Objective: The aim of the NiSaXPA study is to evaluate the quality of diagnosing, socio-demographic characteristics and treatment tactics of patients with axial psoriatic arthritis (axPsA) in real-world clinical practice in the Russian Federation.Material and methods. The study involved 600 patients from 21 clinical centers in the Russian Federation.Results and discussion. The diagnosis of axPsA was confirmed in 357 (59.5%) of 600 patients according to the centralized expert assessment. All 357 patients with axial lesions met criteria of the clinical guidelines for the treatment of patients with PsA. Of these, 201 (69%) patients had radiologically significant sacroiliitis (SI) according to Kellgren and 103 (59.2%) had active SI according to magnetic resonance imaging. The presence of syndesmophytes was confirmed in 119 (43.9%) patients. Inflammatory back pain was observed in approximately 80% of patients, most commonly in the lumbar and cervical spine. "Silent" sacroiliitis were found in 1.1–3.5 % of cases. 26.8% of patients were positive for HLA-B27. In the 6 months prior to the study, high PsA activity was present in 21.6% of patients according to the rheumatologist's assessment, while high activity according to the BASDAI index was found in 71.9 % of patients, and moderate and high activity according to the DAPSA index – in 82.7%. On the 24th week of observation, the number of patients with low activity according to BASDAI doubled and reached 66.3 %, while low activity and remission according to the DAPSA index amounted to 52.5% and 8.1% of patients, respectively. In most cases (about 27%), patients with axial manifestations were prescribed interleukin (IL) 17A inhibitors, about 14% of patients received tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors, and about 4% received IL23 inhibitors.Conclusion. In 40.5% of patients, axial skeletal involvement in PsA was over-diagnosed due to misinterpretation of clinical and imaging data. The vast majority of patients (77%) were treated with synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, mainly methotrexate, which do not affect the activity of spondylitis. Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) were taken by 46.5% of patients. Switching therapy to bDMARDs led to a significant reduction in disease activity.In order to improve the quality of medical care, the Russian clinical guidelines for the treatment of patients with PsA and the algorithms for the diagnosis of axial involvement need to be comprehensively implemented.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic immunoinflammatory disease of the joints, spine and entheses from the group of spondyloarthritis, which is usually observed in patients with psoriasis. In recent years, the axial form of PsA (axPsA) has been actively researched. However, there is insufficient data on approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with axPsA in real-life clinical practice. This article presents the results of an interim analysis of data from a non-interventional multicenter observational study on the treatment of patients with axPsA in real-life clinical practice (NiSaXPA) in Russian centers. Objective : to identify patients with axPsA, their characteristics and describe treatment tactics in real-life clinical practice. Material and methods . Patients with PsA who met the inclusion criteria were prospectively followed up during routine visits to a rheumatologist. Participants' axial radiographs were uploaded to a database in order for it to be confirmed the presence or absence of axPsA by two independent experts, a rheumatologist and a radiologist. Patients with a confirmed axPsA diagnosis participated in a further data collection phase (Visit 2, week 24). Results and discussion . Six hundred patients were enrolled into the study. At the time of analysis, 386 (64.3%) of them (209 men and 177 women) were screened for axPsA. The diagnosis of axPsA was confirmed in 241 (62.4%) cases; these patients formed the Per Protocol (PP) population. The mean age of patients with axPsA in the PP population was 46.30±12.6 years and the body mass index (BMI) was 27.4±5.2 kg/m2 . In 14.9% of patients, the duration of psoriasis was less than 1–5 years, in 21.5% – 5–10 years and in 63.6% – more than 10 years. The duration of PsA symptoms was less than 1–5 years in 31.2 % of patients, 5–10 years in 31.6 % and more than 10 years in 37.2 %. Low disease activity (BASDAI ˂ 4) was achieved in 33.3 % of patients with axPsA at visit 1 and in 64.3 % at visit 2; the BASDAI index declined on average from 4.67±1.95 to 3.31±1.89 points. In real-life clinical practice, patients were most frequently prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – 88.7% and 71.7% (visits 1 and 2, respectively), and synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (sDMARDs) –79.1% and 70.7%, respectively; therapy with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) was initiated in 40.2% and 60.6% of patients, respectively. Conclusion . The results of the interim analysis of this observational study showed that in 87.2% of patients who met the CASPAR criteria for PsA there was a suspicion of axial manifestations of PsA on the primary care level. However, only 62.4% of them had a confirmed diagnosis of axPsA on centralized expert assessment, which may indicate a possible overdiagnosis of axial lesions in real-life practice and emphasizes the importance of collaboration between a rheumatologist and a radiologist when analyzing the results of imaging studies. 33.3% of patients with axPsA had low disease activity according to BASDAI at baseline and 64.3% after 24 weeks, meaning that the disease was only adequately controlled in one third of cases despite therapy; the number of these patients doubled after a change in therapy. In real-world clinical practice, patients with axPsA are most commonly prescribed drugs from the NSAID and sDMARD groups; the frequency of use of biologic drugs varied between 40.2 and 60.6% by the end of the observation period.

