Low Levels of Renin and High Aldosterone-to-Renin Ratio Among Rheumatoid Patients and Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients: A Prospective Study.

Background: Patients with rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), encounter significantly higher rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system maintains hemodynamic stability through blood pressure regulation. When dysregulated, this system has been implicated in various pathological conditions, including cardiovascular events.

Giant cell arteritis and inflammatory bowel disease - Is there a connection? Results from a population-based study.

Background: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune disorder which primarily affects large vessels, whilst inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) mainly target the gut. Co-existence of the two maladies has been reported sporadically in the literature; therefore the purpose of this study was to assess the authenticity of such an association in a large, cross-sectional study.

Methods: Utilizing data derived from the Clalit Health Services' registry, the largest health maintenance organization in Israel, we compared the proportion of CD and UC in GCA patients with age- and gender-matched controls.

Searching the Internet for psychiatric disorders among Arab and Jewish Israelis: insights from a comprehensive infodemiological survey.

Israel represents a complex and pluralistic society comprising two major ethno-national groups, Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, which differ in terms of religious and cultural values as well as social constructs. According to the so-called "diversification hypothesis", within the framework of e-health and in the era of new information and communication technologies, seeking online health information could be a channel to increase health literacy, especially among disadvantaged groups. However, little is known concerning digital seeking behavior and, in particular, digital mental health literacy.

Prevalence of anti-DFS70 antibodies in patients with and without systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: Autoantibodies to the dense fine speckled 70 (DFS70) antigen are common among antinuclear antibodies (ANA) positive healthy individuals (HI). We assessed the prevalence of anti-DFS70 antibodies in patients with and without ANA-associated rheumatic diseases (AARDs) by two methods: chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA) and an indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay based on immunoadsorption for DFS70.

Methods: Fifty-one ANA-positive sera samples from patients with confirmed clinical diagnosis of AARD, 92 samples from HI and 85 samples submitted to a reference laboratory for routine ANA testing were evaluated for the presence of anti-DFS70 antibodies.

Papillary thyroid cancer: factors involved in restaging N1 disease after total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine treatment.

Context: The presence of cervical lymph node metastases is a strong predictor of persistent disease in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate factors associated with improved outcome in patients with PTC and lymph node metastases.

Design: Retrospective Cohort Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary university-affiliated medical center.