Metabolic syndrome is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and disease damage in patients with Takayasu arteritis.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MetS on CVD and cumulative organ damage in a multi-center, large cohort of patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 192 consecutive TAK patients from seven tertiary rheumatology centers in Turkey.

A shared motif of hla-dpb1 affecting the susceptibility to pr3-anca positive granulomatosis with polyangiitis: comparative analysis of a Turkish cohort with matched healthy controls.

We aimed to analyse the distribution of HLA Class 2 genotypes which were reported among the genetic risk factors for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) among Turkish patients in comparison with healthy subjects and previously reported data of AAV cohorts. Ninety-eight patients (F/M: 47/51 and mean age: 49 ± 1.14) were enrolled in the study and records of gender and birthplace-matched 196 healthy kidney donors were used as the control group.

Developing a Core Set of Outcome Measures for Behçet Disease: Report from OMERACT 2016.

Objective: The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Vasculitis Working Group has been working toward developing a data-driven core set of outcome measures for use in clinical trials of Behçet's syndrome [Behçet disease (BD)]. This paper summarizes the group's work through OMERACT 2016, discussions during the meeting, and the future research agenda.

Methods: Qualitative patient interviews were conducted among 20 patients with BD who have different types of organ involvement.

Criteria sets for primary Sjogren's syndrome are not adequate for those presenting with extraglandular organ involvements as their dominant clinical features.

Patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) may go undiagnosed or be misclassified due to the insidious nature and wide spectrum of the disease. The available several classification criteria emphasize glandular findings. We aimed to analyze the efficiency of various classification criteria sets in patients diagnosed on the clinical basis by expert opinion and to compare those pSS patients who fulfilled these criteria with those who did not.

Which joints and why do rheumatologists scan in rheumatoid arthritis by ultrasonography? A real life experience.

Objectives: Ultrasonography (US) has been demonstrated to improve assessment of synovitis and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the utility and feasibility of US in RA in clinical practice in real life is not known. We aimed to investigate: i) the indications for performing US in RA in daily practice; and ii) whether the number of scanned joints varies according to the purpose.

Remarkable damage along with poor quality of life in Takayasu arteritis: cross-sectional results of a long-term followed-up multicentre cohort.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the outcome of a large Takayasu arteritis (TAK) cohort using the vasculitis damage index (VDI) and quality of life (QoL) scale, tools which have been validated for vasculitis.

Methods: Disease activity, damage and QoL were cross-sectionally evaluated in 165 TAK patients from 6 centres. SF-36 were applied to 51 age-matched healthy controls (HC).

The relationship between vascular biomarkers and disease characteristics in systemic sclerosis: elevated MCP-1 is predominantly associated with fibrotic manifestations.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between vascular biomarkers reflecting the vascular injury and organ involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Seventy-two SSc patients (66 female) fulfilling 2013 ACR/EULAR Criteria were evaluated. Serum samples of patients were collected for flow-cytometric analysis of sCD40L, tPA, MCP-1, sE-selectin, IL-8, IL-6, VEGF, sP-selectin, TGF-β1 and VCAM levels (Bender MedSystems) in SSc patients and 20 healthy controls.

Capillaroscopic findings and vascular biomarkers in systemic sclerosis: Association of low CD40L levels with late scleroderma pattern.

Objective: To determine the relationship between vascular biomarkers reflecting the vascular injury and neoangiogenesis with capillaroscopic changes in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Nailfold video-capillaroscopy (NVC) was performed qualitatively (early, active and late scleroderma patterns) in 72 SSc patients (66 female) fulfilling ACR/EULAR (2013) criteria. Serum samples of patients were collected and analysed by flow cytometer with multiplex kits of sCD40L, tPA, MCP-1, sE-selectin, IL-8, IL-6, VEGF, sP-selectin, TGF-β1 and VCAM at the same time with NVC.

Microscopic colitis in patients with Takayasu's arteritis: a potential association between the two disease entities.

The association of Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has previously been reported in case series. Microscopic colitis (MC) has IBD-like symptoms with regard to clinical and histopathological feature. We aim to assess the presence of MC in TAK patients in this study.

Assessment of Patients with Takayasu Arteritis in Routine Practice with Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score.

Objective: To assess the Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score (ITAS2010) in followup of Takayasu arteritis (TA).

Methods: ITAS2010 forms were filled in prospectively (n = 144). Clinical activity was assessed with physician's global assessment (PGA) and criteria defined by Kerr, et al.

Update on Outcome Measure Development for Large Vessel Vasculitis: Report from OMERACT 12.

Objective: The rarity of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a major factor limiting randomized controlled trials in LVV, resulting in treatment choices in these diseases that are guided mainly by observational studies and expert opinion. Further complicating trials in LVV is the absence of validated and meaningful outcome measures. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) vasculitis working group initiated the Large Vessel Vasculitis task force in 2009 to develop data-driven, validated outcome tools for clinical investigation in LVV.

