Ultrasound Evaluation of Soft Tissue Masses and Parotid Gland in Clinical Rheumatology.

Soft tissue masses are very common and may appear in the context of rheumatic diseases. They usually occur alone but may occasionally be part of the syndromes and can sometimes involve periarticular tissues. Soft tissue masses can be divided into several categories.

Utility of applying a diagnostic algorithm in giant cell arteritis based on the level of clinical suspicion.

Introduction: To reach the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA), signs, symptoms, laboratory tests, imaging findings, and occasionally anatomopathological results from temporal artery biopsy are evaluated. This study describes the results of an algorithm analysis based on clinical and ultrasound evaluation of patients with suspected GCA, highlighting its diagnostic utility by contrasting its use in different clinical suspicion scenarios.

Method: Prospective multicenter study evaluating patients referred with suspected GCA through a preferential circuit (fast track), grouping them according to low or high clinical suspicion of GCA.

Altered CD39 and CD73 Expression in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Implications for Disease Activity and Treatment Response.

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium, ATP, and ADP are released, sparking inflammation. Ectoenzymes CD39 and CD73 metabolize these purine nucleotides, generating anti-inflammatory adenosine. Therefore, dysregulated CD39 and CD73 expression may impact RA development.

Hygiene with wet wipes in bedridden patients to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection in cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

We assessed hygiene with wet wipes in bedridden patients with urinary catheters for catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention. CAUTIs occurred in 16.5% of the control group compared to 5.

Gender biases in Spanish rheumatology: Perception and facts.

Objective: To identify perceptions of gender bias in Spanish rheumatology and to quantify the involvement of both sexes in all areas of the specialty.

Methods: A survey was sent to all members of the SER on participation and perception of biases and of their own competencies, and actual data on participation in governing bodies, congresses, committees, and Spanish rheumatology departments in the last 5 years were reviewed.

Results: The survey was answered by 95 rheumatologists, 4.

Behavioural intention of hand hygiene compliance in an average Ecuadorian hospital.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize hand hygiene behavioural intention by hospital services clusters in a medium-sized hospital in an Ecuadorian city.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on the World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire for Health-Care Workers. The responses on hand hygiene behavioural intention for the Five Moments for hand hygiene according to the World Health Organization were recorded in three categories: before patient contact, before and after sterile technique and management of body fluids, and after contact with the environment of the patient.

Efficacy of secukinumab on dactylitis in patients with active psoriatic arthritis from the FUTURE 5 study.

Objectives: Dactylitis is an important clinical domain of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) associated with significant burden of disease and impaired function. Post-hoc analysis of the FUTURE 5 study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of secukinumab in patients with dactylitis at baseline over 2 years.

Methods: Randomised patients received secukinumab 300mg with loading dose (LD)/150mg LD/150mg without loading dose/placebo.

Increase of Circulating Monocyte-Platelet Conjugates in Rheumatoid Arthritis Responders to IL-6 Blockage.

Platelets (PLT) bind to a significant percentage of circulating monocytes and this immunomodulatory interaction is increased in several inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. The therapeutic blockage of IL-6 with Tocilizumab (TCZ) alters PLT and the phenotype and function of monocytes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the relationship between monocyte−PLT conjugates (CD14+PLT+) and clinical and immunological variables and the regulation of this interaction by IL-6 blockage are still unknown.

Impact of a multimodal intervention on compliance with hand hygiene among health care workers of a tertiary hospital.

Background And Objective: Hand hygiene (HH) is the simplest and most effective measure for the prevention of infection related to healthcare. Despite this, compliance in healthcare professionals continues to be suboptimal. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of an expanded World Health Organization (WHO) multimodal strategy on HH compliance in healthcare personnel.

Giant pes anserinus bursitis: A rare soft tissue mass of the medial knee.

Bursae are small, jelly-like sacs that are located throughout the body, mainly around the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and heel in a number over 150. They contain a small amount of fluid, and are positioned between bones and soft tissues, acting as cushions to help reduce friction. Pes anserinus bursae, despite being clinically frequent, are not visible either by ultrasound (US) or magnetic resonance image (MRI).

West Nile and Usutu virus infections in wild birds admitted to rehabilitation centres in Extremadura, western Spain, 2017-2019.

