Clin Exp Rheumatol
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Multicenter Study
Effects of rituximab in connective tissue disorders related interstitial lung disease.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a key prognostic factor in connective tissue disorders (CTDs). The aim of our study was to assess the changes in pulmonary functional tests (PFTs) in various CTDs, including anti-synthetase syndrome (SYN), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and mixed connective tissue disorder (MCTD), following the use of rituximab therapy. ⋯ A trend of improvement of PFTs was observed in SYN patients although not reaching significance, while SSc and MCTD patients were stabilised.
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To assess the efficacy of other biologic therapies, different from infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA), in patients with Behçet's disease uveitis (BU). ⋯ The vast majority of patients with BU refractory to standard immunosuppressive drugs are successfully controlled with ADA and/or IFX. Other biologic agents appear to be also useful.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
HYADD 4 versus methylprednisolone acetate in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a single-centre single blind prospective randomised controlled clinical study with 1-year follow-up.
The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical results and the quality of life in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis randomised to either a new HA (HYADD 4) or corticosteroid (CS). A separate rationale was to evaluate the safety profile of HYADD 4. ⋯ HYADD 4 did not have significantly higher side effects when compared to CS injections and provided better short-term (but not long-term) control of symptoms in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Patients with less pain and dysfunction at baseline may be the best candidates for HYADD 4 injections.
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Ten years ago, the METEOR tool was developed to simulate treatment-to-target and create an international research database. The development of the METEOR tool and database, research opportunities and future perspectives are described. ⋯ Since METEOR was founded 10 years ago, many rheumatologists worldwide have used the METEOR tool to follow-up their patients and improve the quality of care they provide to their patients. Combined with uploaded data, this has led to an extensive growth of the database. It now offers a unique opportunity to study daily practice care and to perform research regarding cross-country differences in a large, worldwide setting, which could provide important knowledge about disease and its treatment in different geographic and clinical settings.
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To report the efficacy and tolerability of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and azathioprine (AZA) in the management of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). ⋯ In patients with SSc-ILD with declining pulmonary function, MMF therapy was associated with stability for up to 36 months. Early adverse events leading to discontinuation occurred less frequently in patients treated with MMF than in AZA treated patients.