Sjogren's syndrome: concomitant H. pylori infection and possible correlation with clinical parameters.

Objective: To identify whether or not there are clinical markers that correlate with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) and its implication to handling this group of patients.

Methods: Four groups of patients were studied.

Hyperprolactinemia in Sjogren's syndrome: a patient subset or a disease manifestation?

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of hyperprolactinemia in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS), its clinical significance and its implication to our understanding of the disease pathogenesis.

Materials And Methods: Forty-nine patients with primary SS (44 females and five males) age range 37-66 years were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical assessment for disease manifestations in addition to laboratory assessment for serum prolactin, sex hormones and immunological profile.

Quantitative ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging of the parotid gland: can they replace the histopathologic studies in patients with Sjogren's syndrome?

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of parotid gland quantitative assessment using ultrasound (US) as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) and to evaluate the possibility of using such modalities as a predictor of the histopathologic score of salivary gland biopsy in this group of patients.

Methods: Sonographic and MRI studies were performed on the parotid glands of 47 patients diagnosed to have primary SS, 20 healthy control subjects of matched sex and age, and 20 subjects with sicca symptoms but without any evidence of SS. The patients and the control subjects were scored according to the structural changes seen in both radiologic modalities.

Human brucellosis: do we need to revise our therapeutic policy?

Objective: To identify risk factors of relapse among patients with osteoarticular brucellosis.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study, we investigated 90 patients with diagnosis of brucellosis, as established by clinical picture and at least 4-fold rise in antibody titer. Osteoarticular involvement was defined by inflammatory signs and radiographic changes.

Is anxiety a more common disorder than depression in rheumatoid arthritis?

Objective: As most of the previous studies were done to study depressive disorders and/or symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, this study was performed to investigate whether anxiety disorder is as common as depressive disorder in these patients and to look for the socio-demographic as well as the clinical characteristics of the patients developing these disorders.

Methods: A detailed physical assessment of 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was performed. Also psychiatric assessment was done using Research Diagnostic Criteria for the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10).