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging flavivirus transmitted generally by mosquitoes of Culex genus. It is maintained in an enzootic life cycle where birds act as reservoir hosts. Humans and horses are also susceptible to infection, and occasionally, they suffer from neurological complications.

A comparative study on clinical and serological characteristics between patients with rhupus and those with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: The concomitant presence of two autoimmune diseases - systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - in the same patient is known as rhupus. We evaluated a group of patients with rhupus to clarify further their clinical, serological and immunogenic features in a multi-centre cohort. In addition, the study aimed to explore the utility of the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) SLE classification criteria in our group of patients with rhupus.

Physical Exercise and Myokines: Relationships with Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Complications.

Skeletal muscle is capable of secreting different factors in order to communicate with other tissues. These mediators, the myokines, show potentially far-reaching effects on non-muscle tissues and can provide a molecular interaction between muscle and body physiology. Sarcopenia is a chronic degenerative neuromuscular disease closely related to cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure, which influences the production and release of myokines.

Effectiveness of ustekinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis in a real-world, multicenter study.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and survival of ustekinumab (UST) among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated under routine clinical care.

Methods: Multicenter study. Epidemiological and clinical data was collected through electronic medical records of all patients with PsA who started UST in 15 hospitals of Spain.

A Comparison of Local Path Planning Techniques of Autonomous Surface Vehicles for Monitoring Applications: The Ypacarai Lake Case-study.

Local path planning is important in the development of autonomous vehicles since it allows a vehicle to adapt their movements to dynamic environments, for instance, when obstacles are detected. This work presents an evaluation of the performance of different local path planning techniques for an Autonomous Surface Vehicle, using a custom-made simulator based on the open-source Robotarium framework. The conducted simulations allow to verify, compare and visualize the solutions of the different techniques.

Sensor-Assisted Weighted Average Ensemble Model for Detecting Major Depressive Disorder.

The present methods of diagnosing depression are entirely dependent on self-report ratings or clinical interviews. Those traditional methods are subjective, where the individual may or may not be answering genuinely to questions. In this paper, the data has been collected using self-report ratings and also using electronic smartwatches.

Measuring inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis with a new clinical and ultrasound index: development and initial validation.

With the aim to develop and validate a clinical + ultrasound (US) inflammation score in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for use in clinical practice, a mixed-method study was conducted. The theoretical development of the index was achieved with qualitative methodology (discussion group and Delphi survey). Subsequently, a cross-sectional study was carried out to analyse issues related to scoring and validation of the new index.

Assessment of nutritional status by dual X-Ray absorptiometry in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A case-control study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been related to an impairment of the nutritional status. Body mass index (BMI) has been used but questions arise about how to properly evaluate nutritional status in RA patients. Few studies have evaluated it by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis: Systematic literature review.

Objectives: 1) To systematically and critically review the evidence on the characteristics, efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids (CS) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 2) to generate practical recommendations.

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed through a sensitive bibliographic search strategy in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library. We selected randomized clinical trials that analyzed the efficacy and/or safety of CS in patients with RA.

Quality standard for the management of patients with psoriatic arthritis: QUANTUM Project.

Objective: To generate a quality standard for the management of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: We employed qualitative methodology that included: 1) Two focus groups (one with patients with PsA and another with non-rheumatologist specialists involved in the care of PsA patients); 2) A narrative literature review of published documents related to the quality of care in PsA; 3) A nominal group meeting in which 15 expert rheumatologists generated and reached a consensus on a series of quality criteria, as well as formulas or quantifiable objective measures to evaluate them; 4) The Delphi method to establish the feasibility, priority and agreement with the quality criteria; 5) A final generation of standards of care and their attributes. A descriptive analysis of the results was carried out.

Doppler ultrasonography of superficial temporal artery in a cohort of patients with strong clinical suspicion of giant cell arteritis.

Background And Objective: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most frequent systemic vasculitis in adults. In recent years, the usefulness of temporal artery ultrasound (TAUS) as a diagnostic tool to assess the underlying inflammation of the vascular wall during the inflammatory process has been under clinical investigation.

Material And Methods: Observational and descriptive cohort study of 120 TAUS in 60 patients with clinical suspicions of GCA, according to the ACR (American College of Rheumatology) classification criteria.