The importance of dual-energy computed tomography in the diagnosis of gout, the principles of dual-energy computed tomography, the accuracy of the methodology, and the types of artifacts are discussed in this study. The possible dependence of the presence of deposits of sodium monourate on other clinical data and the role of dual-energy computed tomography in the differential diagnosis of other crystalline arthropathies are considered. The dual-energy computed tomography has several advantages, including noninvasiveness, speed of execution, and a significant reduction in the risk of iatrogenic consequences compared with diagnostic arthrocentesis, which is the gold standard in diagnosing gout. Dual-energy computed tomography can accomplish gout detection, treatment, and differential diagnosis.

Издание представляет собой учебно-методическое пособие, необходимое при освоении дисциплины «Поликлиническая терапия». Пособие разработано в соответствии с самостоятельно установленным МГУ образовательным стандартом для реализуемых основных профессиональных образовательных программ высшего образования по специальности 31.05.01 «Лечебное дело» (уровень образования – специалитет). Пособие призвано подытожить приобретенные студентами умения и навыки, интегрировать их в общую систему медицинских знаний, полученных в результате изучения патологии, фармакологии и др. теоретических и клинических дисциплин. Пособие предназначено для студентов 5-6 курсов медицинских вузов.

The article provides a description of the anthropological finding – human remains discovered in the church of St. Peter (Domashevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, burial at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries AD). The available morphological data most likely indicate the presence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. This disease resulted in trauma to the cervical vertebrae, which altered their morphology. However, the injury did not lead to death; the person lived for a long time afterwards, as post-traumatic skeletal changes with the development of torticollis were noted.

Actual problems of rheumatology include the possibility of developing a wide range of long-term consequences of COVID-19, so-called post-COVID syndrome (PCS). The results of our own research are presented, during which among 45 patients over 18 years with rheumatic diseases (RD) PCS was detected in 20% cases: 6 of them had ANCAassociated vasculitis (AAV) and one each for rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis and osteoarthritis. In AAV cases PCS was more severe and varied than in other RD: lung lesions according to computed tomography (up to the damage 75% of the lung parenchyma), skin an d nervous (Guillain–Barré syndrome) lesions, myalgias, arthralgias were present. In most patients PCS ended in recovery, sudden death occurred only in the patient with AAV. The frequency of RD’s relapses in patients with PCS was 9%. Relapses were not noted in AAV, against the background of anti-B cell therapy with rituximab. Our own results and literature data indicate that patients with RD after COVID-19 need careful continuous monitoring to detect long-term complications of coronavirus infection and early diagnosis of relapses of the underlying disease.

Coronavirus infection COVID-19 is an acute respiratory viral disease caused by a novel beta-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In 81 % of cases, mortality in COVID-19 patients is associated with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Another critical challenge associated with COVID-19 is the development of a cytokine storm, which is an uncontrolled release of proinflammatory mediators due to the excessive activation of immune system. Cytokine storm is another cause of high mortality because of COVID-19, as it leads to multiple organ failure, ARDS and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Thus, the management of cytokine storm and ARDS in COVID-19 patients is an urgent issue for the medical society. Recent research assessed the potential role of interleukin(IL)-17 in the pathogenesis of cytokine storm and ARDS in COVID-19 patients. Some authors also pointed to using anti-IL17 medications in the management of patients with severe COVID-19. The present article gives a literature review on the possible role of IL-17 in COVID-19 pathogenesis and our personal experience of anti-IL17 prescription for patients with severe course of COVID-19.

