Rβ1/β2) and IL-23 (IL-12Rβ1/23R) receptor complexes on the surface of natural killer cells and T-cells. Ustekinumab has been approved only for treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis, but also represents an interesting agent for treatment of PsA. Keywords: ustekinumab, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, interleukin-12, interleukin-2

Omosessualità femminile nella cultura antica e moderna. Dibattito seminariale.

A partire dalla comunità spartana e dall'antica e moderna accusa di omosessualità per le donne spartane, il laboratorio Antigone, segnato dall'intenzione di muovere dall'antico per indagare il presente, ha deciso un successivo passaggio: confrontarsi con il recente testo "Ipotesi gay: materiali per un confronto" (2006) curato da O. Pozzi e S. Thanopoulos, in cui il tema dell'omosessualità secondo una prospettiva interdisciplinare viene affrontato attraverso i contributi di psicoanalisti, un biologo e uno storico delle religioni

"A partire da Nicole Loraux: il femminile tra hybris e nomos”

Il presente panel antichistico intende riferirsi a quello che è stato l’orientamento principale degli studi di Nicole Loraux nei suoi scritti sul politico, il maschile e il femminile, la tragedia e la commedia come forme di rappresentazione e mediazione delle contraddizioni sociali. Nelle presenti analisi la prospettiva di genere, integrata su di uno sfondo antropologico ed impiegata essenzialmente come modello euristico, si conferma un valido strumento interpretativo del mondo antico, della relazione maschile/femminile nei contesti dati, delle dinamiche della polis, della stasis, delle trasformazioni socio-politiche, segnalando contraddizioni del sistema sociale, istituzionale, culturale e religioso, e consentendo di superare i rischi di una lettura di tipo evolutivo. La prospettiva di genere si presenta qui inoltre come una modalità di articolare e di rendere interferenti la diacronia e la sincronia, che negli approcci storici tradizionali si pongono come modalità metodologiche inconciliabil

Intima-media thickness in patients with psoriatic arthritis : a case-control study

Fil: Perrotta, F. M. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaFil: Scarno, A. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaFil: Carboni, A. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaFil: Cardini, F. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaFil: Montepaone, M. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaFil: Lubrano, E. Università del Molise. Dipartimento di Medicina e di Scienze per la Salute; ItaliaFil: Spadaro, A. University of Rome. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche; ItaliaAim of the study was to evaluate atherosclerosis in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) by assessing the morphological index of subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of Italian patients

Assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis: correlations with disease activity indices

The aim of the study was to evaluate atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through the assessment of morphological and functional measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Twenty patients [M/F=12/8, age (median/range) 43.5/28-69 years; disease duration (median/range) 9.7/1-36) years] with AS classified according to modified New York criteria and twenty age and sex related healthy controls with negative past medical history for cardiovascular events were enrolled in the study. In all patients and controls, the intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery, carotid bulb and internal carotid artery, and the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of non-dominant arm brachial artery were determined, using a sonographic probe Esaote GPX (Genoa, Italy). Furthermore, we assess the main disease activity and disability indices [bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score-eritrosedimentation rate (ASDAS-ESR), ASDAS-C-reactive protein (CRP), bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index) and acute phase reactants. Plasmatic values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride and homocysteine were carried out in all twenty patients. IMT at carotid bulb was significant higher in patients than in controls (0.67 mm <em>vs</em> 0.54 mm; P=0.03). FMD did not statistically differ between patients and controls (12.5% <em>vs</em> 15%; P&gt;0.05). We found a correlation between IMT at carotid bulb and ESR (rho 0.43; P=0.04). No correlation was found between FMD and disease activity and disability indices. This study showed that in AS patients, without risk factors for cardiovascular disease, carotid bulb IMT, morphological index of subclinical atherosclerosis, is higher than in controls

Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis: case report and review of the literature

Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of skin lesions typical of dermatomyositis and absent/low muscle involvement. One case of hypomyopathic dermatomyositis with early rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease in a 52-year old woman with fever, erythematous desquamating skin rash, arthralgia and pulmonary consolidation is here reported. The rapid progressive interstitial lung disease caused the patient‘s death, despite immunosuppressive treatmen

Power Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of enthesitis in psoriatic arthritis. A multi-center study

No abstract availabl