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Introduction: Patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRD) who receive intravenous therapy requiring hospitalization are likely to be more affected than those with receiving oral therapy during COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to treatment in patients with CIRD receiving intravenous treatments.

Introduction. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) comprises general body pain, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Vitamin B12 (VB), vitamin D (VD), and iron deficiencies lead to similar complaints. First, this study aimed to evaluate the VB, VD, and ferritin levels of patients with FS. Second, it aimed to investigate whether there was a relationship between these parameters and FS severity.

Background. Oxidative stress may play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) etiopathogenesis. The thiol group is a very strong antioxidant. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of oxidative stress in patients with RA by evaluating thiol/disulfide homeostasis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk scores and the visceral adiposity index (VAI) in patients with psoriatic disease (PsD). Methods: A total of 101 PsD patients meeting psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR) criteria and 98 healthy individuals were included in this study. Systematic coronary risk evaluation index (SCORE), Framingham risk score (FS), and VAI values in patients and VAI values in healthy individuals were calculated. Results: The mean body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²) of the patients was 29.63±5.66. According to the SCORE measurements, the patients were classified as low risk, moderate risk, and high risk-53 (52.5%), 45 (44.6%), and 3 (3%), respectively. No patient was found to be at very high risk. According to the FS, the low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk patient rates were 72 (71.3%), 22 (21.8%), and 7 (6.9%), respectively. Statistically significantly higher rates of metabolic syndrome, obesity (BMI >30), and VAI levels were found in the PsA group compared to the healthy control group (p30 (obesity), diabetes mellitus, and hypertension compared to patients without these comorbidities (p

Background: Inappropriate medication prescribing in older patients increases the risk of poorer health outcomes and increased costs. The IMMENSE trial, integrated a clinical pharmacist into the health care team, to improve medication therapy among older patients, and to investigate the impact on acute revisits to hospital. Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and prescribing omissions (PPOs) at hospital admission and discharge. It also explored the impact of the pharmacist intervention on PIMs and PPOs, and other factors associated with PIMs and PPOs at discharge. Design: The STOPP/START criteria version 2 were retrospectively applied at admission and discharge. PIM and PPO changes were compared, and Poisson regression was used to assess factors influencing prevalence at discharge. Results: At hospital admission, PIM prevalence was 58.6% among intervention patients and 64.8% among control patients. PPO prevalence was 55.3% and 55.5%, respectively. A larger proportion of PIMs identified at admission were resolved by discharge in the intervention group (42.9%) compared to the control group (27.4%). No difference was seen for PPOs. Poisson regression identified a significantly higher risk for PIMs at discharge in the control group compared to the intervention group (IRR 1.255; 95% CI 1.063–1.480, p = 0.007), but no effect for PPOs. Patients living in a nursing home, a home care facility, or an institution showed a higher risk of PPOs at discharge compared to patients living at home (IRR 1.378; 95% CI 1.156–1.644, p

Background: We aimed to investigate coronavirus diease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes in patients with amyloid A protein (AA) amyloidosis secondary to rheumatic diseases and discuss factors associated with disease course. Methods: A retrospective cohort was formed from adult patients with a diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. In patients with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and mortality due to COVID-19 were collected from medical records. Data regarding to demographics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, medical treatments, adherence to previous treatments during COVID-19 and treatment administered for COVID-19 were collected from hospital databases and patient reviews. Results: In 96 patients with AA amyloidosis, 16 had COVID-19 with a positive PCR. Ten (62.5%) patients were hospitalized, 2 (12.5%) were admitted to ICU, 1 (6.25%) was died. Hospitalized patients tended to be older. Comorbidities seemed to be more frequent in hospitalized patients. None of the patients had rapid progression to end-stage renal disease post-COVID-19. Seven patients had pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 proteinuria levels. Three had notable increase in proteinuria after COVID-19 in 2 of which amyloidosis treatment was revised accordingly. Conclusion: Despite high rates of hospitalization in AA amyloidosis patients, mortality was observed only in 1 patient. Progression of proteinuria requiring treatment adjustment may be an issue in these patients.

IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is a leukocytoclastic vasculitis affecting small vessels and is more common in children than in adults. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of oxidative stress in adult IgAV patients by Dynamic Thiol Disulfide Homeostasis (DTDH) and Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA) levels. We also aimed to correlate the presence of inflammation detected by C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Highly Sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) with these oxidative stress parameters. Forty-one IgAV patients and forty-five controls were included in the study. Patients were classified as "active" or "in remission" according to the British Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). Measured parameters were compared between the groups. DTDH, IMA, CRP and hsCRP parameters were analyzed in both patient and control groups. According to our results, disulfide (p=0.047), index 1 (p [Med-Science 2023; 12(3.000): 758-63]