Liver involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus is common and in most cases clinical course is asymptomatic, that makes diagnosis difficult. Determination of the cause of the liver involvement is important to select treatment and to evaluate the prognosis of the disease.The aim of the research was to characterize the clinical features of liver involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and identify the most significant clinical and laboratory parameters for the differential diagnosis of lupus hepatitis.Materials and methods. The study included 313 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus observed in the E.M. Tareev Clinic of Rheumatology, Internal Medicine and Occupational Diseases of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University) in the period from 2001 to 2019. The verification of diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was based on the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (1997). Patients examination included complete blood count, biochemical and immunological blood tests and an abdominal ultrasonography. In 13 cases hepatic autoantibodies (ASMA, anti-LKM-1, LC-1, SLA-LP, AMA-M2) were analyzed, in 4 – magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and in 6 – liver biopsy were made.Results. Liver involvement were represented by an increase of liver enzymes in 58 (18.5%) cases. Chronic viral hepatitis C was diagnosed in 4 (1.3%) patients. Drug-induced hepatitis was found in 17 (5.4%) patients. Autoimmune liver diseases occured in 2 (0.6%) patients. In 2 (0.6%) patients, liver damage was associated with thrombotic microangiopathy (atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, hereditary thrombophilia). In 15 (4.8%) cases, the most likely diagnosis was NAFLD. Lupus hepatitis was the most likely cause in 18 (5.7%) patients. Differential diagnosis in cases of liver involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus requires assessment of risk factors for various liver diseases, age of the patients, level of liver enzymes, lupus activity, ultrasound signs of liver steatosis and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome.Determining the cause of the liver involvement for the patients with the systemic lupus erythematosus allows establishing better treatment tactic and improvement of the prognosis.

The purpose of the research was to determine the frequency and characterize the course of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Materials and methods . The study included 313 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, observed in the E. M. Tareev Clinic of Rheumatology, Internal Medicine and Occupational Diseases of I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University) in the period from 2001 to 2019. The diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was based on the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (1997). Examination of all patients included complete blood count, biochemical and immunological blood tests and an abdominal ultrasonography with an assessment of the liver size and the presence of signs of steatosis. In 5 cases a liver biopsy was performed. Results . In 33 (10,5%) cases a differential diagnosis was made between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and lupus hepatitis. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was the cause of liver damage in 15 (4,8%) patients with ultrasound signs of liver steatosis. Patients with obesity and metabolic syndrome prevailed in this group, and a low immunological activity of lupus was observed. An increase in liver enzymes in patients with liver steatosis was associated with the use of higher minimum doses of prednisolone. Conclusion . Ultrasound signs of liver steatosis are an important criterion that suggests non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

AIM:To compare changes of hemorheological parameters in patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and IgA-nephropathy (IgA-N).MATERIAL AND METHODS:Kinetics of spontaneous aggregation, disaggregation of red cells in shearing flow, red cell deformability were studied in 73 patients with LN including 6 patients with active LN with nephrotic syndrome, 38 patients with active LN with urinary syndrome, 29 with inactive LN; in 24 patients with a hematuric form of IgA-nephritis (IgA-N); in 24 healthy volunteers (controls).RESULTS:Patients with LN and a hematuric form of IgA-H were found to have disorders of microrheological blood characteristics (accelerated formation of erythrocytic aggregates -EA of high density) depending on the form and activity of the disease. All LN and IgA-N patients exhibited increased time of "coin columbs" formation and accelerated aggregation. The largest EA were detected in IgA-H patients. Flow deformation ability of the red cells was poor in all the examinees. LN patients showed a positive correlation between maximal EA size and hematuria severity even in cases of trace proteinuria. A correlation was demonstrated in IgA-N patients between IgA level and EA density, between inhibition of GFR and erythrocytic deformability index.CONCLUSION:The above findings show deteriorated process of aggregation-disaggregation resultant from deterioration of red cell physical properties. Severity of hemorheological disorders depends on LN activity. Hematuria associated with increased size of EA is an important marker of the disease activity Hemorheological disorders in patients with active LN and IgA-N are an additional pathogenetic component of hematuria.

The biomechanical properties of the blood of rats with insult caused by an insufficient blood supply of the cerebrum or a hemorrhage have been experimentally investigated. The hemorheological characteristics at the initial stages of the disease and at the stages of its correction have been obtained. The hemorheological status in the case of local cerebral ischemia has been determined.