Shear-Wave Elastography Evaluation of Major Salivary Glands in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Objectives: Salivary glands ultrasonography has recently been shown to be useful in the diagnosis of Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS). Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a promising tool for the quantitative assessment of tissues stiffness, but studies evaluating its role in pSS diagnosis are limited. This study aimed at investigating the diagnostic performance of SWE in pSS.

Sun Exposure: Beyond the Risks.

Excessive solar exposure presents well-recognized risks and side effects, solar radiation being the most important environmental factor concerning skin cancer. In the last few years, several connections between solar exposure and prevention and/or treatment of several diseases have been discussed, with studies suggesting that regular solar exposure may be beneficial for conditions such as colorectal, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; arterial hypertension; obesity; type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome; nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis; multiple sclerosis; Alzheimer disease; and several psychiatric disturbances. In most cases, UV radiation's beneficial effects are mediated through vitamin D; however, studies show that in other instances other mediators are responsible for these associations, specifically nitric oxide.

Assessment of the vaccination status in rheumatic disease patients treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Patients with rheumatic diseases are at a higher risk for infections associated to the underlying pathology and immunosuppressive therapy. This fact leads to an increased morbidity and/or mortality. Effective vaccination is essential for the prevention of a significant number of these infections, namely influenza and pneumococcal vaccination.

[Clinical and Laboratory Factors Associated with Prolonged Hospital Stay among Patients with Cellulitis/Erysipelas].

Introduction: Cellulitis and erysipelas represent the most frequent cause of hospitalization in the dermatology department of Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patient demographics, comorbidities, previous episodes of cellulitis/erysipelas, the presence of complications, laboratory markers at admission, microbial isolation or previous use of antibiotics, are associated with prolonged stays.

Material And Methods: Retrospective analysis, including patients admitted with cellulitis/erysipelas in the inpatient dermatology department of Santa Maria Hospital between July 1st 2012 and June 30th 2017.

Portuguese Recommendations for the use of biological therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis- 2016 update.

Objective: To update the recommendations for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with biological therapies, endorsed by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR).

Methods: These treatment recommendations were formulated by Portuguese rheumatologists based on literature evidence and consensus opinion. At a national meeting the 10 recommendations were discussed and updated.

Schnitzler Syndrome: A Dramatic Response to Anakinra.

Schnitzler syndrome is a rare acquired systemic disease with a chronic evolution and difficult treatment. We report a 50-year-old woman with Schnitzler syndrome for 10 years, with major impact on her quality of life and refractory to conventional therapies. The patient was started on anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, with a rapid and sustained remission of the syndrome manifestations.

Mucocutaneous manifestations of Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease is a relapsing multisystem polysymptomatic disease with exacerbations and remissions defined by the presence of the major symptom, recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, plus two of the following: recurrent genital ulceration, eye lesions, skin lesions or a positive pathergy test. Mucocutaneous manifestations like oral and genital ulcers, and cutaneous lesions (papulopustular lesions, erythema nodosum-like lesions, cutaneous ulcers, superficial thrombophlebitis), are considered the \"fingerprint\" of the disease, being the most common and often the first signs to appear. Although the exact etiopathogenesis is still not known, genetic predispose and environmental factors may influence and contribute to the development of this disease.

Cutaneous manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multiorgan autoimmune disease of unknown etiology with many clinical manifestations. The skin is one of the target organs most variably affected by the disease. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) established 11 criteria as a classificatory instrument to operationalise the definition of SLE in clinical trials.