Recent Advances in Gut Microbiota in Psoriatic Arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by joint inflammation and skin lesions. Recent research has underscored the critical role of gut microbiota-comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea-in the pathogenesis and progression of PsA. This narrative review synthesizes the latest findings on the influence of gut microbiota on PsA, focusing on mechanisms such as immune modulation, microbial dysbiosis, the gut-joint axis, and its impact on treatment.

Serum type I interferon score as a disease activity biomarker in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Type I interferon (IFN) pathway activation has been associated with severe systemic sclerosis. We aimed to examine the association of serum IFN scores with disease activity and outcomes in two cohorts of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included adult (aged >18 years) patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis enrolled in the US Prospective Registry of Early Systemic Sclerosis (PRESS; incident cohort) or in the UK observational cohort (Stratification for Risk of Progression in Scleroderma [STRIKE]; prevalent cohort) registries and healthy controls (volunteers).

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in psoriatic arthritis: clinical practice suggestions based on scientific evidence and expert opinion.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide evidence- and expert-based indications for the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: A working group, composed of six rheumatologists with known expertise in the management of PsA and seven methodologists, identified key research questions related to NSAID use in PsA, which guided the systematic literature review (SLR) in Medline and Embase databases. RCTs and observational studies published until 26/1/2022 were included for efficacy and safety questions, respectively.

Four-year effectiveness, safety and drug retention rate of secukinumab in psoriatic arthritis: a real-life Italian multicenter cohort.

Objectives: to evaluate over a 48-month follow-up period the: 1) long-term effectiveness and safety; 2) drug retention rate (DRR); 3) impact of comorbidities and bDMARDs line on MDA and DAPSA remission/low disease activity (LDA) of secukinumab in a multicenter Italian cohort of PsA patients.

Methods: Consecutive PsA patients receiving secukinumab were followed prospectively in Italian centers between 2016 and 2023. Disease characteristics, previous/ongoing treatments, comorbidities and follow-up duration were recorded.

Four-year real-world experience of secukinumab in a large Italian cohort of axial spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate in a real-life Italian multicenter cohort of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) (1) the 4-year effectiveness and safety of secukinumab, (2) the drug retention rate (DRR), and (3) the impact of the line of bDMARDs treatment, subtype of axSpA, and sex on achieving low disease activity (LDA) and very low disease activity (VLDA).

Methods: Consecutive axSpA patients receiving secukinumab between 2016 and 2023 were prospectively evaluated. Data on disease characteristics, previous/ongoing treatments, comorbidities, and follow-up duration were collected.

Attitudes, Knowledge and Clinical Practice of Health Professionals towards Psychological Disorders in Cancer Patients: An Observational Study.

Background: The suffering associated with a cancer diagnosis can find different channels to express itself: sleep disorders, psychiatric disorders, sexuality. These are not always analyzed by health professionals, but they have an impact on the patient's quality of life and on the outcome of the disease.

Methods: An observational study was conducted in order to investigate attitudes, knowledge and clinical practice towards psychological symptoms in cancer patients.

IL-23 in axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis: a good fit for biological treatment?

Introduction: Interleukin 23 (IL-23) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a protective role against bacterial and fungal infections. However, the dysregulation of the IL-23/IL-17 axis provides a solid substrate for the development of various inflammatory diseases, such as psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Areas Covered: In different clinical trials, several drugs against IL-23 have shown efficacy and safety toward PsA, with excellent results on skin and joint scores.

Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in axial spondyloarthritis: a 24-month prospective, multicenter real-life study.

Objectives: To evaluate, in a multicentric Italian cohort of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients on Secukinumab (SEC) followed for 24 months: (1) the long-term effectiveness and safety of SEC; (2) the drug retention rate and low disease activity (LDA) measured as Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) < 4/Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) < 2.1 and very low disease activity (VLDA) measured as BASDAI < 2/ASDAS < 1.3; (3) any differences in outcomes according to line of biological treatment (naïve/non-naïve), gender (male/female), subtype of axSpA [radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA)/non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA)].

