| Scleroderma Medical News by Date |
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| September 2009 |
| Measurement uncertainty of 25-OH vitamin D determination with different commercially available kits: impact on the clinical cut offs. Results show that, whatever the assay, the “true” 25(OH)D of a patient will be >80 nmol/L if its measured concentration is >100 nmol/L. In other words, if a physician considers that a normal Vitamin D status is defined by a 25(OH)D level ≥80 nmol/L, he should ensure that the patients present a 25(OH)D ≥100 nmol/L. E. Cavalier Osteoporosis International. September 15, 2009. (Also see: Vitamin D Deficiencies) |
| Autoantibody (Ab) against caspase-3, an executioner of apoptosis, in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). These results suggest that autoantibody against caspase-3 is generated in SSc and that this Ab is related to the severity of pulmonary fibrosis, vascular damage, and inflammation. Shihoko Okazaki (SpringerLink) Rheumatology International. July 28, 2009. (Also see: Antibodies) |
| Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial of Tadalafil in Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) Secondary to Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Tadalafil appears to be safe and well tolerated but lacks efficacy in comparison to placebo as a treatment for RP secondary to SSc. Elena Schiopu. JRheum. September 15, 2009 36 (9). (Also see: Raynaud’s Treatments) |
| Juvenile Systemic Sclerosis. Juvenile systemic sclerosis (JSSc) is a rare connective tissue disease of unknown etiology. Characteristic features include fibrosis of the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and internal organs as well as abnormalities of the vascular and immune systems occurring in children 16 and younger. This disease is one of the most severe rheumatologic conditions diagnosed in children. Luke M Webb, MD. Emedicine from WebMD. 06/20/09. (Also see: Juvenile Scleroderma) |
| Vitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency in 2 Independent Cohorts of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Vitamin D deficiency was very common in the 2 SSc populations, independent of geographic origin and vitamin D supplementation. This suggests that common vitamin D supplementation does not correct the deficiency in SSc patients, and that a higher dose is probably needed, especially in those with high inflammatory activity or severe disease. Alessandra Vacca J Rheumatol vol. 36 no. 9 1924-1929. September 2009. (Also see: Vitamin D Deficiencies) |
| Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in systemic sclerosis. The prevalence of SIBO was 43.1% in our SSc patients. After logistic regression, we identified the following risk factors for SIBO: presence of diarrhoea and constipation. Isabelle Marie. Rheumatology. August 20, 2009. (Also see: Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) |
| Autoantibodies in silicosis patients and in silica-exposed individuals. Rheumatoid Factor (RF) was more common in patients with longer exposure to silica dust and appeared only in those with silicosis. The presence of ANA, Scl-70 and ANCA was the same as in the control population. Gabriel Zaghi. Rheumatology International. 25 August 2009. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma) |
| (Not) talking about sex: a systematic comparison of sexual impairment in women with systemic sclerosis and other chronic disease samples. Women with SSc, particularly those with dcSSc, have high levels of sexual impairment compared with women with other chronic diseases, where sexual function has received greater attention. Ruby Knafo. Rheumatology. August 19, 2009. (Also see: Female Sexual Dysfunction) |
| Ultrasound lung comets (ULCs) in systemic sclerosis (SSc): a chest sonography hallmark of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. ULCs are often found in SSc, are more frequent in the diffuse than the limited form and are reasonably well correlated with high-resolution CT (HRCT)-derived assessment of lung fibrosis. They represent a simple, bedside, radiation-free hallmark of pulmonary fibrosis of potential diagnostic and prognostic value. Luna Gargani. Rheumatology. August 28, 2009 (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis) |
| The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in end-stage pulmonary disease: Is pulmonary fibrosis a risk factor? There is significantly more CAD in lung-transplantation candidates with lung fibrosis as compared to those with emphysema, despite the fact that smoking was much more prevalent in the emphysema patients. These results suggest that the inflammatory process in lung fibrosis may involve the coronary arteries as a part of a systemic inflammation rather than an idiopathic fibrotic disease confined to the lungs. G. Izbicki. Respiratory Medicine Volume 103, Issue 9, Pages 1346-1349. (September 2009) (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis and Cardiac Involvement) |
| The European League Against Rheumatism 2009 |
| EULAR 2009 took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 13 - 10. The aim was to provide a forum of the highest standard for scientific (both clinical and basic), educational and social exchange between professionals involved in rheumatology and liaising with patient organisations to achieve progress in the clinical care of patients with rheumatic diseases. |
| Characterization of the Cellular Infiltrate of Localized Scleroderma (LS) skin Lesions Before and After Methotrexate (MTX) or Prednisone Treatment. Juvenile LS active lesions are characterized by infiltration of CD8+ T cell and B cells, which seem to play an important role in the early phases of the disease. MTX treatment significantly reduces the inflammatory infiltrate, re-establish the CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio and induce the B-cell disappearance. F. Lunardi. (SAT0002) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Localized Scleroderma and Methotrexate) |
| Validity and Reliability of the Italian Version of the Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis Scale (MHISS). Our results support the validity and reliability of MHISS in Italian SSc patients. The lower values of MHISS total score and subscales in our series in respect to the original one may be explained by the high presence of limited SSc patients in our series. A. Del Rosso. (THU0299) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Microstomia and Dry Mouth) |
| Pregnancy in Systemic Sclerosis: A Prospective Study. Our experience shows that SSc patients with a stable disease, an adequate monitoring and a careful therapy management, can have successful pregnancies. In our series only sporadic complications occurred and some women had more than one pregnancy. Even if some disease symptoms seem to intensify during pregnancy, they probably are physiologic consequences of being pregnant, as suggested by ready disappearance after delivery. M. Taraborelli. (FRI0341) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Scleroderma and Pregnancy) |
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| Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis - Strike While the Iron is Hot. Early prognosis prediction is a major aim. The second is a realisation that in patients who have undergone immunoablation for SSc via autologous stem cell transplantation, remodelling of miscrovasculature and regression of fibrosis have been observed. A. Tyndall. (SP0084). EULAR 2009. (Also see: Scleroderma Treatments) |
| Beta Thymosins (Tβ) in Scleroderma Interstitial lung Disease (ILD): Biomarkers of Alveolitis. Lower Tβ4 BALF levels were associated to a worsening of ground glass at one year follow-up. The presence of sTβ4 characterized the SSc patients with alveolitis as expected in such an inflammatory condition. Moreover, increased levels of Tβ10 and sTβ4 were found in patients with a worse lung functional impairment. M. De Santis. (FRI0012) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis) |
| Clinical Peculiarity of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). The results confirm that there are clinical differences between SSc and SSc-PH patients. The presence of pulmonary hypertension demands more careful analysis of the clinical picture and complex therapy. A. Volkov. (THU0293) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Pulmonary Hypertension) |
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