Article
Rheumatology
Hong Ki Min, Se Hee Kim, Kyung-Ann Lee, Joon-Hyung Jo, Young So, Hyun Woo Chung, Sang-Heon Lee, Hae-Rim Kim
Summary: This study compared the findings of salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) and salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) in patients with primary SS. The study found that patients with a higher SGUS score had lower salivary gland function, and there was a significant correlation between SGUS score and SGS results. These findings suggest a possible predictive role of SGUS in diagnosing salivary gland dysfunction.
Article
Rheumatology
Esther Mossel, Martha S. van Ginkel, Erlin A. Haacke, Suzanne Arends, Silvia C. Liefers, Konstantina Delli, Jolien F. van Nimwegen, Alja J. Stel, Fred K. L. Spijkervet, Arjan Vissink, Bert van der Vegt, Frans G. M. Kroese, Hendrika Bootsma
Summary: The study aimed to understand the relative value of different approaches in assessing salivary gland involvement in pSS. The results showed that histopathology, salivary flow, and ultrasonography assess different constructs of salivary gland involvement and have low correlations. Therefore, these three modalities are complementary and cannot directly replace each other in the diagnosis of pSS.
Review
Rheumatology
Valerie Devauchelle-Pensec, Alen Zabotti, Guillermo Carvajal-Alegria, Nenad Filipovic, Sandrine Jousse-Joulin, Salvatore De Vita
Summary: Salivary gland ultrasonography plays an important role in detecting structural abnormalities in primary Sjogren's Syndrome, and could potentially be used for classification. The ongoing HarmonicSS project, supported by the EU, aims to apply artificial intelligence to SGUS in pSS for future study. Many questions remain unresolved, but data collected so far suggest that SGUS will be a significant tool in the study of pSS in the near future.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Halil Ozer, Sema Yilmaz, Banu Bozkurt, Dilek Tezcan, Merve Yazol, Selda Hakbilen, Omer Faruk Topaloglu, Mehmet Sedat Durmaz
Summary: In this study, lacrimal gland involvement in primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) was assessed using lacrimal gland gray-scale ultrasound (LGUS) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). The results showed that 2D-SWE had better diagnostic performance than LGUS and was correlated with dry eye tests.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Akinsola Oyelakin, Erich Horeth, Eun-Ah Christine Song, Sangwon Min, Monika Che, Brandon Marzullo, Christopher J. Lessard, Astrid Rasmussen, Lida Radfar, R. Hal Scofield, David M. Lewis, Donald U. Stone, Kiely Grundahl, Scott S. De Rossi, Zoya Kurago, A. Darise Farris, Kathy L. Sivils, Satrajit Sinha, Jill M. Kramer, Rose-Anne Romano
Summary: Primary Sjogren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease primarily affecting women, leading to loss of saliva and tears. Currently, there is no effective cure due to limited understanding of disease etiology and pathology.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Nanna S. Schmidt, Viktoria Fana, Mads Ammitzboll Danielsen, Hanne M. Lindegaard, Anne Voss, Hans Christian Horn, John B. Knudsen, Keld-Erik Byg, Melanie Birger Morillon, Soren Andreas Just, Uffe M. Dohn, Lene Terslev
Summary: The objective of this pilot study was to assess the impact of a salivary gland ultrasound atlas on scoring parenchymal changes in Sjogren's syndrome. The reliability of the scoring system was evaluated, and the use of the atlas improved both intra- and inter-reader reliability.
CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Laura Barrio-Nogal, Marta Novella-Navarro, Cristina Bohorquez Heras, Luis Sala-Icardo, Enrique Calvo-Aranda, Ana Perez Gomez
Summary: The utility of major salivary gland ultrasonography for pSS diagnosis was evaluated and compared with minor salivary gland biopsy. The agreement rate between ultrasonography and biopsy was 78%. Ultrasonography showed higher sensitivity (90%), while biopsy showed higher specificity (90%). Ultrasonography could be used as an initial test for suspected pSS patients, while biopsy could be used in inconclusive cases.
CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Simon Parreau, Gaetane Nocturne, Xavier Mariette, Barbara Burroni, Thierry Lazure, Florent L. Besson, Alexis Regent, Luc Mouthon, Benjamin Terrier, Raphaele Seror, Veronique Le Guern
Summary: This study evaluated the role of minor salivary gland biopsy histology in diagnosing primary SS-associated non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma. The results showed that mSGB histology enabled NHL diagnosis in half of the patients with suspected NHL, with 95.8% of cases identified as MALT lymphomas.
