Type II diabetes in systemic sclerosis patients: insights from an observational, multicenter study of GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale).

Objective: To assess the contribution of Systemic sclerosis (SSc)-specific features on type II diabetes mellitus (T2D) in a large cohort of Italian SSc patients.

Methods: A total of 613 SSc patients from 11 tertiary Rheumatology Units across Italy were included. All patients underwent full history taking, clinical examination, and relevant laboratory and radiological evaluations.

Primary versus systemic sclerosis-associated Raynaud's phenomenon: relationship with clinical and environmental factors.

Objectives: Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) can be induced by stress and environmental factors, occurring as a primary disease (pRP) or associated with connective tissue disease. RP is seen in more than 95% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and may precede its diagnosis by several years. Accordingly, there is a clear need to identify those patients with RP who will eventually develop connective tissue disease, including SSc.

Obesity and Chronic Inflammation: Implications for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondyloarthritis, and Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are a group of chronic conditions characterized by dysregulated immune responses and persistent inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), and ulcerative colitis (UC) exemplify prominent IMIDs, each presenting unique challenges for their management, that impact patient's quality of life (QoL). Obesity, marked by persistent low-grade inflammation, influences the progression, response to treatment, and clinical management of patients with RA, SpA, and UC.

Clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with systemic sclerosis: an observational, multicentre study of GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale).

Objectives: Conflicting results about clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the associated risk factors have been reported. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in a large number of Italian SSc patients and the associated risk factors.

Methods: This study included 613 SSc patients from 11 Italian tertiary Rheumatologic Units.

Rare forms of inflammatory myopathies - part II, localized forms.

Introduction: The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies traditionally comprise dermatomyositis, polymyositis, the anti-synthetase syndromes, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy and inclusion body myositis. However, there are uncommon localized forms that are less known. In this review, we aimed to cover these uncommon forms.

Rare forms of inflammatory myopathies - part I, generalized forms.

Introduction: The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies traditionally comprise dermatomyositis, polymyositis, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, anti-synthetase syndrome, and inclusion body myositis. In this review, we aimed to cover the less common forms of generalized myositis.

Areas Covered: We identified rare forms of widespread myositis on the basis of list provided by the homepage of the Neuromuscular disease center of Washington University, USA and on the basis of the authors' knowledge.

Rheumatological Diseases in HIV Infection.

A review of the available literature was performed in order to summarize the pathogenic and clinical connections between HIV infection and rheumatological syndromes. The increasing life expectancy during human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has led to the observation of many rheumatological manifestations over the years in these types of patients. Although the pathological mechanisms are still not fully understood, several rheumatological diseases have been more commonly observed in the general population, especially after the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and sometimes clinical and serological findings are influenced by the underlying condition which defines a characteristic onset or development of the disease.

JAK/STAT pathway and molecular mechanism in bone remodeling.

JAK/STAT signaling pathway is involved in many diseases, including autoimmune diseases, which are characterized by a close interconnection between immune and bone system. JAK/STAT pathway is involved in bone homeostasis and plays an important role in proliferation and differentiation of some cell types, including osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Different molecules, such as cytokines, hormones, and growth factors are responsible for the activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, which leads, at the nuclear level, to start DNA transcription of target genes.

Gender differences in early systemic sclerosis patients: a report from the EULAR scleroderma trials and research group (EUSTAR) database.

Objectives: To describe differences in clinical presentation between men and women in a large group of patients with early (<3 years' duration) systemic sclerosis (SSc) according to disease subsets.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the prospective EULAR Scleroderma Trial and Research database (EUSTAR) was performed. Patients fulfilling preliminary ACR 1980 classification criteria for SSc, with less than 3 years from the first non-Raynaud's symptom at first entry, were selected.

The incidence of cardiovascular events in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is lower than in North European and American cohorts: implication of disease-associated and traditional risk factors as emerged by a 16-year retrospective GIRRCS study: GIRRCS=Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale.

Previous study from our group has pointed out a lower number of cardiovascular (CV) events in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than in North European and American ones. This study aims to assess the incidence of the first CV event in a large, multicenter, Italian cohort of patients with SLE and search for differences in disease and traditional risk factors among distinct cohorts.Clinical charts of SLE patients consecutively admitted to 5 Italian rheumatologic centers from November 1st 2000 to December 31st 2015 and free of CV events at baseline were retrospectively studied.

Clinical determinants of elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure measured by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in early systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: To explore the prevalence and clinical associations of elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), measured by Transthoracic Doppler-echocardiography (TTE) in patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the prospective EULAR Scleroderma Trial and Research (EUSTAR) database was performed. SSc patients with <3 years from the first non-Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) symptom at baseline EUSTAR visit, were selected.

Abnormalities of insulin-like growth factor-I signaling and impaired cell proliferation in osteoblasts from subjects with osteoporosis.

IGF-I regulates bone acquisition and maintenance, even though the cellular targets and signaling pathways responsible for its action in human bone cells are poorly understood. Whether abnormalities in IGF-I action and signaling occur in human osteoblasts under conditions of net bone loss has not been determined. Herein we carried out a comparative analysis of IGF-I signaling in primary cultures of human osteoblasts from osteoporotic and control donors.