Antioxidants, which have long been deemed an indispensable guardian of human health, play a pivotal role in bolstering the body's defense against a plethora of diseases. Three well-recognized seaweeds in Bangladesh, including Caulerpa racemosa, Padina tetrastromatica, and Hypnea musciformis, were subjected to meticulous analysis to reveal their phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial efficacy using advanced spectroscopic and disc diffusion methods. Intriguingly, we observed that C. racemosa emerges as frontrunners, possessing a substantial arsenal of phenol (143.08 ± 18.51 mg gallic acid equivalent g─1) and flavonoid (63.79 ± 2.16 mg rutin equivalent g─1). More fundamentally, C. racemosa exhibits a notable enrichment in the content of tannin (73.58 mg RE g─1) and chlorophyll (13.50 mg g─1), as well as, antioxidant capacity (4457.67 μg g─1). P. tetrastromatica, on the other hand, displayed commendable effectiveness in scavenging the DPPH radical, with percentages ranging from 53.98 to 62.17%. In terms of hydroxyl radical (OH•) scavenging activity, C. racemosa exhibited the highest efficacy at 400 g mL─1. Fascinatingly, C. racemosa exhibited an impressive antioxidant potential, as evidenced by its exceptionally low IC50 value of 5.58 μg mL−1 for OH• scavenging, whereas P. tetrastromatica showed impressively low value of 0.96 μg mL−1 for DPPH scavenging. Although the three seaweeds demonstrated limited efficacy against a spectrum of five human pathogenic bacteria, their potential as abundant sources of antioxidants remains unscathed. Notably, heatmap and PCA analysis revealed that C. racemosa and P. tetrastromatica emerge as the leading contender for studied antioxidant compounds, demonstrating their proclivity for antioxidant extraction, a trait that could be exploited for large-scale production of these valuable compounds.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk scores and the visceral adiposity index (VAI) in patients with psoriatic disease (PsD). Methods A total of 101 PsD patients meeting psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR) criteria and 98 healthy individuals were included in this study. Systematic coronary risk evaluation index (SCORE), Framingham risk score (FS), and VAI values in patients and VAI values in healthy individuals were calculated. Results The mean body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²) of the patients was 29.63±5.66. According to the SCORE measurements, the patients were classified as low risk, moderate risk, and high risk-53 (52.5%), 45 (44.6%), and 3 (3%), respectively. No patient was found to be at very high risk. According to the FS, the low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk patient rates were 72 (71.3%), 22 (21.8%), and 7 (6.9%), respectively. Statistically significantly higher rates of metabolic syndrome, obesity (BMI >30), and VAI levels were found in the PsA group compared to the healthy control group (p<0.05). Statistically significantly higher VAI levels were observed in PsA patients with metabolic syndrome, BMI >30 (obesity), diabetes mellitus, and hypertension compared to patients without these comorbidities (p<0.05). A statistically significant correlation was found between low- and moderate-risk FS and VAI levels of PsA patients. Conclusion Since VAI can be easily calculated using routine tests, it can provide information about cardiometabolic risks and comorbidities in newly diagnosed PsD patients. Keywords:Psoriatic disease, psoriatic arthritis, metabolic syndrome, visceral adiposity index, cardiovascular risk: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) are often associated with multiple comorbidities. Managing comorbidities now seen as important as management of primary IRDs. The aim of this study was to analyse the profiles and prevalence of comorbidities in patients with IRDs and also to highlight the critical need for comprehensive and routine screening for comorbidities. Methods. This study was a retrospective single-center study conducted between 2019 and 2023. IRDs were classified according to the following categories: rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, connective tissue diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, Behçet’s disease, large vessel vasculitis (LVV), small vessel vasculitis (SVV), and crystal deposition diseases (CDD). The demographic characteristics and comorbidities (including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, obesity, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, asthma, osteoporosis, thyroid diseases, demyelinating diseases, depression, and malignancies) were obtained from the electronic patient files. Results. The study included 10 417 patients with IRDs (mean age 50.9 ± 14.5 years; 66.8% female). The five most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (34.8%), obesity (29.1%), diabetes mellitus (14.1%), hyperlipidemia (12.1%), and osteoporosis (9.2%). The Poisson regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between the total number of comorbidities and CDD, LVV, and SVV. The most prevalent comorbidities were cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, the prevalence of osteoporosis was high in LVV, and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and asthma was high in SVV. Conclusion. Our study not only presents observational data but also highlights the critical need for comprehensive and routine screening for comorbidities in patients with rheumatic diseases. We found that CDD followed by LVV and SVV were identified as the rheumatic conditions most associated with comorbidities, and these diseases are most commonly accompanied by cardiovascular risk factors. Additionally, our findings suggest that patients with rheumatological conditions may be underscreened, leading to potential underdiagnosis of comorbidities such as hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, and possibly malignancies.

Objectives: Breast cancer is a type of cancer caused by the uncontrolled growth of cells in the breast tissue. In a few cases, erroneous diagnosis of breast cancer by specialists and unnecessary biopsies can lead to various negative consequences. In some cases, radiologic examinations or clinical findings may raise the suspicion of breast cancer, but subsequent detailed evaluations may not confirm cancer. In addition to causing unnecessary anxiety and stress to patients, such diagnosis can also lead to unnecessary biopsy procedures, which are painful, expensive, and prone to misdiagnosis. Therefore, there is a need for the development of more accurate and reliable methods for breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: In this study, we proposed an artificial intelligence (AI)‐based method for automatically classifying breast solid mass lesions as benign vs malignant. In this study, a new breast cancer dataset (Breast‐XD) was created with 791 solid mass lesions belonging to 752 different patients aged 18 to 85 years, which were examined by experienced radiologists between 2017 and 2022. Results: Six classifiers, support vector machine (SVM), K‐nearest neighbor (K‐NN), random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), logistic regression (LR), and XGBoost, were trained on the training samples of the Breast‐XD dataset. Then, each classifier made predictions on 159 test data that it had not seen before. The highest classification result was obtained using the explainable XGBoost model (X2GAI) with an accuracy of 94.34%. An explainable structure is also implemented to build the reliability of the developed model. Conclusions: The results obtained by radiologists and the X2GAI model were compared according to the diagnosis obtained from the biopsy. It was observed that our developed model performed well in cases where experienced radiologists gave false positive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]