Article
Rheumatology
Alen Zabotti, Sara Zandonella Callegher, Michele Lorenzon, Enrico Pegolo, Cathryn A. Scott, Alessandro Tel, Ivan Giovannini, Massimo Robiony, Carla Di Loreto, Chiara Zuiani, Salvatore De Vita
Summary: This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and safety of US-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) of major salivary glands compared with open surgical biopsy in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). The results showed that US-guided CNB is a novel, clinically relevant, and safe approach for managing pSS patients with persistent enlargement of the parotid or submandibular glands.
Article
Immunology
Shihao Xu, Chengwei Zhu, Jiachun Jiang, Cheng Hui, Ping Wang, Jingwei Hong, Shiping Yang, Zhongshan Li, Xiaobing Wang
Summary: This study aimed to develop non-invasive diagnosis methods for primary Sjo & BULL;gren's syndrome (pSS) by integrating classic clinical indexes, major salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS), and gene expression profiles. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in defense response to virus and type I interferon production pathways were identified in glands and blood. Four upregulated DEGs common in glands and blood were identified as hub genes. A random forest model trained with SGUS, antiSSA/Ro60, keratoconjunctivitis sicca tests, and gene expression levels of MX1 and RSAD2 achieved comparable pSS diagnosis accuracy to the golden standard method.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ning Li, Yusi Li, Jiawei Hu, Yicheng Wu, Jie Yang, Hongmei Fan, Lei Li, Danyang Luo, Yulin Ye, Yiming Gao, Haimin Xu, Wangxi Hai, Liting Jiang
Summary: This study revealed the interaction between mitochondrial dysfunction and the immune microenvironment in salivary glands of pSS patients and provided important insights into the clinical management of SS based on modulation of mitochondrial function.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Gwenny M. Verstappen, Lu Gao, Sarah Pringle, Erlin A. Haacke, Bert van der Vegt, Silvia C. Liefers, Vishal Patel, Yanhua Hu, Sumanta Mukherjee, Julie Carman, Laurence C. Menard, Frederik K. L. Spijkervet, Arjan Vissink, Hendrika Bootsma, Frans G. M. Kroese
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the immunopathway activation in paired parotid and labial gland tissue from pSS and non-SS sicca patients with different biopsy results. The results showed that biopsy-positive pSS patients could be distinguished from non-SS sicca patients based on salivary gland gene expression, while biopsy-negative pSS patients had indistinguishable gene expression patterns from non-SS sicca patients. Different patterns of immunopathway activation in salivary glands of pSS patients argue for personalized treatment approaches.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Kyung-Ann Lee, Wonho Choi, JongSun Kim, Sang-Heon Lee, Hae-Rim Kim, Hyun-Sook Kim
Summary: This study assessed the clinical, laboratory, and salivary gland ultrasound characteristics in elderly-onset primary Sjogren's syndrome (EopSS) patients. EopSS was found to have a higher frequency of interstitial lung disease, lower frequency of arthritis, lower positivity of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB, as well as lower SGUS scores. The specific phenotype of EopSS includes less parenchymal abnormalities but more atrophic changes in major salivary glands.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaoyan Wang, Xiang Lin, Yingying Su, Hao Wang
Summary: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of biologics in improving salivary gland function in pSS patients through clinical trials. The results showed that biologics did not have a significant effect on improving salivary gland function in pSS patients, but were more effective in early-stage patients. The safety of biologics treatment needs to be addressed in future clinical trials.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Valeria Manfre, Ivan Giovannini, Sara Zandonella Callegher, Michele Lorenzon, Enrico Pegolo, Alessandro Tel, Saviana Gandolfo, Luca Quartuccio, Salvatore De Vita, Alen Zabotti
