Characteristics of joint involvement and relationships with systemic inflammation in systemic sclerosis: results from the EULAR Scleroderma Trial and Research Group (EUSTAR) database.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of and independent factors associated with joint involvement in a large population of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: This study was cross-sectional, based on data collected on patients included in the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) registry. We queried this database to extract data regarding global evaluation of patients with SSc and the presence of any clinical articular involvement: synovitis (tender and swollen joints), tendon friction rubs (rubbing sensation detected as the tendon was moved), and joint contracture (stiffness of the joints that decreased their range of motion).

HCV RNA detection in parotid gland biopsy in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus liver disease.

We report a case of a 75-year-old woman admitted to our Unit for chronic sialadenitis, characterized by histologic evidence of B and T lymphocyte infiltrate; laboratory and histologic tests revealed chronic hepatitis C, without autoimmune markers. We found hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in liver, in parotid gland, in saliva and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but not in serum. HCV RNA was detected by PCR technique.