The Conundrum of Psoriatic Arthritis: a Pathogenetic and Clinical Pattern at the Midpoint of Autoinflammation and Autoimmunity.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by psoriasis, synovitis, enthesitis, spondylitis, and the possible association with other extra-articular manifestations and comorbidities. It is a multifaceted and systemic disorder sustained by complex pathogenesis, combining aspects of autoinflammation and autoimmunity. Features of PsA autoinflammation include the role of biomechanical stress in the onset and/or exacerbation of the disease; the evidence of involvement of the innate immune response mediators in the skin, peripheral blood and synovial tissue; an equal gender distribution; the clinical course which may encounter periods of prolonged remission and overlapping features with autoinflammatory syndromes.

Paradoxical psoriatic arthritis in a patient with psoriasis treated with guselkumab.

Paradoxical psoriatic arthritis (PPsA) may be associated with guselkumab treatment. We describe a patient in whom PPsA required a change from guselkumab to ixekizumab. The pathophysiology of this paradoxical reaction is most likely a cytokine imbalance.

Corticosteroid injection treatment for dactylitis in psoriatic arthritis.

Dactylitis - a hallmark clinical feature of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) - that occurs in 30-50% of PsA patients, is a marker of disease severity for PsA progression, an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and impairs the motor functions of PsA patients. There is a paucity of evidence for the treatment due to the absence of randomized controlled trials assessing dactylitis as a primary endpoint and current practice arises from the analysis of dactylitis as a secondary outcome. Corticosteroid (CS) injections for dactylitis in PsA patients are a therapeutic treatment option for patients with isolated dactylitis or for patients with flares in tendon sheaths, despite stable and effective systemic treatment.

Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in 608 patients with psoriatic arthritis in real life: a 24-month prospective, multicentre study.

Objectives: To evaluate in a multicentric Italian cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on secukinumab followed for 24 months: (1) the long-term effectiveness and safety of secukinumab, (2) the drug retention rate and minimal disease activity (MDA), (3) differences in the outcomes according to the biological treatment line: biologic-naïve patients () versus multifailure () patients.

Methods: Consecutive patients with PsA receiving secukinumab were evaluated prospectively. Disease characteristics, previous/ongoing treatments, comorbidities and follow-up duration were collected.

Targeting human plasmacytoid dendritic cells through BDCA2 prevents skin inflammation and fibrosis in a novel xenotransplant mouse model of scleroderma.

Objectives: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma (SSc). However, this has been derived from indirect evidence using human samples or mouse pDC . We have developed human-specific pDC models to directly identify their role in inflammation and fibrosis, as well as attenuation of pDC function with BDCA2-targeting to determine its therapeutic application.

UCLA Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) 2.0 Reflux Scale Correlates With Impaired Esophageal Scintigraphy Findings in Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: The University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 (GIT 2.0) instrument is a self-report tool measuring gastrointestinal (GI) quality of life in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Golimumab effectiveness in biologic inadequate responding patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis in real-life from the Italian registry GISEA.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of golimumab in biologic inadequate responder (IR) patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Spondyloarthritis (SpA), and Psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: We analyzed 1424 patients on golimumab from the GISEA registry. Drug survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis in biologic-naïve, 1-biologic IR, ≥2-biologics IR patients.

Safety of treatment options for spondyloarthritis: a narrative review.

Introduction: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) are chronic inflammatory diseases with overlapping pathogenic mechanisms and clinical features. Treatment armamentarium against SpA includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs, including sulfasalazine, methotrexate, leflunomide, cyclosporine), targeted synthetic DMARDs (apremilast) and biological DMARDs (TNF inhibitors, anti-IL 12/23 and anti-IL-17 agents).

Areas Covered: A narrative review of published literature on safety profile of available SpA treatment options was performed.