Investigation of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster - Nebraska, November-December 2021.

The B.1.1.

Hospital readmission in systemic sclerosis associated pulmonary hypertension: Results from the PHAROS registry.

Objective: To identify individual-level factors associated with hospital readmission among individuals with SSc-associated pulmonary hypertension (SSc-PH).

Methods: Individuals enrolled in the Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma (PHAROS) registry contributed clinical data related to SSc-PH disease severity and hospital admissions. Readmission was defined as a subsequent hospitalization within 12 months of any hospital discharge.

Esophageal Dilation and Other Clinical Factors Associated With Pulmonary Function Decline in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: To identify clinical factors, including esophageal dilation on chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), that are associated with pulmonary function decline in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Patients fulfilled 2013 SSc criteria and had ≥ 1 HRCT and ≥ 2 pulmonary function tests (PFTs). According to published methods, widest esophageal diameter (WED) and radiographic interstitial lung disease (ILD) were assessed, and WED was dichotomized as dilated (≥ 19 mm) vs not dilated (< 19 mm).

Thirty-day hospital readmission in systemic sclerosis associated pulmonary hypertension: A nationwide study.

Objective: To identify risk-factors for 30-day hospital readmission in systemic sclerosis pulmonary hypertension (SSc-PH) and to compare trends and characteristics of 30-day readmissions in SSc-PH versus non-SSc pulmonary arterial hypertension (non-SSc PAH).

Methods: In this retrospective study, we identified SSc-PH and non-SSc PAH hospitalizations using ICD-9 codes within the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-National Readmission Database. Thirty-day readmission rates were calculated between 2010 and 2015.

Skin Histology in Systemic Sclerosis: a Relevant Clinical Biomarker.

Purpose Of Review: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a life-threatening autoimmune disease that causes debilitating skin fibrosis. The skin in SSc is easily accessible, and skin biopsies may provide rich biological data regarding underlying disease pathophysiology. Here, we review literature relevant to the potential for skin histology to serve as a diagnostic, pharmacokinetic/response, and predictive biomarker in SSc.

Machine learning integration of scleroderma histology and gene expression identifies fibroblast polarisation as a hallmark of clinical severity and improvement.

Objective: We sought to determine histologic and gene expression features of clinical improvement in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc; scleroderma).

Methods: Fifty-eight forearm biopsies were evaluated from 26 individuals with dcSSc in two clinical trials. Histologic/immunophenotypic assessments of global severity, alpha-smooth muscle actin (aSMA), CD34, collagen, inflammatory infiltrate, follicles and thickness were compared with gene expression and clinical data.

Assessment of skin disease in scleroderma: Practices and opinions of investigators studying scleroderma.

Background: The modified Rodnan skin score is a common primary outcome measurement tool in clinical trials of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). However, it is unknown how often physicians perform the modified Rodnan skin score in clinical practice or what precise approach is most often used when assessing each of the 17 sites included in the modified Rodnan skin score (i.e.

Complementary therapies for patients with systemic sclerosis.

Patients with systemic sclerosis often seek information regarding complementary and nutrition-based therapy. Some study results have shown that vitamins D and E, probiotics, turmeric, l-arginine, essential fatty acids, broccoli, biofeedback, and acupuncture may be beneficial in systemic sclerosis care. However, large randomized clinical trials have not been conducted.

Performance of Forced Vital Capacity and Lung Diffusion Cutpoints for Associated Radiographic Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: Forced vital capacity (FVC) and DLCO are used for screening of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). The study purpose was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) (proportion of true negative screening tests) of FVC and DLCO thresholds for SSc-ILD on chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans.

Methods: Patients fulfilling American College of Rheumatology 2013 SSc criteria with a chest HRCT scan and pulmonary function tests (PFT) were studied.

Multiple myeloma diagnosed secondary to analysis of a lytic bone lesion encountered during Mohs micrographic surgery.

An 89-year-old man underwent Mohs micrographic surgery for treatment of a squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp. A lytic bone lesion was found that led to the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.