Class 3 semaphorins are reduced in the synovial tissue of RA patients and these proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this study was to identify the transcription factors involved in the expression of class 3 semaphorins in the synovium of RA patients.

To phenotype SLE based on symptom burden (disease damage, system involvement and patient reported outcomes), with a specific focus on objective and subjective cognitive function.

Systemic vasculitides (SVs) are a highly inflammatory group of diseases characterized by significant cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Microvascular damage closely linked with accelerated atherosclerosis and thrombosis represents a core pathophysiological mechanism contributing to the excess CV risk of patients with SVs. Skin represents an easily accessible tissue facilitating non-invasive microvascular study. In this study we aimed to investigate microcirculation dynamics and associate them with disease-related factors in patients with SVs.

To examine the association between MTX, LEF and tacrolimus use and the progression of RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Thrombosis associated with thrombocytopaenia is an apparent paradox that is present across a wide spectrum of disorders. While thrombocytopaenia has been a controversial clinical classification criterion for APS, as initial reports failed to demonstrate a relation between low platelet count with other clinical or laboratory manifestations of the syndrome, recent data highlight the association between mild-moderate thrombocytopaenia and the risk of thrombosis. Although aPL antibodies may induce platelet activation in vitro, additional stimuli may contribute to their activation in vivo, among which are reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and lipid peroxidation products, which are elevated in patients with APS; an excess of the same stimuli may induce megakaryocyte and platelet apoptosis that leads to decreased platelet production and increased destruction, resulting ultimately in thrombocytopaenia. Herein we provide a novel plausible framework involving free radicals that could add to the understanding of the thrombocytopaenia-thrombosis paradox in APS.

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors of percent predicted forced vital capacity (ppFVC) decline in patients with SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD).

To define the clinical phenotype of SSc patients with antibodies against Sjogren's syndrome (SS)/scleroderma autoantigen 1 (SSSCA1), and to examine the association between these antibodies and cancer in SSc patients.

T peripheral helper (Tph) cells have major roles in pathological processes in SLE. We sought to clarify the mechanisms of Tph cell differentiation and their relevance to clinical features in patients with SLE.

High rates of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) to rituximab have been demonstrated in patients undergoing treatment for SLE. However, little is known with regard to their long-term dynamics, impact on drug kinetics and subsequent implications for treatment response. In this study, we aimed to evaluate ADA persistence over time, impact on circulating drug levels, assess clinical outcomes and whether they are capable of neutralizing rituximab.

To investigate the expression of type I IFN (IFN-I) and neutrophil transcripts in kidney tissue from patients with different classes of LN and their association with distinct clinical and histopathological features.

To investigate associations between treat-to-target urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and hospitalizations for gout.