Jaume Alijotas-Reig

Autonomous University of Barcelona | UAB · Department of Medicine

Background: Adverse events (AE) after COVID-19 vaccines, particularly, but not solely, with those messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines, have rarely been reported in patients previously treated with dermal fillers (DF). Objective: To evaluate the morphology, clinical characteristics, the timing of presentation and outcomes of inflammatory AE appea...

Objective Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are related to poor pregnancy outcomes, but their effect on embryo implantation is unclear. We aimed to assess the prevalence of different aPL in women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Methods We searched studies in PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus and Cochrane Library. Quality of studies was scored by...

Objectives (1) To assess the clinical utility of the adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome score (aGAPSS) to predict new obstetric events during follow-up in primary obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (POAPS) patients under standard-of-care treatment (SC) based on the use of low-dose aspirin (LDA) + heparin and (2) to study the risk of a first...

Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disorder characterized by vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity associated with persistent antiphospholipid antibody positivity. Cases fulfilling the Sydney criteria for obstetric morbidity with no previous thrombosis are known as obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (OAPS). OAPS is the most identi...

Background Not all patients fulfil criteria for specific autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and are then defined as having non-criteria (nc)ARD. It is uncertain whether well-recognised associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with criteria ARD also exist in patients with ncARD or undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD)....

Villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is characterized by lympho-histiocytic infiltrates, which are predominant within the villous stroma. VUE can be of low grade i.e. affecting less than 10 contiguous villi or high grade with either patchy or diffuse subgroups (the later concerning more than 30% of distal villi). Several other placental lesions could...

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a developing area of research for unique profiles of this pathology. Advances in technologies of mass spectrometry brings improvements in proteomics and results in assessment of soluble or cellular proteins which could be candidates for clinical biomarkers of...

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) related to Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a worldwide health concern. Despite the majority of patients will evolve asymptomatic or mild-moderate upper respiratory tract infections, 20% will develop severe disease. Based on current pathogenetic knowledge, a severe COVID-19 form is mainly a hyperinflammatory, immune...

Objectives To investigate the impact of thrombocytopenia on survival in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Methods Thrombocytopenia and other predictors of outcome were retrospectively evaluated in an antiphospholipid-antibody (aPL)-positive and APS cohort with 38-year follow-up (1980–2018). Thrombocytopenia was defined as < 150 × 109...

Background: The combination of low-dose aspirin (LDA) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) until the end of gestation are the currently the accepted standard of care for the treatment of antiphospholipid-related obstetric disorders. In refractory cases, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can be added to this standard of care. Objective: To evaluate the...

(Abstracted from Fetal Diagn Ther 2020;47:824–833) Preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are among the many causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Prior studies have shown that introduction of low-dose aspirin before 16 weeks of gestation can lead to a reduction in the prevalence of preterm PE and IUGR.

Even though manufacturers claim that the dermal fillers are nontoxic and nonimmunogenic, adverse events may occur. Clinically and histologically, most of the late onset adverse events present as an inflammatory response. To assess whether HLA polymorphisms are associated with late‐onset inflammatory adverse events related to dermal fillers. A total...

Background Endometriosis is a multifactorial pathology dependent on intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but the immune deregulation seems to play a pivotal role. In endometriosis‐associated infertility this could raise the benefit of immunomodulatory strategies to improve the results of ART. In this review, we will describe (1) sera and peritoneal flu...

Preeclampsia is caused by placental impairment with increased expression of sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) and decreased PlGF (placental growth factor); it has been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality later in life, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether sFlt-1 an...

In the post-COVID-19 era, it will be important to better understand the host response to severe acute respiratory syndrome related to coronaviurus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the pathology of disease in genital tissue. A better understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 causes disease and how the host responds can help direct new therapeutic targets. With th...

Objective. To evaluate the role played by anakinra in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 who fail to “accepted” standard of care and tocilizumab. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study assessed in Althaia Health Network University and Vall d’Hebrón University Hospital, in Barcelona, Spain. We included patients with confirmed...

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are major causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown that intervention with low-dose aspirin resulted in a reduction in the occurrence of preterm PE. However, no data are currently available on the effect of low-molecular-weight hepa...

Objective To compare characteristics, pregnancies and treatments during pregnancies of seronegative and seropositive antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), to analyse factors associated with obstetrical outcome. Patients and methods Inclusion criteria were: (1) thrombotic and/or obstetrical APS (Sydney criteria); (2) absence of conventional antiphosphol...

Objective This study aimed to analyze the effect of pravastatin on angiogenic factors, feto–maternal Doppler findings and pregnancy outcomes in women with early-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) treated with pravastatin compared with nontreated controls. Study Design This was a pilot study conducted between March 2016 and September 2017. Women w...

