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Background: The role of prolotherapy in the healing process of damaged tissues has been confirmed in patients with degenerative joint disease. Hypertonic dextrose has been introduced as the most common solution in prolotherapy for reducing pain and improving mobility in people with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This study aimed to compare the KOA patients undergoing hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) with the placebo in terms of pain intensity and functional level. Methods: This triple-blind study randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted on patients with mild to moderate KOA who were referred to the Rheumatic Diseases Research Center (RDRC), Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, in the year 2021. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups of the DPT (n = 47) and normal saline placebo prolotherapy (n = 50) intra- and peri-articular knee joints. Treatment was monthly for three months. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities’ Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS) were completed before and after intervention (weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16). The variables were compared between the two study groups at a significance level of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05). Results: The WOMAC score improved significantly compared to the baseline in both groups (P < 0.005). An increase in WOMAC score (the last follow-up compared to baseline) was 97.4% and 85.7% in DPT and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.06). Before the intervention and also after the first injection, the AKPS score in the normal saline group was significantly better than the dextrose group (P = 0.03). The AKPS score did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05) in the next two visits and two-month follow-ups. Improvement of AKPS score in the last follow-up compared to baseline was reported in 66.7% and 68.4% of patients in the normal saline group and dextrose group, respectively, (P = 0.86). Conclusion: Prolotherapy as intra- and peri-articular injections of hypertonic dextrose could be used to relieve pain and improve functional status in patients with mild to moderate KOA as much as a placebo does. Although no remarkable difference was observed between dextrose and placebo in the outcomes, the rate of improvement (last follow-up compared to the baseline) was relatively higher in the dextrose group than in the normal saline group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The attentive management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has attracted particular attention. The German 7-joint Ultrasound (US-7) is the first scoring system that combines bone erosions and soft tissue lesions in a single composite scoring system. This study aimed to assess the correlation between US-7 and Disease Activity Score Using 28 Joint Counts (DAS28) in clinically active RA patients. The efficacy of a novel ultrasound score-based system, the US-9 score (joints assessed with US-7 plus knees), was also compared with the standard US-7 score. Methods: All the RA patients referred to the outpatient rheumatology clinic of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, during 2019-2020 were included. 28 joints were clinically examined to calculate DAS28. Nine joints were assessed comprising the German US-7 plus knees using grayscale ultrasonography (GSUS) and power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS). Retrieved data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 22. The Spearman Correlation test was used to find the correlation between DAS28 and ultrasonographic findings. The statistical significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: This study was composed of thirty-five RA patients with a mean age of 49.1±12.0 years. US-7 synovitis scores in GSUS and PDUS were significantly correlated with DAS28 (P=0.02, r=0.38 and P=0.003, r=0.48, respectively). US-9 synovitis scores in GSUS and PDUS were also significantly correlated with DAS28 (P=0.003, r=0.49 and P=0.006, r=0.45, respectively). The synovitis score measured by GSUS was significantly correlated with the GSUS knee synovial score (P=0.01, r=0.42). Conclusion: Ultrasound assessment of large joints such as knees can be an effective approach to determining RA severity. However, it can be proposed that adding more involved joints into the sonographic assessment does not necessarily provide a better clinical correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As a chronic autoimmune disease, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects the joints. Studies have shown a complex and challenging link between cancer and RA. However, articles claim a significant relationship between cancer and treatment with DMARDs and biological DMARDs (e.g., Abatacept); however, the results are contradictory. Accordingly, this systematic review investigates the prevalence of cancer in RA patients taking Abatacept. Methods: We searched for articles published in four databases, namely Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, and Scopus up to September 29, 2023. The methodology followed recommendations from the Cochrane Handbook. During the search process, we selected articles using keywords such as "rheumatoid arthritis", "malignancy", and "cancer" with the Boolean operators "AND" and "OR"." Results: A total of 12 studies were considered, the majority highlighted the effectiveness of Abatacept as an anti-RA medicine in the risk of cancer prevalence. Most of the patients investigated in the trials were female. Lung cancer was the greatest malignancy in those suffering from