The relationship between nailfold capillaroscopic assessment and telangiectasia score with severity of peripheral vascular involvement in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: To determine the association of nailfold video-capillaroscopy (NVC) findings and telangiectasia score with digital ulcer (DU) history and severity of peripheral vascular involvement (PVI) in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Fifty-nine SSc patients fulfilling Leroy & Medsger criteria were evaluated including telangiectasia score, disease activity and severity scores. NVC was performed according to qualitative (early, active and late patterns) and semi-quantitative assessments.

Identification of Susceptibility Loci in IL6, RPS9/LILRB3, and an Intergenic Locus on Chromosome 21q22 in Takayasu Arteritis in a Genome-Wide Association Study.

Objective: Takayasu arteritis is a rare large vessel vasculitis with incompletely understood etiology. This study was undertaken to perform the first unbiased genome-wide association analysis of Takayasu arteritis.

Methods: Two independent cohorts of patients with Takayasu arteritis from Turkey and North America were included in our study.

Small bowel mucosal damage in familial Mediterranean fever: results of capsule endoscopy screening.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common form of autoinflammatory diseases. We aimed to evaluate the small bowel mucosa by capsule endoscopy (CE) in FMF patients for investigation of other possible causes of abdominal pain.

Material And Methods: The study group consisted of 41 patients with FMF.

Cluster analysis of autoantibodies in 852 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from a single center.

Objective: Associations between autoantibodies and clinical features have been described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein, we aimed to define autoantibody clusters and their clinical correlations in a large cohort of patients with SLE.

Methods: We analyzed 852 patients with SLE who attended our clinic.

Identification of multiple genetic susceptibility loci in Takayasu arteritis.

Takayasu arteritis is a rare inflammatory disease of large arteries. The etiology of Takayasu arteritis remains poorly understood, but genetic contribution to the disease pathogenesis is supported by the genetic association with HLA-B*52. We genotyped ~200,000 genetic variants in two ethnically divergent Takayasu arteritis cohorts from Turkey and North America by using a custom-designed genotyping platform (Immunochip).

Pauci-immune necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis with crescentic and full moon extracapillary proliferation: clinico-pathologic correlation and follow-up study.

The prognostic value of the type and extent of extracapillary proliferation (ECP) in pauci-immune necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephitis (PIGN) was evaluated in this study. In 141 PIGN cases, all glomeruli with ECP were grouped according to type (cellular, fibrocellular and fibrous) and extent of the lesions in Bowman's space; (segmental, semicircumferential and circumferential, which might be termed full moon-FM). Cases with cellular and fibrous lesions involving ≥ 50% of glomeruli with ECP were classified as cellular and fibrous groups, respectively, while the remaining cases were classified as fibrocellular.

Takayasu's arteritis is associated with HLA-B*52, but not with HLA-B*51, in Turkey.

Introduction: HLA-B*51 and HLA-B*52 are two close human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele groups with minor amino acid differences. However, they are associated with two different vasculitides (HLA-B*51 in Behçet's disease and HLA-B*52 in Takayasu's arteritis (TAK)) and with major clinical and immunological differences. In this study, we aimed to screen a large cohort of TAK patients from Turkey for the presence of HLA-B*51 and HLA-B*52 as susceptibility and severity factors.

PDCD1 polymorphisms are not associated with Takayasu's arteritis in Turkey.

Objectives: Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a chronic arterial inflammation of unknown etiology involving mainly the aorta and its major branches. Based on the associations of programmed death-1 (PD-1) protein encoding gene (PDCD1) with connective tissue diseases and vasculitides, PDCD1 polymorphisms are studied for susceptibility to TA in this study.

Methods: The study group is made up of TA patients (n=229) fulfilling the 1990 ACR classification criteria and compared to 193 healthy controls (HC).

Rituximab as a new therapeutic option in granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a report of two cases.

Findings of several reports suggest that rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody causing B-lymphocyte depletion, might represent a treatment option for people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) (former Wegener's granulomatosis). This study presents the results of rituximab treatment in two patients with treatment-refractory GPA. First patient received rituximab for a granulomatous posterior orbital mass lesion, and eye symptoms were resolved after three courses of treatment.

Re-evaluation of 129 patients with systemic necrotizing vasculitides by using classification algorithm according to consensus methodology.

Recently, a new classification algorithm (CA) for systemic necrotizing vasculitides was proposed by Watts et al. (Annals Rheum Dis 66:222-227, 2007) by using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), Chapel Hill Consensus Criteria (CHCC) and Sorensen surrogate markers (So). We aimed to validate CA in our patients.

Risk factors for avascular bone necrosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The objective was to investigate the predictive factors for avascular necrosis (AVN) of bone in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The records of 868 patients with SLE from four centers were reviewed retrospectively. Forty-nine patients with AVN were identified.

Serologic response to Epstein-Barr virus antigens in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled study.

Previous studies showed a link between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. We sought to determine the features of serologic response to EBV in SLE patients and whether this response differs from those of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) patients as well as healthy individuals. Sera from 198 consecutive SLE patients have been tested to detect IgG antibodies to EA/D, EBNA-1, VCA P18 and for comparison, cytomegalovirus (CMV) using commercially available ELISA kits (Trinity Biotech, USA).