Background Although guidelines do not recommend antiphospholipid antibodies testing after 60 yo, recent data reported late onset antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Objectives To comparatively analyse the clinical, laboratory features and outcomes in 695 cases with primary APS between patients older and younger than 70 yo. Methods we have performed...

Objectives To compare clinical characteristics, pregnancies, and treatments during pregnancies of seronegative and seropositive APS, and analyse factors associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes. Methods Inclusion criteria were: (1) thrombotic arterial and/or venous; and /or obstetrical primary clinical APS (Sydney criteria); (2) absence of con...

Porphyrias, particularly acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), are rare disorders which could be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although the association with AIP has been known since 1952, only 11 cases have been published to date. It is widely known that precipitating causes such as infections, hormonal changes, sunlight exposur...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome related to Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) may cause severe illness in 20% of patients. This may be in part due to an uncontrolled immune-response to SARS-CoV-2 infection triggering a systemic hyperinflammatory response, the so-called “cytokine storm”. The reduction of this inflammat...

Introduction Le syndrome des antiphospholipides (SAPL) séronégatif constitue une nouvelle entité avec la présence de caractéristiques cliniques de SAPL, en l’absence d’anticorps antiphospholipides conventionnels. Patients et méthodes Nous avons réalise un appel à observation européen de patientes avec au moins un critère clinique de SAPL obstétric...

Objectives: To compare clinical features, laboratory data and fetal-maternal outcomes between 1000 women with obstetric APS (OAPS) and 640 with aPL-related obstetric complications not fulfilling Sydney criteria (non-criteria OAPS, NC-OAPS). Methods: This was a retrospective and prospective multicentre study from the European Registry on Obstetri...

Background The obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune systemic disorder related to antiphospholipid antibodies and pregnancy morbidity. There exist many patients that do not fulfill the Sydney classification criteria. Those cases may be defined as Obstetric Morbidity related with antiphospholipid antibodies (OMAPS). Objectives To com...

Background No absolute data on the treatment of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) related to refractory obstetric complications exist to date. TNF-α play a major role in this disorder. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of TNF-α blockers in 18 aPL-positive women with recurrent infertility after therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)...

Background The relapse rate in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) remains high, 20% at 5 years in thrombotic APS and 28% in obstetrical APS (1). Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) appears as an additional therapy, with immunomodulatory and antithrombotic effects (2-5). Objectives The main aim of this trial is to assess the efficacy of treatment with Hydroxych...

Background Systemic autoimmune or granulomatous disorders related to biomaterials of human use have rarely been described Objectives The aim of this study was to report cases of autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) related to biomaterial injections and prostheses, mainly silicone, hyaluronic acid, acrylamides and methacryla...

Background Optimal standard therapy in obstetrical antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) (aspirin and LMWH) is effective in 72- 80% of pregnancies (1). Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) are not more efficient than standard therapy (2, 3) and seems to be reserved to high risk pregnant APS patients (4) and/or refractory cases (5). Objectives The main aim...

Background The obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (OAPS) is an autoimmune disease defined by the presence of obstetric complications related to antiphospholipid antibodies. EUROAPS project is the biggest published European registry on obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome and it is ongoing. Objectives To analyse the clinical features, laboratory da...

Background The mollecular pathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome is complex (environmental triggers, predisposed individuals). Previous studies suggested that infection may lead to the development of transiently elevated non-thrombogenic aPL antibodies. However, there are increasing case reports of patients with viral infections who develop anti...

Background: We investigated the pattern of reported immune diseases in the international ASIA syndrome registry. Methods: Data from 500 subjects exposed to adjuvants from the ASIA syndrome international registry were analysed. Results: The patient mean age was 43 ± 17 years and 89% were female. Within the reported immune diseases, 69% were wel...

Background: No absolute data on the treatment of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) related to refractory obstetric complications exist to date. TNF-α play a major role in this disorder. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of TNF-α blockers in 18 aPL-positive women with recurrent infertility after therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMW...

The relapse rate in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) remains high, i.e. around 20%–21% at 5 years in thrombotic APS and 20–28% in obstetrical APS [2, 3]. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) appears as an additional therapy, as it possesses immunomodulatory and anti-thrombotic various effects [4–16]. Our group recently obtained the orphan designation of HCQ in...

Background and objectives To compare clinical, laboratory, treatment and live birth rate data between women with aPL-related obstetric complications (OMAPS) not fulfilling the Sydney criteria and women fulfilling them (OAPS). Materials and methods Retrospective and prospective multicentre study. Data comparison between groups from The European Reg...