Summary: pSS is a chronic and heterogeneous disorder characterized by immune-mediated involvement of exocrine glands and B-cell hyperactivation, increasing the risk of lymphoproliferative diseases. Using different imaging techniques and biopsy approaches, especially focusing on salivary gland ultrasonography and US-guided core needle biopsy, may help in diagnosis and prognosis of pSS patients with persistent parotid swelling.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Letter
Rheumatology
Aimilios Kaklamanos, Panagiotis Karamichalos, Panayiotis G. Vlachoyiannopoulos, Athanasios G. Tzioufas
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vasileios C. Pezoulas, Andreas Goules, Fanis Kalatzis, Luke Chatzis, Konstantina D. Kourou, Aliki Venetsanopoulou, Themis P. Exarchos, Saviana Gandolfo, Konstantinos Votis, Evi Zampeli, Jan Burmeister, Thorsten May, Manuel Marcelino Perez, Iryna Lishchuk, Thymios Chondrogiannis, Vassiliki Andronikou, Theodora Varvarigou, Nenad Filipovic, Manolis Tsiknakis, Chiara Baldini, Michele Bombardieri, Hendrika Bootsma, Simon J. Bowman, Muhammad Shahnawaz Soyfoo, Dorian Parisis, Christine Delporte, Valerie Devauchelle-Pensec, Jacques-Olivier Pers, Thomas Doerner, Elena Bartoloni, Roberto Gerli, Roberto Giacomelli, Roland Jonsson, Wan-Fai Ng, Roberta Priori, Manuel Ramos-Casals, Kathy Sivils, Fotini Skopouli, Witte Torsten, Joel A. G. van Roon, Mariette Xavier, Salvatore De Vita, Athanasios G. Tzioufas, Dimitrios Fotiadis
Summary: This article presents the HarmonicSS cloud computing exemplar platform, which provides state-of-the-art data analytics services to address the clinical unmet needs of primary Sjogren's Syndrome (pSS). The platform successfully develops lymphoma classification models and identifies biomarkers for lymphomagenesis by interlinking, curating, and harmonizing multiple regional and international databases. The federated AI algorithms trained on the harmonized databases yield robust lymphoma classification models with high accuracy and identify 5 biomarkers for lymphoma development.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Georgios Boutzios, Eleni Koukoulioti, Andreas V. Goules, Ioannis Kalliakmanis, Ilias Giovannopoulos, Panayiotis Vlachoyiannopoulos, Haralampos M. Moutsopoulos, Athanasios G. Tzioufas
Summary: This study reveals an association of APCA with organ-specific autoimmunity in HT patients for the first time. APCA and patient age were independently associated with the presence of organ-specific autoimmunity. Additionally, this study showed an association between APCA and gastric neoplasms in these patients.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Athanasios-Dimitrios Bakasis, Clio P. Mavragani, Paraskevi V. Voulgari, Nafsika Gerolymatou, Ourania D. Argyropoulou, Panayiotis G. Vlachoyiannopoulos, Fotini N. Skopouli, Athanasios G. Tzioufas, Haralampos M. Moutsopoulos
Summary: This observational study reports the clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with systemic autoimmune and autoinflammatory rheumatic diseases (SAARD) who were unvaccinated or received 2 or 3 doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The study found that vaccination with 2 or 3 doses significantly reduced hospitalizations and the need for oxygen supplementation in COVID-19 patients with SAARD. Furthermore, the study showed that receiving 3 doses of the vaccine was associated with a significantly lower risk of severe/critical COVID-19.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2022)
Review
Rheumatology
Luca Quartuccio, Alessandra Bortoluzzi, Carlo Alberto Scire, Antonio Marangoni, Giulia Del Frate, Elena Treppo, Laura Castelnovo, Francesco Saccardo, Roberta Zani, Marco Candela, Paolo Fraticelli, Cesare Mazzaro, Piero Renoldi, Patrizia Scaini, Davide Antonio Filippini, Marcella Visentini, Salvatore Scarpato, Dilia Giuggioli, Maria Teresa Mascia, Marco Sebastiani, Anna Linda Zignego, Gianfranco Lauletta, Massimo Fiorilli, Milvia Casato, Clodoveo Ferri, Maurizio Pietrogrande, Pietro Enrico Pioltelli, Salvatore De Vita, Giuseppe Monti, Massimo Galli
Summary: Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis is a small-vessel vasculitis characterized by the proliferation of B-cell clones producing pathogenic immune complexes. It is often secondary to hepatitis C virus, autoimmune diseases, and hematological malignancies. The clinical course of cryoglobulinemic vasculitis is usually mild, but severe organ damage and life-threatening manifestations can occur.
CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Rheumatology
Luca Quartuccio, Alessandra Bortoluzzi, Carlo Alberto Scire, Antonio Marangoni, Giulia Del Frate, Elena Treppo, Laura Castelnovo, Francesco Saccardo, Roberta Zani, Marco Candela, Paolo Fraticelli, Cesare Mazzaro, Piero Renoldi, Patrizia Scaini, Davide Antonio Filippini, Marcella Visentini, Salvatore Scarpato, Dilia Giuggioli, Maria Teresa Mascia, Marco Sebastiani, Anna Linda Zignego, Gianfranco Lauletta, Massimo Fiorilli, Milvia Casato, Clodoveo Ferri, Maurizio Pietrogrande, Pietro Enrico Pioltelli, Salvatore De Vita, Giuseppe Monti, Massimo Galli
CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Rheumatology
Luca Quartuccio, Elena Treppo, Christian Dejaco
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Luca Quartuccio, Ginevra De Marchi, Rossana Domenis, Nicola Cabas, Silvia Guella, Antonella Paradiso, Cinzia Fabro, Antonio Paolo Beltrami, Salvatore De Vita, Francesco Curcio
Summary: This study evaluated the humoral and cellular immune response in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients treated with Belimumab after receiving three doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. The results showed that all patients had a humoral response after the first dose, but the antibody titer significantly declined after the second dose. However, the third dose led to a significant increase in antibody titer, restoring it to the level before vaccination. The cellular-mediated response declined after the second dose but did not further decline after the third dose. There were no significant differences in humoral and cellular responses between patients and controls.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Laura Gragnani, Marcella Visentini, Serena Lorini, Stefano Angelo Santini, Gianfranco Lauletta, Cesare Mazzaro, Teresa Urraro, Luca Quartuccio, Fabio Cacciapaglia, Piero Ruscitti, Antonio Tavoni, Silvia Marri, Giuseppina Cusano, Luisa Petraccia, Caterina Naclerio, Elena Treppo, Giulia del Frate, Ilenia Di Cola, Vincenzo Raimondo, Daniela Scorpiniti, Monica Monti, Lorenzo Puccetti, Giusy Elia, Poupak Fallahi, Stefania Basili, Salvatore Scarpato, Florenzo Iannone, Milvia Casato, Alessandro Antonelli, Anna Linda Zignego, Clodoveo Ferri
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and outcome of COVID-19 in a large series of MCs patients, as well as the safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines. The results showed a significantly higher prevalence of COVID-19 in MCs patients compared to the general population, and the use of immunomodulators was associated with an increased risk of infection. Additionally, MCs patients with COVID-19 had a higher mortality rate, and older age was correlated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. The vaccination immunogenicity was impaired in MCs patients, and certain immunomodulators hindered the vaccine-induced immune response.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Rheumatology
Luca Quartuccio, Elena Treppo, Federico Alberici
Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Marco Di Carlo, Antonio D'Addario, Fausto Salaffi
Summary: Electroacupuncture has demonstrated clinical efficacy in treating opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) and could be a potential treatment option for complex and difficult-to-manage conditions such as OIH.
JOURNAL OF ACUPUNCTURE AND MERIDIAN STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Fausto Salaffi, Marina Carotti, Anna Claudia Poliseno, Luca Ceccarelli, Sonia Farah, Marco Di Carlo, Andrea Giovagnoni
Summary: This study aimed to determine the utility of CSA measurements on MRI, at the level of the thigh muscles, in discriminating RA patients with sarcopenia. The results showed that MRI-CSA-25 can differentiate RA patients with sarcopenia from those without.
Article
Allergy
Fausto Salaffi, Andrea Di Matteo, Sonia Farah, Marco Di Carlo
Summary: Frailty is a new concept in rheumatology that can help identify individuals with a higher risk of negative outcomes. It is linked to aging and an increased risk of falls, injuries, and mortality. Inflammation affects immune pathways, multimorbidity, and frailty. Frailty is more common as people age in the community, and various parameters have been validated to identify it.
CLINICAL REVIEWS IN ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Rheumatology
Maria De Santis, Natasa Isailovic, Giacomo Maria Guidelli, Daniela Renna, Arianna Sonaglia, Nicoletta Luciano, Marta Caprioli, Angela Ceribelli, Francesca Motta, Matteo Vecellio, Enrico Brunetta, Carlo Selmi
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Rheumatology
Nicoletta Luciano, Elisa Barone, Enrico Brunetta, Maria De Santis, Angela Ceribelli, Marta Caprioli, Giacomo Maria Guidelli, Arianna Sonaglia, Daniela Renna, Francesca Motta, Natasa Isailovic, Matteo Vecellio, Carlo Selmi
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)