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Objectives: The study has as main objective the evaluation of the potential roles of vitamin D, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the systemic inflammation index (SII) as future biomarkers regarding the classification of flares in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Material and Methods: Individuals diagnosed with SLE were encompassed in this observational study. The current applicable criteria, namely The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2019 criteria had to be fulfilled. The participants underwent specific musculoskeletal examination, paraclinical investigations including complete blood count (CBC), determination of serum creatinine levels, as well as liver enzymes, and also the markers of inflammation. The fractions of the serum complement (C3 and C4) were also evaluated, together with serum vitamin D concentrations. Safety of Estrogens in Lupus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENASLEDAI) was required in order to analyze the research group's disease activity. Results: NLR and SII demonstrated validity, having statistically significant correlations with SELENA-SLEDAI (p value less than 0.001). The ROC analysis proved a strong discriminative power for NLR (AUC=0.96) and SII (AUC=0.963) in predicting severe disease flares. Optimal cut-off values were 3.45 for NLR and 877,002.19 for SII. Serum vitamin D concentrations had a weak association with the SLEDAI score (p=0.048, r=0.213). Conclusions: NLR and SII can be considered reliable biomarkers for discriminating between the levels of disease activity in SLE individuals. Low serum levels of vitamin D may also influence disease severity, but require further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a complex condition characterized by chronic pain and various sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms. It involves a complex interplay of mechanisms in the nervous system, including neuroinflammation, sensitization of pain pathways, and dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system. Antioxidants may play a role in CRPS by helping to counteract oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body's antioxidant defences. CRPS involves inflammation and tissue damage, which can lead to increased ROS production and oxidative stress. Our paper represents a preliminary study on various commercially available natural-based products regarding their antioxidant effect. Several natural products with antioxidant properties, such as vitamins C and E, polyphenols, flavonoids, and botanical extracts, have shown promise in preclinical studies for their potential to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation associated with CRPS. The potential use of natural-based products with antioxidant effects for mitigating CRPS symptoms is still an area of ongoing research and investigation, but nonetheless it holds promise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogeneous multifaceted inflammatory artropathy, associated or not with psoriasis, part of the spondyloarthropaties group. Beyond articular and skin manifestations, patients with psoriatic disease are prone to associated comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity and metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or fatty liver disease; in order to improve the prognosis and the quality of life for these patients, it is mandatory to prevent, identify and properly manage any of the comorbidities. We aimed to assess the presence of traditional CV risk factors and MetS in a group of PsA patients, compared to controls and their possible inter-relation. We performed an observational study on 41 consecutive patients diagnosed with PsA based on CASPAR established criteria. Our subjects met the criteria of MetS in a percentage of 43.90% of the cases and AHT, frequently reported in higher percentages for PsA or psoriasis patients, compared to general population was also revealed in significant percentages by our data. Regarding dyslipidemia, it is confirmed and validated by several studies that patients diagnosed with PsA or psoriasis associate an altered lipid metabolism and our study noticed data accordingly. As PsA is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation, a non-traditional CV risk factor, each patient should benefit from a periodic close evaluation in order to approach a compete and early therapeutic intervention and reduce further CV morbidity and mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]