Cytokines and Other Laboratory Parameters of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients that Predict Intensive Care Unit Admission.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the roles of cytokines and other laboratory parameters in determining the need for intensive care in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters of the patients were evaluated.

Evaluation of the role of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in the early detection of macular and ganglion cell complex thickness changes in patients with rheumatologic diseases taking hydroxychloroquine.

Background: The aim was to investigate the effects of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on macular and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods: A total of 145 patients were included in the study. Patients who had taken HCQ for at least 6 months formed group 1 (n:81), while 34 patients with rheumatologic diseases who did not receive HCQ therapy, and 30 healthy subjects formed groups 2 and 3.

MEFV mutation frequencies in a Turkish cohort with low prevalence of familial Mediterranean fever.

Background/aim: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetically recessive autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequencies of the most common MEFV mutations among a sample of healthy individuals from the Havsa population of European Turkey, where FMF is less prevalent compared to Asian Turkey.

Materials And Methods: The study group consisted of 263 unrelated healthy adults.

Neuro-Behcet's disease in a case with papilledema and intracranial hypertension as the initial presentation.

A 27-year-old female presented to the Clinic of Ophthalmology with the complaints of photophobia, headache, and diplopia. An ophthalmological examination indicated that her best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes with decreased contrast sensitivity. Fundoscopic examination revealed bilateral papilledema.

A multicenter report of biologic agents for the treatment of secondary amyloidosis in Turkish rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis patients.

In this multicenter, retrospective study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of biologic therapies, including anti-TNFs, in secondary (AA) amyloidosis patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, the frequency of secondary amyloidosis in RA and AS patients in a single center was estimated. Fifty-one AS (39M, 12F, mean age: 46.

Assessment of the New 2012 EULAR/ACR Clinical Classification Criteria for Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Objective: To assess the performance of the new 2012 provisional European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) clinical classification criteria in discriminating PMR from other mimicking conditions compared with the previous 5 diagnostic criteria in a multicenter prospective study.

Methods: Patients older than 50 years, presenting with new-onset bilateral shoulder pain with elevated acute-phase reactants (APR), were assessed for the fulfillment of the new and old classification/diagnostic criteria sets for PMR. At the end of the 1-year followup, 133 patients were diagnosed with PMR (expert opinion) and 142 with non-PMR conditions [69 rheumatoid arthritis (RA)].

Performance of the new American College of Rheumatology classification criteria in Turkish systemic sclerosis patients: a multicenter study.

In our study, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of the new ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria to the ACR 1980 criteria in our systemic sclerosis (SSc) population. Three rheumatology centers from Turkey participated into this study. The medical records of SSc patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed, and their features at disease onset were recorded.

The correlation between ferritin level and acute phase parameters in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated the relationship between ferritin levels and disease activation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Material And Methods: We included 44 patients with RA, 20 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 25 patients with infection, 22 patients with malignancy, and 20 healthy control subjects. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), whole blood count, and serum iron parameters were determined in all cases.

Impact of rheumatoid arthritis in Turkey: a questionnaire study.

Objectives: Unmet needs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients regarding physician/patient communication, treatment preferences and quality of life issues were investigated in a Turkish survey study.

Methods: The study was conducted with the contribution of 33 rheumatologists, and included 519 RA patients. The study population included patients who had been on biologic therapy for >6 months and were still receiving biologic therapy (BT group), and those who were biologic naive, but found eligible for biologic treatment (NBT group).

The Frequency of anti-CCP antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis and their relationship with clinical features and parameters of angiogenesis: A comparative study.

Objective: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as crucial parameters of angiogenesis and inflammation, were evaluated to identify the role of cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) during angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Material And Methods: A total of 145 patients with RA, 44 patients with PsA, and 73 healthy subjects were included in this study. The clinical features, total blood counts, and acute phase parameters of RA and PsA patients were recorded.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in gouty arthritis patients: a comparative study.

We evaluated the incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis and associated factors in our gouty arthritis patients. We included 55 gouty arthritis patients diagnosed at our center within the last 4 years. The control group included 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 34 patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (AHU).

The prevalences of some rheumatic diseases in western Turkey: Havsa study.

To study the prevalence major rheumatic diseases in western Turkey. This survey was conducted in Havsa which have a total population of 18,771. Physicians and interns visited every household, interviewed face to face a questionnaire about the symptoms of rheumatic disorders.

Diaphragmatic movements in ankylosing spondylitis patients and their association with clinical factors: an ultrasonographic study.

We compared diaphragmatic motion between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and controls, as assessed by the ultrasonographic method. We included 33 consecutive AS patients (19 males, 14 females) followed up at our center and 14 apparently healthy controls (8 males, 6 females) into our study. AS patients fulfilled the modified New York classification criteria for AS.

