Article
Immunology
Xiangjun Liu, Lei Zhu, Hongjiang Liu, Qingmeng Cai, Zelin Yun, Feng Sun, Yuan Jia, Jianping Guo, Chun Li
Summary: Non-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies have a high prevalence in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome, and their inclusion can improve the diagnostic accuracy of APS. APhL IgG, aPS/PT, and aPS IgG may serve as potential biomarkers for predicting thrombotic risk in APS patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Rohan Willis, Thomas C. R. McDonnell, Charis Pericleous, Emilio B. Gonzalez, Alvaro Schleh, Zurina Romay-Penabad, Ian P. Giles, Anisur Rahman
Summary: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by vascular thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity. The current treatment options have limitations, and there is a need for more targeted therapies. Researchers developed a modified protein variant using site-specific chemical addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG), which effectively inhibited thrombus formation caused by pathogenic antibodies. These findings provide further evidence supporting the potential efficacy of PEG-modified protein as a treatment option for APS.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simona Caraiola, Laura Voicu, Ciprian Jurcut, Alina Dima, Cristian Baicus, Anda Baicus, Claudia Oana Cobilinschi, Razvan Adrian Ionescu
Summary: This research aimed to evaluate the correlations between the titres of non-criteria aPLs and the already studied criteria aPLs in APS patients. The results showed moderate correlations mainly between the tested non-criteria antibodies and the criteria ones, suggesting little added value for the use of the tested non-criteria aPLs.
Article
Immunology
Savino Sciascia, Massimo Radin, Mario Bazzan, Barbara Montaruli, Domenico Cosseddu, Claudio Norbiato, Maria Tiziana Bertero, Renato Carignola, Beatrice Bacco, Silvia Gallo Cassarino, Dario Roccatello
Summary: The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in COVID-19 patients may contribute to a pro-coagulant state, but differs from patients with overt APS. Therefore, caution is needed in interpreting and generalizing the role of aPL in the management of COVID-19 patients. Additional well-designed clinical studies are necessary before introducing aPL testing as routine in COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Xue Peng, Xi Tan, Aiyun Xing
Summary: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent thrombosis and pregnancy complications. Obstetrical APS (OAPS) specifically refers to APS in pregnant women. The classification criteria for OAPS have generated discussion due to the possibility of excluding certain patients. This article presents two cases of non-criteria OAPS with severe complications and discusses the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this unusual antenatal event. It also provides an overview of the pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical features of OAPS.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Medha Barbhaiya, Stephane Zuily, Ray Naden, Alison Hendry, Florian Manneville, Mary-Carmen Amigo, Zahir Amoura, Danieli Andrade, Laura Andreoli, Bahar Artim-Esen, Tatsuya Atsumi, Tadej Avcin, Michael H. Belmont, Maria Laura Bertolaccini, D. Ware Branch, Graziela Carvalheiras, Alessandro Casini, Ricard Cervera, Hannah Cohen, Nathalie Costedoat-Chalumeau, Mark Crowther, Guilherme de Jesus, Aurelien Delluc, Sheetal Desai, Maria De Sancho, Katrien M. Devreese, Reyhan Diz-Kucukkaya, Ali Duarte-Garcia, Camille Frances, David Garcia, Jean-Christophe Gris, Natasha Jordan, Rebecca K. Leaf, Nina Kello, Jason S. Knight, Carl Laskin, Alfred I. Lee, Kimberly Legault, Steve R. Levine, Roger A. Levy, Maarten Limper, Michael D. Lockshin, Karoline Mayer-Pickel, Jack Musial, Pier Luigi Meroni, Giovanni Orsolini, Thomas L. Ortel, Vittorio Pengo, Michelle Petri, Guillermo Pons-Estel, Jose A. Gomez-Puerta, Quentin Raimboug, Robert Roubey, Giovanni Sanna, Surya V. Seshan, Savino Sciascia, Maria G. Tektonidou, Angela Tincani, Denis Wahl, Rohan Willis, Cecile Yelnik, Catherine Zuily, Francis Guillemin, Karen Costenbader, Doruk Erkan
Summary: This study developed new APS classification criteria with high specificity, including clinical and laboratory domains, and improved classification accuracy through weighting and stratification.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katja Perdan-Pirkmajer, Polona Zigon, Anja Boc, Eva Podovsovnik, Sasa Cucnik, Alenka Mavri, Ziga Rotar, Ales Ambrozic
Summary: This study suggests that negative aCL and/or anti-beta 2GPI at the time of acute DVT may not require further aPL testing, while LA should be checked after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. Positive aCL and/or anti-beta 2GPI at the time of acute DVT have a strong positive predictive value for APS and may impact therapeutic decisions.
