Psychometric analysis and validation of the Persian translation of the systemic sclerosis questionnaire (SySQ).

Background: Scleroderma is a complex multisystem disorder that could have effects on the quality of patients' lives. This study was conducted by determining the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the systemic sclerosis questionnaire (SySQ) that specifically assesses indications and functional limitations of scleroderma patients.

Materials And Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, the method included: translation and back translation.

First study of the detection of Human Herpes Virus-8 and major blood-borne viruses in iranian patients with SLE: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease caused by genetic and environmental factors such as viral infections. Genomic and serologic tests were applied to detect significant blood-borne viruses in SLE patients to determine whether there was a possible association between viral infections and SLE.

Methods: Antibodies (Abs) against HHV-8, HCMV, EBV, HIV, HBV, and HCV in SLE patients suffering from SLE were assessed by ELISA.

Indications, response, and side effects of biologic treatment in Behçet's disease: an 8-year study with follow-up.

Introduction: The treatment of Behçet's disease has improved significantly with the introduction of biologic therapies. However, there is still a need for more information about their use. This study aimed to evaluate the indications, response, and side effects of biologic agents in patients with refractory or severe Behçet's disease in the south of Iran, their follow-up and reasons for changing the biologics.

The effect of a self-management program on the quality of life of patients with scleroderma.

Background: Scleroderma is a rare disease with complex disorders. It affects the quality of life with severe impacts on the skin and extensive complications in the internal organs, and does not have a definitive treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a self-management program on the quality of life of patients with scleroderma.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Risks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Among Iranian Emergency Medical Services Workers: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a severe acute respiratory infection, has spread rapidly around the world. To expand and enhance knowledge regarding virus prevention/transmission, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency medical services (EMS) workers as a part of the health care system because of their essential role in the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on EMS workers to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19.

A smartphone-based supportive counseling on health anxiety and acceptance of disability in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a supportive counseling via the smart phone on the health anxiety, and acceptance of disability in the patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Methods: The present study was a randomized clinical trial with pre-post design. Randomly dividing 124 patients into experimental and control groups.

Scleroderma-overlap syndromes: capillaroscopy, laboratory, and clinical manifestations and follow-up compared to scleroderma patients.

Introduction: Overlap syndrome (OS) is a group of systemic connective tissue diseases (CTDs) that meet the criteria of two or more CTDs. In this study, we evaluated clinical, laboratory, and capillaroscopic manifestations of patients with scleroderma OS (SSc-OS) and its subgroups and follow-up progression compared to patients with limited SSc (LcSSc).

Material And Methods: In a 10-year cross-sectional study, we evaluated 135 adult patients (70 with SSc-OS and 65 with LcSSc) with the same skin score for their baseline and follow-up clinical, laboratory, high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT), echocardiography, and nailfold capillaroscopy data and compared them.

Efficacy and safety of the biosimilar denosumab candidate (Arylia) compared to the reference product (Prolia®) in postmenopausal osteoporosis: a phase III, randomized, two-armed, double-blind, parallel, active-controlled, and noninferiority clinical trial.

Background/objective: Osteoporosis is a global health concern with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Denosumab is an antiresoptive agent that has been demonstrated to be effective and safe in osteoporotic patients. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the biosimilar denosumab candidate (Arylia) to the originator product (Prolia®) in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients.

Is there any Sympathetic Skin Response Abnormality in Raynaud Phenomenon?

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate sympathetic skin response (SSR) among patients with Raynaud phenomenon (RP). SSR is a technique for assessment of the damage of peripheral neuropathies and the disorders of the sympathetic system.

Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2018, approximately 20 patients with RP and 20 healthy subjects (control group) were recruited from patients referred to the outpatient clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Diagnosis of Simultaneous Atrial and Ventricular Mechanical Performance in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis.

: Cardiac involvement is a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc); therefore, preclinical diagnosis of heart involvement is crucial. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE), a method for evaluating the myocardial strain, could be helpful for the early diagnosis of cardiac mechanical function abnormalities. In this study, the simultaneous evaluation of all cardiac chambers was studied in patients with SSc, compared with normal individuals.

The effect of flaxseed with or without anti-inflammatory diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Beneficial effect of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids against symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been indicated in previous studies. We examined the effect of flaxseed and anti-inflammatory diet in patients with RA.

Methods: The 12-week intervention was performed on 120 patients with RA who were randomized to three groups of flaxseed (30 g/day) plus anti-inflammatory diet (AIF group), flaxseed (30 g/day) plus regular diet (RF group), and roasted wheat (30 g/day) plus regular diet (RW group).

A 4-week comparison of capillaroscopy changes, healing effect, and cost-effectiveness of botulinum toxin-A vs prostaglandin analog infusion in refractory digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic multi-organ disease. Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and digital ulcers (DUs) in SSc patients can be resistant to usual treatments. We studied the clinical benefits, capillaroscopy changes, and cost-effectiveness of local injection of botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) and intravenous prostaglandin analogs (iloprost/alprostadil) in patients with SSc with resistant DUs.

Adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension dietary pattern and rheumatoid arthritis in Iranian adults.

Objective: To examine the hypothesis that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are less likely than healthy individuals to adhere to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern.

Design: A multi-centre cross-sectional study involving a total of 300 eligible Iranian adults (aged >19 years; 93·0 % female) recruited during 2019-2020. Participants' actual dietary intakes were measured via self-administered 3-d dietary records.

First report of HHV-8 viral load and seroprevalence of major blood-borne viruses in Iranian patients with systemic sclerosis.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by autoimmune manifestations, and viral infections may have a key role in the development and progression of it. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of major blood-borne viruses and HHV-8 viral load in Iranian SSc patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 90 patients with a confirmed history of SSc and 90 healthy blood donors were enrolled.

Prevalence of retinal changes in patients with systemic sclerosis: the association between retinal vascular changes and nailfold capillaroscopic findings.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease affecting the skin and multiple organs. Most of the evidence on ocular involvement comes from small studies. We evaluated the retinal vascular changes in patients with SSc and its associations with types, disease duration, skin score, and nailfold capillaroscopy changes.

Assessment of Treatment Safety and Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Etanercept Biosimilar for Autoimmune Arthritis (ASQA): A Multicenter Post-marketing Surveillance Study.

Introduction: Phase IV post-marketing surveillance studies are needed to evaluate the real-world safety and effectiveness of drug products. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of biosimilar etanercept (Altebrel, AryoGen Co., Iran) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Elevated IL-38 Serum Levels in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Sclerosis Patients.

Objective: Interleukin (IL)-38 is a newly discovered member of the IL-1 cytokine family with a proposed anti-inflammatory profile. We studied the probable role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of two autoimmune diseases: multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Subjects And Methods: A total of 87 MS patients and 86 SSc patients (40 new and recently untreated cases and 46 treated cases) were selected for this study.

Calprotectin, an available prognostic biomarker in systemic sclerosis: a systematic review.

Background: Finding easier and less invasive biologic biomarker in the clinical specimen of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients can be effective in diagnosing and treating SSc-associated multisystem diseases. The complex of S100A8 and S100A9 (Calprotectin) is an easily available prognostic biomarker that secretes from immune cells and is necessary for initiating the immune response to noninfectious inflammation processes. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Calprotectin in specimen of SSc patients.

Expression Pattern of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) Variants and Bcl-2 in Peripheral Lymphocytes of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients.

Background & Objective: It is not clear whether activated lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are more proliferative or less apoptotic. We aimed to delineate potential differences between B and T cells of SLE patients compared to healthy controls regarding the telomerase activity and apoptosis status.

Methods: In this cross-sectional case control study, Blood samples were taken from 10 SLE patients and 10 healthy controls.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Pulmonary Functions in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Study.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systematic and rare autoimmune disease that affects many organs. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), thiol-containing compound, can act both as the precursor of reduced glutathione and direct scavenger of reactive oxygen species.

Objective: We assessed the clinical effect of NAC on the pulmonary function test of patients with diffuse scleroderma.

A Woman with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Odd Valvular Presentation: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic disease with various cardiac and non-cardiac presentations. We present the case of a young woman with odd presentation of SLE mistakenly identified as a valve abscess that was scheduled for surgery. CASE REPORT This 35-year-old woman presented with rapid progression of aortic stenosis, and the transesophageal echocardiography report showed a misdiagnosed aortic web (congenital) and aortic wall abscess.

One-decade study of distinct features, morbidity and mortality of systemic lupus erythematosus (an update on systemic lupus erythematosus in the Fars Province of Iran).

Objective: The objective of this article is to investigate the distinct features, morbidity and mortality of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients registered in rheumatology tertiary centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from 2008 to 2018.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on registered patients by reviewing their medical records. The clinical presentations were classified based on each organ's distinct involvement.

Rheumatologists' insight into medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study.

Background: Medication non-adherence is prevalent among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatologists are specialists in medication prescribing and counselling for RA, but their insights regarding medication adherence have not been studied.

Objective: To explore rheumatologists' insights into medication adherence in patients with RA.

Medication adherence and cost-related medication non-adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: First, to assess the clinical characteristics and medication adherence to oral rheumatoid arthritis (RA) medications in patients with RA. Second, to examine adherence determinants with a focus on the effect of medication out-of-pocket (OOP) costs on medication adherence to oral RA medications. Lastly, to examine cost-related medication non-adherence (CRN) in patients with RA.

Mechanic hands: clinical and capillaroscopy manifestations of patients with connective tissue diseases presented with and without mechanic hands.

Objectives: The condition known as 'Mechanic's Hands' is a thickened, hyperkeratotic eruption, which is bilaterally symmetric along the fingers, and often occurs in patients with some connective tissue diseases. Nail fold capillaroscopy is a non-invasive technique for evaluation of connective tissue diseases. We evaluated the prevalence of mechanic hands in patients with connective tissue diseases and compared the clinical manifestations and capillaroscopic changes in the patients with and without mechanic hands.