Rheumatology
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Stiff skin syndrome (SSS) is a rare scleroderma-like syndrome of unknown aetiology. A 16-year-old boy presented with thoracic and abdominal asymmetry, and 'orange peel' cutaneous lesions, with fibrotic stone-hard indurations at the buttocks, thighs and arms leading to secondary joint contractures of the extremities. Our aim was to analyse the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and pro-fibrotic cytokines in the dermis and epidermis of SSS. ⋯ In our SSS patient, an overexpression of ECM proteins was detected, whereas no inflammatory infiltrates or up-regulation of pro-fibrotic cytokines were found. The data suggest that fibrosis in SSS might be independent from inflammation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Intra-articular clodronate for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: dose ranging study vs hyaluronic acid.
Bisphosphonates may have a chondroprotective effect in patients with knee OA (KOA), but the results of clinical trials with oral bisphosphonates have been contradictory. In this Phase 2 randomized, partially blind clinical trial, we tested the efficacy of IA clodronate vs HA in patients with primary KOA. ⋯ This study indicates that IA clodronate provides symptomatic and functional improvements at least as good as those obtained with HA. Trial Registration. Osservatorio Nazionale sulla Sperimentazione Clinica dei Medicinali - Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco. Comitato Etico Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese number CLIO 22/02 http://oss-sper-clin.agenziafarmaco.it.