Article
Immunology
Siting Li, Yina Bai, Jingjing Meng, Qian Wang, Xinping Tian, Mengtao Li, Xiaofeng Zeng, Jiuliang Zhao, Chaojun Hu
Summary: This study aimed to examine the diagnostic value of a set of non-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and their relevance with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS)-related criteria and extra-criteria manifestations. The results showed that the detection of non-criteria aPLs could assist in the diagnosis of APS and the positivity of certain aPLs was statistically associated with APS clinical manifestations.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Laura Naranjo, Fernando Ostos, Francisco Javier Gil-Etayo, Jesus Hernandez-Gallego, Oscar Cabrera-Marante, Daniel Enrique Pleguezuelo, Raquel Diaz-Simon, Mercedes Cerro, David Lora, Antonio Martinez-Salio, Antonio Serrano
Summary: This study evaluated the prevalence of aPL (antiphospholipid antibodies) in ischemic stroke patients and identified IgA aB2GPI as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. The results showed that dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and smoking were independent risk factors for ischemic stroke within the cardiovascular risk factors.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alex A. Gandhi, Shanea K. Estes, Christine E. Rysenga, Jason S. Knight
Summary: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a leading cause of thrombosis, with pathogenic antibodies circulating at stable levels in blood, but thrombotic events often requiring a second hit. Investigators have turned to animal models to explore APS mechanisms, with each model having potential advantages and disadvantages.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Victor M. Martinez-Taboada, Pedro Blanco-Olavarri, Sara Del Barrio-Longarela, Leyre Riancho-Zarrabeitia, Ana Merino, Alejandra Comins-Boo, Marcos Lopez-Hoyos, Jose L. Hernandez
Summary: This study compares the characteristics, features, serology, and outcomes of women with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) to those with non-criteria (NC)-APS and seronegative (SN)-APS. The study found that the cardiovascular risk burden was higher in the APS group and patients with APS criteria received more intensive treatment. However, with the addition of standard of care (SoC) treatment, fetal-maternal outcomes were similar among all groups, with significant improvement in live births and a decrease in adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO).
Article
Immunology
Michael A. Cole, Gloria F. Gerber, Shruti Chaturvedi
Summary: Complement is a major driver of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and a promising therapeutic target. Reliable, rapid-turnaround biomarkers are needed in APS to predict adverse clinical outcomes and determine who will benefit most from complement inhibition. Current studies highlight the inconsistencies in testing, suggesting that cell-based testing or multiplex panels may be most clinically relevant.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco Javier Gil-Etayo, Sara Garcinuno, Antonio Lalueza, Raquel Diaz-Simon, Ana Garcia-Reyne, Daniel Enrique Pleguezuelo, Oscar Cabrera-Marante, Edgard Alfonso Rodriguez-Frias, Alfredo Perez-Rivilla, Manuel Serrano, Antonio Serrano
Summary: The presence of aPL in COVID-19 patients is significantly associated with thrombosis, with potential mechanisms including early immune dysregulation and delayed aPL-mediated thrombosis. Additionally, aPL found in COVID-19 patients may preexist before the infection.
Article
Rheumatology
Patricia Moran-Alvarez, Africa Andreu-Suarez, Liz Caballero-Mota, Susanna Gassiot-Riu, Ruben Berrueco-Moreno, Joan Calzada-Hernandez, Jordi Anton-Lopez, Monica Vazquez-Diaz, Alina Boteanu
Summary: This study aimed to identify the variables associated with the development of non-criteria manifestations in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in a paediatric cohort. The results showed that non-criteria manifestations were more frequent than thrombotic events, and a positive family history of autoimmune diseases and the absence of thrombotic events were associated with a higher risk of developing non-criteria manifestations.
Review
Hematology
Debbie Jiang, Wendy Lim, Mark Crowther, David Garcia
Summary: The presence of anti-B2GPI is weakly associated with thrombosis and inconsistently associated with obstetric complications, with very low-quality evidence and study heterogeneity preventing a quantitative assessment.
Letter
Rheumatology
Xavier Bossuyt, Walter Fierz, Pier Luigi Meroni
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Tommaso Schioppo, Lorenza Maria Argolini, Savino Sciascia, Francesca Pregnolato, Francesco Tamborini, Paolo Miraglia, Dario Roccatello, Renato Alberto Sinico, Roberto Caporali, Gabriella Moroni, Maria Gerosa
Summary: This study aims to describe the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in SLE patients. The results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection can trigger autoimmune flares in a small number of SLE patients. Asymptomatic infections are more common in SLE patients with major organ involvement. This may be due to the immunosuppressive effects of medications used in SLE treatment.