The effect of additional treatments combined with conventional therapy on pregnancy outcomes was examined in high-risk primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) patients to identify the most effective treatment strategy. The study's inclusion criteria were (1) positivity to lupus anticoagulant alone or associated with anticardiolipin and/or anti-β2...

Systemic autoimmune or granulomatous disorders related to biomaterials of human use have rarely been described. The aim of this study was to report cases of autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) related to biomaterial injections and prostheses, mainly silicone, hyaluronic acid, acrylamides and methacrylate compounds in a Span...

Importance: We have performed a systematic search to summarize the role of statins for preventing and treating severe preeclampsia. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether pravastatin is a useful and safe alternative for treating preeclampsia during pregnancy. Evidence acquisition: A systematic MEDLINE (PubMed) search was perfo...

Background and objectives: To compare clinical, laboratory, treatment and live birth rate data between women with aPL-related obstetric complications (OMAPS) not fulfilling the Sydney criteria and women fulfilling them (OAPS). Materials and methods: Retrospective and prospective multicentre study. Data comparison between groups from The European...

Cellular senescence is a cell fate program that entails essentially irreversible proliferative arrest in response to damage signals. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), an important pro-inflammatory cytokine secreted by some types of senescent cells, can induce senescence in mouse and human cells. However, downstream signaling pathways linking TNFα...

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a central regulator of inflammation, and TNF-α antagonists may be effective in treating inflammatory disorders in which TNF-α plays a major pathogenic role. TNF-α has also been associated with inflammatory mechanisms related to implantation, placentation, and pregnancy outcome. TNF-α is secreted by immune cells an...

Methods: Retrospective multicentre open-labelled study from December 2015 to June 2016. We analyzed the outcome of pregnancies in patients with obstetrical APS (Sydney criteria) and previous adverse obstetrical event despite low-dose aspirin and low-molecular weight heparin LMWH (LMWH) conventional treatment who experienced at least one subsequent...

Despite years of research, miscarriage, particularly when recurrent, continues to pose a medical challenge. An embryo chromosomal error is responsible for 50–60% of recurrent cases; however, up to 30–50% remains an enigma. Successful pregnancy involves different maternal physiologic changes and certain complex interactions between the fetus and the...

Rheumatic and systemic autoimmune diseases occur in women and, to a lesser degree, men of reproductive age. These disorders have to be clinically nonactive before conception, which is usually only possible after anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatment. We must be alert since 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. Physicians should know the emb...

Aim: To analyse the prevalence and effects of inherited thrombophilic disorders (ITD) on maternal-foetal outcomes in cases of antiphospholipid antibody related to obstetric complications. Methods: Women with obstetric complaints who tested positive for aPL and with inherited thrombophilia were prospectively and retrospectively included. Results...

Rheumatic and systemic autoimmune diseases occur in women and, to a lesser degree, men of reproductive age. These disorders have to be clinically nonactive before conception, which is usually only possible after anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatment. We must be alert since 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. Physicians should know the emb...

To describe and analyze the benefit of immunomodulatory drugs for recurrent miscarriages and implantation failures. The literature research was conducted in Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library concerning recurrent miscarriages and implantation failures and steroids, progesterone, intralipids, TNF-α antagonists, G-CSF, hydroxychloroquine, intraveno...

Obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome is an acquired autoimmune disorder that is associated with various obstetric complications and, in the absence of prior history of thrombosis, with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies directed against other phospholipids, proteins called cofactors or PL-cofactor complexes. Although the obstetric complicat...

El síndrome antifosfolipídico obstétrico es una alteración autoinmune adquirida que asocia diversas complicaciones obstétricas, en ausencia de historia trombótica previa, junto con la existencia de anticuerpos antifosfolipídicos dirigidos contra fosfolípidos, proteínas denominadas cofactores o contra complejos fosfolípidos-cofactor. Aunque las comp...

Introduction Le traitement conventionnel par aspirine et HBPM a transformé le pronostic de SAPL obstétrical, mais 20 % des grossesses restent avec des complications. Dans cette étude européenne notre objectif est de décrire l’utilisation de l’hydroxychloroquine dans les SAPL pendant la grossesse. Patientes et méthodes Nous avons analysé l’évolutio...

In 1964, Miyoshi reported a series of patients with diverse symptoms after receiving treatment with silicone or paraffin fillers. Miyoshi named this condition 'human adjuvant disease'. Since then, the literature has been flooded with case reports and case series of granulomatous and systemic autoimmune disorders related to vaccines, infection or ot...

Recurrent miscarriage is frustrating for the physician and a heartbreaking experience for the patient. Approximately 5% of couples trying to conceive have two consecutive miscarriages. Despite a thorough study of patients, the aetiology of this common obstetric complication is unknown in 50% of cases. Known causes include abnormal chromosomes, endo...

