Nationwide study on the prevalence of rheumatoid factor and anticitrullinated peptide positivity and their contribution to rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.

Background/aim: Rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticitrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) are specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis. However, they could be positive in other diseases and even in healthy populations. The aim was to investigate the prevalence of positive RF and anti-CCP antibodies in persons admitted to hospital for any reason and on a national scale.

Baseline capillaroscopy provides no evidence of microvascular changes to predict long-COVID syndrome.

Background: Long-COVID refers to a variety of symptoms that continue for at least 4 weeks following the onset of acute COVID-19 infection. "Microclots/microvasculopathy" is a potential cutting-edge theory. Nailfold capillaroscopy is a non-invasive method used to assess microvascularity.

Clinical characteristics and disease course before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large cohort of systemic sclerosis patients.

Background/aim: The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical presentations and adverse outcomes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and assess the impact of SSc features on the clinical course of COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study, SSc patients with COVID-19 were included. Clinical features of SSc, along with detailed COVID-19 data, were extracted from medical records and patient interviews.

Assessment of venous disease with different venous disease specific scales in Behçet's disease patients with deep vein thrombosis.

Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a frequent and important consequence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) for Behcet`s disease (BD) patients. Although various clinical scales are used to diagnose PTS, Villalta scale was accepted as the standard tool to diagnose and grade the severity of PTS. Poor quality of life (Qol) in the general population was defined for patients with PTS, however, studies in BD patients with PTS is limited.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Scleroderma Skin Patient-Reported Outcome in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to translate the Scleroderma Skin Patient-Reported Outcome (SSPRO) questionnaire to the Turkish (SSPRO-T) language and to assess its validity and reliability.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-four systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients (51 females, 3 males; mean age: 49.8±10.

Assessment and comparison of the 2023 ACR/EULAR APS criteria with the revised Sapporo criteria.

Objective: To analyze antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positive patients using the 2023 American College of Rheumatology/The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) classification criteria and compare the revised Sapporo criteria and the 2023 ACR/EULAR criteria and evaluate whether the 2023 ACR/EULAR criteria provide added value over the revised Sapporo criteria.

Methods: In this descriptive study, 94 aPL-positive patients (with or without APS diagnosis) were identified from two hospital-based registries (Gazi and Hacettepe University). Patients were classified into four groups to compare both criteria sets.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outcomes in Amyloid A Protein Amyloidosis Secondary to Rheumatic Conditions and Signs of Post- Coronavirus Disease 2019 Proteinuria Progression.

Background: We aimed to investigate coronavirus diease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes in patients with amyloid A protein (AA) amyloidosis secondary to rheumatic diseases and discuss factors associated with disease course.

Methods: A retrospective cohort was formed from adult patients with a diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. In patients with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and mortality due to COVID-19 were collected from medical records.

Vascular calcification in Takayasu arteritis: relationship with metabolic syndrome, left ventricular mass index, and intima-media thickness.

Objective: The present study aims to determine the frequency of vascular calcification in Takayasu arteritis (TA) and the risk factors for it and to evaluate its relation with atherosclerotic predictors such as metabolic syndrome (MS), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with TA; MS was defined according to the US National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) criteria. The study included 49 TA patients (22 with MS, 27 without MS) and 31 healthy controls (HCs).

Calcineurin inhibitors in unplanned pregnancies with active lupus disease: A retrospective observational study.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), specifically tacrolimus, in unplanned pregnancies with active lupus disease among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Materials And Methods: The study includes data from pregnancies in women diagnosed with SLE at Gazi University Hospital in Ankara, Türkiye, between January 2010 and July 2022. The study categorized pregnancies into planned and unplanned groups based on lupus nephritis presence, emphasizing the need for inactive lupus disease for at least 6 months before attempting conception in planned pregnancies.

Colchicine-intolerant familial mediterranean fever patients: A comparative study between different colchicine doses and IL-1 inhibitor monotherapy.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease. Colchicine is the primary treatment for FMF, although some patients do not respond well or are unable to tolerate it. For these patients, the addition of interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonists is the preferred option.

Could serum HMGB1 levels be a predictor associated with psoriatic arthritis?

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects the skin and musculoskeletal system. We hypothesized that HMGB1, an inflammatory nuclear protein, may play a role in the musculoskeletal involvement of psoriasis. Forty patients with psoriasis and 45 with psoriatic arthritis were involved in the study; the results were compared with 22 healthy controls.

Is compressed colchicine tablet superior to other colchicine preparations in patients with familial Mediterranean fever?

Aims: The aim of our study is to evaluate the differences in effectiveness, dosage, and side effect profiles in the use of colchicine preparations and evaluate the superiority of compressed colchicine tablets in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with resistance or intolerance to coated colchicine tablets.

Materials And Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with FMF according to the Tel Hashomer criteria, aged 18 years and older, and switched from compressed colchicine to coated colchicine tablets in the rheumatology clinic of Gazi University were identified. The daily colchicine dose and FMF attack frequency before and after switching from coated colchicine tablets to compressed colchicine tablets were compared.

Non-criteria autoantibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome may be associated with underlying disease activity.

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by persistent antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) with arterial and venous thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity. In recent years, several studies have highlighted the potential role of non-criteria aPL in diagnosing APS patients.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the association of the presence of non-criteria aPL antibodies to the clinical and laboratory features of patients with a diagnosis of APS.

The Possible Relation of and Facial Erythema in Connective Tissue Diseases.

Background: We aimed to investigate the frequency of infestation and clinical implications in connective tissue disease patients with facial erythema.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with a connective tissue disease and had facial erythema were consecutively enrolled in the study from 2019-2020. An age and gender matched control group was formed from healthy volunteers.

Diffuse generalized venulitis as the primary pathology of Behçet's disease: A comprehensive magnetic resonance venography study.

Objective: Behçet's Disease (BD) is a chronic multisystem vasculitis that manifests with destructive inflammation affecting the eyes, central nervous system, and blood vessels. The pathology of vein involvement in BD is poorly characterized. Magnetic resonance (MR) venography gives more comprehensive information about deep veins and adjacent tissues.

Long-Term Results of Immunogenicity of Booster Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 (Hybrid COV-RAPEL TR Study) in Turkiye: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Phase 2 Clinical Study.

The immunogenicity of vaccines decreases over time, causing a need for booster doses. This study aimed to present the long-term (Day 84) immunogenicity results of the double-blind, randomized, controlled, phase II Hybrid COV-RAPEL TR Study (NCT04979949), in which the TURKOVAC or CoronaVac vaccines were used as a booster after the second dose of primary vaccination with CoronaVac. A total of 190 participants from the Hybrid COV-RAPEL TR Study, who had both Day 28 and Day 84 immunogenicity results, were included.

Pulmonary hypertension in Behçet's disease: echocardiographic screening and multidisciplinary approach.

Background: Little is known about the prevalence and causes of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Behçet's disease (BD). This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and causes of PH in BD.

Methods: In this descriptive study, we screened 154 patients with BD for PH using transthoracic echocardiography between February 2017 and October 2017.

Semaphorin 3A levels in vascular and nonvascular phenotypes in systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) plays a regulatory role in immune responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sema3A levels in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), especially in major vascular involvements such as digital ulcer (DU), scleroderma renal crisis (SRC), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and to compare Sema3A level with SSc disease activity.

Methods: In SSc patients, patients with DU, SRC, or PAH were grouped as major vascular involvements and those without as nonvascular, and Sema3A levels were compared between the groups and with a healthy control group.