Review
Rheumatology
Savino Sciascia, Dario Roccatello, Massimo Radin, Ioannis Parodis, Jinoos Yazdany, Guillermo Pons-Estel, Marta Mosca
Summary: This review summarizes the differentiation between early systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), as well as clinical approaches to diagnosing these conditions. It emphasizes the importance of accurately distinguishing between stable UCTD and early-stage SLE to prevent irreversible organ damage.
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Savino Sciascia, Silvia Grazietta Foddai, Cristiano Alessandri, Alessia Alunno, Laura Andreoli, Alice Barinotti, Antonia Calligaro, Valentina Canti, Francesco Carubbi, Irene Cecchi, Cecillia B. Chighizola, Fabrizio Conti, Giacomo Emmi, Antonella Fioravanti, Fabio Fischetti, Franco Franceschini, Maria Gerosa, Ariela Hoxha, Maddalena Larosa, Maria-Grazia Lazzaroni, Cecilia Nalli, Giulia Pazzola, Massimo Radin, Bernd Raffeiner, Veronique L. Ramoni, Elena Rubini, Gian Domenico Sebastiani, Simona Truglia, Maria Letizia Urban, Dario Roccatello, Angela Tincani
Summary: The rate of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) negativization in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) patients is uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical approach and level of consensus among experts from the APS Study Group of the Italian Society for Rheumatology (SIR-APS) in different clinical scenarios.
THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Massimo Cugno, Pier Luigi Meroni, Dario Consonni, Samantha Griffini, Elena Grovetti, Cristina Novembrino, Adriana Torri, Gloria Griffante, Marisa Gariglio, Luca Varani, Flora Peyvandi
Summary: This study found that high levels of antibodies to pre-existing coronaviruses are associated with mild disease in patients with COVID-19. This finding suggests that the measurement of pre-existing coronavirus antibodies could be important in predicting disease severity.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Dario Roccatello, Alessandra Baffa, Carla Naretto, Antonella Barreca, Raffaella Cravero, Elisabetta Roscini, Savino Sciascia, Roberta Fenoglio
Summary: The study reports a new treatment protocol for adult patients with extensive podocyte effacement and recurrent relapses or steroid dependence in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The results show that the intensive therapy is able to reverse the nephrotic syndrome in some patients.
CLINICAL KIDNEY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Savino Sciascia, Chelsea Bentow, Massimo Radin, Alice Barinotti, Irene Cecchi, Silvia Foddai, Dario Roccatello, Michael Mahler
Summary: This study aimed to explore the use of saliva as an alternative matrix for the detection of autoantibodies. By using a novel and highly sensitive method, the study found a high level of correlation between saliva and serum results, and participants clearly preferred saliva sampling.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Savino Sciascia, Martina Cozzi, Alice Barinotti, Massimo Radin, Irene Cecchi, Roberta Fenoglio, Daniele Mancardi, Georgia Wilson Jones, Daniela Rossi, Dario Roccatello
Summary: Fibrosis is a pathological process that can affect the kidney, leading to persistent inflammation or long-term injury. Recently, there has been increasing attention on interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy as markers of injury severity, predictors of treatment response, and prognostic factors for renal outcome in lupus nephritis (LN). This review explores the mechanisms of fibrogenesis in LN and the importance of the chronicity index in predicting treatment response and renal prognosis. Understanding the cellular and molecular pathways involved in fibrosis in LN could help identify individuals at higher risk of chronic kidney disease and develop new therapeutic strategies for lupus patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Gustavo G. M. Balbi, Yasaman Ahmadzadeh, Maria G. Tektonidou, Vittorio Pengo, Savino Sciascia, Amaia Ugarte, H. Michael Belmont, Chary Lopez-Pedrera, Paul R. Fortin, Denis Wahl, Maria Gerosa, Guilherme R. de Jesus, Lanlan Ji, Tatsuya Atsumi, Maria Efthymiou, D. Ware Branch, Cecilia Nalli, Esther Rodriguez Almaraz, Michelle Petri, Ricard Cervera, Jason S. Knight, Bahar Artim-Esen, Rohan Willis, Maria Laura Bertolaccini, Hannah Cohen, Robert Roubey, Doruk Erkan, Danieli Castro Oliveira de Andrade