Might platelet-leucocyte complexes be playing a role in major vascular involvement of Behçet's disease? A comparative study.

We determined platelet-leucocyte complexes, which play roles in the thrombosis-inflammation relationship, in Behçet's disease patients with and without major vascular involvement (MVI) and in healthy controls. We included 36 Behçet's disease patients (22 male, 14 female, mean age: 34.4 +/- 8.

Increased frequencies of hysterectomy and early menopause in fibromyalgia patients: a comparative study.

The objective was to determine the relationship between symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM) and early menopause and hysterectomy. We included 115 postmenopausal patients with FM (mean age 54.6 +/- 7.

The frequency of smoking in fibromyalgia patients and its association with symptoms.

The objective of the study was to determine the frequency of smoking in fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and investigate its association with the symptoms of FM. We included age-matched 302 FM (289 F, 13 M), and 115 (105 F, 10 M) RA patients. All patients were questioned about smoking and the severity of their chronic widespread pain (CWP) and symptoms of FM by using a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10) and FM impact questionnaire.

Cleidocranial dysplasia in a mother and her two children.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by skeletal abnormalities which is secondary to haploinsufficiency of the transcription factor Runx2 that plays a role in osteoblast differentiation. In this report, we present a female patient who came to our Rheumatology outpatient clinic with widespread pain, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM), and who was investigated because of her phenotypic features together with her two children; and consequently, diagnosed with CCD. The diagnosis of CCD was confirmed with genetic analysis.

The results of purified protein derivative test in ankylosing spondylitis patients: clinical features, HRCT results and relationship with TNF-blocker usage.

In this study, we evaluated the clinical features, treatment modalities, including TNF-blockers, purified protein derivative (PPD) test, chest X-ray and HRCT results in our AS patients. We evaluated the clinical features, disease activity and PPD results in 88 AS patients (72 males, 16 females, mean age: 38.3+/-10) diagnosed at our center.

Prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon in healthy Turkish medical students and hospital personnel.

In this study, we investigated the frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) in medical students and hospital personnel and determined associated factors. Students and hospital personnel of our medical faculty (1,414 subjects; 838 females, 576 males, mean age, 27.2+/-6.

Increased platelet activation markers in rheumatoid arthritis: are they related with subclinical atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular mortality is increased in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We evaluated the association of inflammatory response with platelet, endothelial, coagulation activation parameters; and subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients. We included 27 RA patients (21 female; six male) and 19 healthy subjects (14 female; five male).

Increased circulating platelet-leucocyte complexes in patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon and Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis: a comparative study.

Platelet activation and circulating platelet-leucocyte complexes increase in vascular ischemic events and autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Platelet activation markers and platelet-leucocyte complexes were evaluated in primary Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and in RP secondary to systemic sclerosis (SSc). Whole-blood flow cytometry was utilized to quantify CD62P, platelet microparticles (PMP), platelet-monocyte complexes (PMC) and platelet-neutrophil complexes (PNC) in primary RP and in SSc patients with secondary RP.

Color and duplex Doppler sonography to detect sacroiliitis and spinal inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis. Can this method reveal response to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy?

Objective: To investigate the role of color and duplex Doppler ultrasound (CDDUS) in the detection of sacroiliac (SI) and spinal inflammation, as well as response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: We included 39 consecutive patients with AS followed at our center and 14 healthy controls. In the AS and control groups, blood vessels in SI joints and lumbar vertebral (LV) and thoracal vertebral (TV) paraspinal areas were investigated by CDDUS.

Role of insulin resistance in increased frequency of atherosclerosis detected by carotid ultrasonography in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: We evaluated the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis and factors influencing atherosclerosis, including insulin resistance (IR), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Sixty-three patients with RA and 34 controls were studied. Patients' cardiovascular risk factors were recorded; biochemical variables were determined.

Successful treatment with adefovir of one patient whose cryoglobulinemic vasculitis relapsed under lamivudine therapy and who was diagnosed to have HBV virologic breakthrough with YMDD mutations.

We report a patient whose cryoglobulinemic vasculitis recurred due to reactivation of lamivudine-resistant HBV. Our patient with hepatitis B-related cryoglobulinemic vasculitis was administered lamivudine. Her vasculitis regressed, ALT normalized, HBV-DNA became negative.

Factors that affect the number of tender points in fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain patients who did not meet the ACR 1990 criteria for fibromyalgia: are tender points a reflection of neuropathic pain?

Objective: This study aims to compare fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic widespread pain (CWP) patients who do not fulfill the criteria for tender points (TP).

Methods: We included 150 patients diagnosed with FM according to ACR 1990 criteria and 42 patients with CWP who did not fulfill TP criteria for FM into the study. The clinical features of the patients were recorded, and the TP count was determined.