1,721,134 research outputs found
Established rheumatoid arthritis. The pathogenic aspects.
No full textThe development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), at least in its autoantibody-positive subset, evolves through a series of events starting well before the appearance of synovitis. The distinction between 'early' and 'established' RA is, therefore, an evolving concept. In routine practice, however, the management of RA still starts with the occurrence of clinically detectable synovitis. As such, the synovial membrane remains a major target for the exploitation of possible stage-specific drivers of the disease. The recognition of a 'window of opportunity', in which treatment is more likely to succeed, raises the hypothesis that there might be a period in which the biological processes of RA are less mature and potentially reversible. The present review aims to provide a general picture of the modifications occurring in RA synovium, analysing the contribution of both infiltrating immune cells and stromal cells. When available, differences between early and established RA will be discussed
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)
No full textAntineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are specific antibodies for antigens in cytoplasmic granules of neutrophils and monocyte lysosomes, first reported in 1982. These antibodies can be detected with indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Two major patterns of staining are present: cytoplasmic ANCA (c-ANCA) and perinuclear ANCA (p-ANCA). Specific immunochemical assays demonstrate that c-ANCA are mainly antibodies to proteinase 3, and p-ANCA are antibodies to myeloperoxidase. ANCA are important serological markers for the primary systemic small-vessel vasculitis including microscopic polyangiitis, Wegener granulomatosis, Churg Strauss syndrome, and drug induced vasculitis. Numerous reports have established the clinical utility of ANCA titers in monitoring disease activity, relapses, and response to treatment. The c-ANCA pattern is highly specific for Wegener's granulomatosis; p-ANCA is found in sera of individual patients with microscopic polyangiitis and Churg Strauss syndrome. A rapid diagnosis of ANCA small-vessel vasculitis is critically important, because life-threatening injury to organs often develops quickly and is mitigated dramatically by immunosuppressive therapy
Controversies over hydroxychloroquine in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection put rheumatologists on the frontline
No full textTransient monoarthritis and psoriatic skin lesions following COVID-19
No full textEmerging reports have described the possible occurrence of arthritis in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).1–3 Apart from crystal-induced arthritis,1 Yokogawa et al 2 and Alivernini et al 3 both described the onset of inflammatory arthritis with the characteristics of viral arthritis over the course of COVID-19. Here we would like to share a different case of monarthritis associated with psoriatic skin lesions presenting after resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
B cell autoimmunity and bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis
No full textRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease associated with significant bone damage. Pathological bone remodeling in RA is primarily driven by persistent inflammation. Indeed, pro-inflammatory cytokines stimulate the differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and, in parallel, suppress osteoblast function, resulting in net loss of bone. Abating disease activity thus remains the major goal of any treatment strategy in patients with RA. Autoantibody-positive patients, however, often show a rapidly progressive destructive course of the disease, disproportionate to the level of inflammation. The epidemiological association between RA-specific autoantibodies, in particular anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies, and poor structural outcomes has recently found mechanistic explanation in the multiple roles that B cells play in bone remodeling. In this review, we will summarize the substantial progress that has been made in deciphering how B cells and autoantibodies negatively impact on bone in the course of RA, through both inflammation-dependent and independent mechanisms
Clinical Applications of Synovial Biopsy
Full text linkThe synovial tissue is a primary target of multiple diseases characterized by different pathogenic mechanisms, including infective, deposition, neoplastic, and chronic immune-inflammatory pathologies. Synovial biopsy can have a relevant role in differential diagnosis of specific conditions in clinical practice, although its exploitation remains relatively limited. In particular, no validated synovial-tissue-derived biomarkers are currently available in the clinic to aid in the diagnosis and management in most frequent forms of chronic inflammatory arthropathies, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the spondyloarthritides (SpA). In this brief review, we will discuss the current spectrum of clinical applications of synovial biopsy in routine rheumatologic care and will provide an analysis of the perspectives for its potential exploitation in patients with chronic inflammatory arthritides
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
- …