Summary: The objective of this study was to quantify the damage burden measured by Damage Index for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (DIAPS) in aPL-positive patients with or without a history of thrombosis, and to identify clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with damage in these patients. The study found that DIAPS is of great significance in identifying patients with a higher damage burden and selected traditional cardiovascular risk factors, steroid use, and specific aPL profiles may help in identifying these patients.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Roberta E. Gualtierotti, Sharon Fox, Fernanda Da Silva Lameira, Andrea Giachi, Luca Valenti, Maria Orietta Borghi, Pier Luigi Meroni, Massimo Cugno, Flora Peyvandi
Summary: Nailfold videocapillaroscopic alterations were observed in COVID-19 patients, and these alterations were correlated with biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial perturbation. Nailfold histopathology analysis revealed microvascular damage and microthrombi in some cases. These findings suggest the possibility of non-invasively demonstrating microangiopathy in COVID-19.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Savino Sciascia, Maria Letizia Antonietta Rilat, Roberta Fenoglio, Silvia Grazietta Foddai, Massimo Radin, Irene Cecchi, Giacoma Cinnirella, Paola Crosasso, Maria Gabriella Guidetti, Alice Barinotti, Simone Baldovino, Elisa Menegatti, Dario Roccatello
Summary: This study analyzed the safety and efficacy of tixagevimab/cilgavimab for pre-exposure prophylaxis in patients with glomerular diseases who received rituximab. The findings showed that tixagevimab/cilgavimab reduced the risk of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection by approximately 40% and had a good safety profile.
CLINICAL KIDNEY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Savino Sciascia, Paolo Miraglia, Massimo Radin, Manuela Giarin, Nicolas Charbonier, Antonella Barreca, Irene Cecchi, Irene Lanzetta, Roberta Fenoglio, Elisa Menegatti, Dario Roccatello
Summary: This case report describes a 33-year-old woman who developed continuous asymptomatic proteinuria with histological findings of immune-mediated glomerulonephritis with a membranous pattern and masked IgG-Kappa deposits. Immunohistochemistry staining revealed Ro52+ granular positivity in the mesangium and glomerular capillaries. This finding may contribute to a better understanding of MGMID.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Pia Adorni, Bianca Papotti, Maria Orietta Borghi, Elena Raschi, Francesca Zimetti, Franco Bernini, Pier Luigi Meroni, Nicoletta Ronda
Summary: This study investigates the direct effects of tofacitinib on macrophage cholesterol metabolism, finding that it can increase cholesterol efflux, decrease cholesterol uptake and synthesis, and have a favorable impact on macrophage cholesterol metabolism. These findings are important for understanding the impact of tofacitinib on cardiovascular risk.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Sofia Camerlo, Irene Cecchi, Silvia Grazietta Foddai, Massimo Radin, Alice Barinotti, Alessandro Morotti, Dario Roccatello, Savino Sciascia
Summary: This case report highlights the importance of suspecting APS in young patients experiencing unprovoked thrombosis, the critical issue of testing aPL during anticoagulant treatment, and the double nature of aPL-mediated clinical manifestations.
Article
Rheumatology
Arsene Mekinian, Lucie Biard, Lorenzo Dagna, Pavel Novikov, Carlo Salvarani, Olivier Espita, Savino Sciscia, Martin Michaud, Marc Lambert, Jose Hernandez-Rodriguez, Nicolas Schleinitz, Abid Awisat, Xavier Puechal, Achille Aouba, Helene Munoz Pons, Ilya Smitienko, Jean Baptiste Gaultier, Edwige Le Mouel, Ygal Benhamou, Antoinette Perlat, Patrick Jego, Tiphaine Goulenok, Karim Sacre, Bertrand Lioger, Nolan Hassold, Jonathan Broner, Virginie Dufrost, Thomas Sene, Julie Seguier, Francois Maurier, Sabine Berthier, Alexandre Belot, Faten Frikha, Guillaume Denis, Alexandra Audemard-Verger, Isabelle Kone Pault, Sebastien Humbert, Pascal Woaye-Hune, Alessandro Tomelleri, Elena Baldissera, Masataka Kuwana, Alberto Lo Gullo, Francis Gaches, Pierre Zeminsky, Elena Galli, Moya Alvarado, Luigi Boiardi, Francesco Muratore, Mathieu Vautier, Corrado Campochiaro, Sergey Moiseev, Patrice Cacoub, Olivier Fain, David Saadoun
Summary: This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of TNF-alpha antagonists and tocilizumab in patients with Takayasu arteritis. The results show that both treatments are effective in refractory TAK patients with similar rates of relapse and adverse effects.