In European multicenter study, we aimed to describe the real-life hydroxychloroquine use in APS patients during pregnancy and determine its benefit in refractory obstetrical APS. We analyzed the outcome of pregnancies treated by hydroxychloroquine in patients with APS or asymptomatic antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) carriers. Thirty patients with...

Previous thrombosis, diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and triple antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody positivity have recently been found to be independent factors associated to pregnancy failure during conventional therapy in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This study aimed to assess the effect of various treatment strategies...

Previous thrombosis, diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and triple antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody positivity have recently been found to be independent factors associated to pregnancy failure during conventional therapy in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This study aimed to assess the effect of various treatment strategies...

The maternal immune system needs to adapt to tolerate the semi-allogeneic conceptus. Since maternal allo-reactive lymphocytes are not fully depleted, other local/systemic mechanisms play a key role in altering the immune response. The Th1/Th2 cytokine balance is not essential for a pregnancy to be normal. The immune cells, CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+, also kn...

Considerando que los linfocitos T alorreactivos no son completamente eliminados durante la gestación, parece necesario que haya otros mecanismos locales y/o generales que colaboren en la modificación de la respuesta inmunitaria materna. Los linfocitos T reguladores periféricos (Tregs-p) de la interfaz maternofetal previamente expuestos a antígenos...

Animal models showed that angiogenesis is related to abnormal heart development. Our objectives were to ascertain whether a relationship exists between congenital heart defects (CHDs) and angiogenic/anti-angiogenic imbalance in maternal and foetal blood and study the expression of angiogenic factors in the foetal heart. Maternal and cord blood plac...

Aim The aim of this study was to demonstrate that women with severe early-onset preeclampsia and concomitant risk factors benefit from expectant management. Methods This retrospective study was conducted between January 2009 and December 2010. Stable women with severe preeclampsia between 23 + 6 and 33 + 6 weeks of gestation were admitted to the I...

Pregnancy is a proinflammatory and hypercoagulable state. Miscarriage concerns approximately 15% of pregnancies. Recurrent miscarriage is a rather rare condition with an estimated incidence of 1% to 3%. However, despite years of investigation, the etiology is not established in up to 50% of cases. A multidisciplinary approach in the evaluation of m...

Background: An increasing number of persons seek medical solutions for esthetic indications and for diverse pathological conditions, such as malformations, trauma, or cancer. Despite manufacturers' and different authors' claims that fillers are non-immunogenic or that complications are uncommon, unwanted adverse reactions do occur. Objectives: T...

An ever-increasing number of persons seek medical solutions to improve the appearance of their aging skin or for aesthetic and cosmetic indications in diverse pathological conditions, such as malformations, trauma, cancer, and orthopedic, urological, or ophthalmological conditions. Currently, physicians have many different types of dermal and subde...

Objective: To date, there are no reliable data regarding the actual treatment received by women with refractory obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (OAPS). The aim of this study was to assess current clinical evidence and new trends in the treatment of refractory OAPS. Methods: A non-systematic but comprehensive literature search using relevant...

OBJECTIVE: To assess current studies on the relationship between cell-derived microparticles (cMP) and recurrent miscarriages (RM) and pre-eclampsia (PE), and review the relationships between cMP and inflammatory and clot pathways, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), cytokines, and pregnancy complications. DESIGN: Systematic and comprehensive review...

Objectives: To ascertain whether angiogenic factors are altered in smokers at increased risk of preeclampsia (PE) according to uterine artery Doppler (UAD) assessment. Methods: Uterine artery mean pulsatility index (PI), maternal placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) serum levels were measured in 125 hea...

Background: Systemic autoimmune/granulomatous adverse reactions related to biomaterials other than silicone have rarely been reported. Aim: The aim of this paper is to communicate the cases of autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) in a study of Spanish patients suffering from inflammatory disorders related to biomaterial i...

Mirror syndrome is a rare condition that involves fetal hydrops, placentomegaly and severe maternal edema. The pathogenesis of this syndrome mimics endothelial dysfunction observed in pre-eclampsia. We report a case of maternal mirror syndrome caused by bilateral fetal hydrothorax that resolved after intrauterine pleuroamniotic shunt placement. At...

Background & aims: Women of childbearing age account for approximately 25% of patients with non-cirrhotic portal vein thrombosis (PVT). We aimed at assessing maternal and fetal outcome in pregnant women with known PVT. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the files of women with chronic PVT in three European referral centers between...

Obstetric morbidity (OM) is a common feature of antiphospholipid syndrome (OAPS). Women having OAPS-only and women with OM related to antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) but not fulfilling APS classification criteria (OMAPS), may show similar patterns. The aim of this research was to collect records of OAPS and OMAPS cases in order to have valuable i...