RA diseases. However, these investigations found no significant link between Abatacept use and cancer risk. Conclusion: There is speculation regarding the potential use of rheumatoid arthritis drugs in treating RA and its potential association with cancer incidence. According to the findings presented in this review article, there was no statistically significant association between the utilization of Abatacept and the prevalence of cancer in patients who were administered Abatacept either as a standalone treatment or in combination with other anti-rheumatoid medications. However, it is advised that further clinical trials be conducted to thoroughly investigate this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder that its symptoms could affect all aspects of a patient’s quality of life (QoL).This study aimed to assess the quality of life of SLE patients and compare them with those of healthy individuals. It also attempted to compare the QoL of SLE patients suffering from minor and major organ involvement to that of healthy individuals. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Rheumatic Diseases Research Center, Mashhad, Iran, from 2018 to 2019. A total of 280 participants were selected and divided into two groups of patients with SLE (n=139, one of whom was excluded from the case group due to the lack of information.) and healthy controls (n=140). After obtaining the demographic characteristics of the general health, the groups were compared using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF36) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Results: The mean QoL score was significantly lower in SLE patients, compared to the healthy controls (P<0.001). The total score of QoL was also lower in patients with lung involvement, compared to the healthy controls (P<0.05). Moreover, according to the WHOQOL-BREF, environmental health was lower in patients with lung and skin involvement, compared to the healthy controls (P=0.01). According to the results obtained from the SF-36 questionnaire, the total QoL status was lower in patients with both minor and major organ involvement, compared to the healthy controls (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference between patients with joint involvement and the healthy controls regarding QoL (P=0.02). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, SLE can negatively alter QoL. The severity and activity of the disease in some major organs, including the lung and joints, were associated with reduced QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glucocorticoid receptor a (GRa) gene is a transcription factor with clinically significant immune-modulating properties in various autoimmune diseases. However, the expression pattern of the GRa gene and associations with clinical features in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is controversial. This study aimed to assess the correlation between the GRa expression and different clinical and laboratory-related parameters in SLE patients. Methods: A total of 45 women with newly diagnosed SLE and 31 gender and agematched healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCT) method evaluated the differences in GRa expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cases and controls. The correlation between the GRa gene expression levels, clinicolaboratory features, and potential prognostic application was also analyzed. Results: Compared to the healthy individuals, the GRa gene expression in newly diagnosed SLE patients who did not receive any treatment was numerically reduced, but this reduction did not achieve statistical significance (P=0.87). No significant correlation was also found with the activity and severity of SLE according to SLEDAI2K (P=0.41). The GRa gene expression showed a negative correlation with CRP (P=0.034) and a positive correlation with lupus anticoagulant (P=0.039) levels in SLE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that the GRa expression level might be a predictor biomarker for low CRP and positive lupus anticoagulant in SLE, respectively. Conclusion: This study proposed that expression of the GRa in newly diagnosed lupus patients has no statistically significant difference with healthy age and sex-matched controls. Besides, its expression does not correlate with lupus disease activity according to SLEDAI2k. However, further studies in this area are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Health care systems all over the world face numerous challenges as a result of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus that has resulted in increased mortality rates. About 40% of ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients were not severely ill at the time of admission. Thus, by using appropriate ICU admission predictors, clinicians can identify potential critical patients early on. It can also result in suitable resource allocation and consideration for these patients. Therefore, the current study was done with the aim of identifying clinical characteristics and laboratory data that could predict ICU admission in cases with COVID-19. Methods: This two-center retrospective observational study was done in Imam Reza and Ghaem Hospitals, Mashhad, Iran. Overall, 334 COVID-19 patients who referred to these hospitals from February to May 2020 were enrolled in this study. The participants were separated into two groups according to ICU admission status. All demographic, clinical, and paraclinical information were extracted from the medical records of the patients. Results: The present study composed of 88 ICU and 246 non-ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients. No significant differences were found in age between the two groups of patients (P=0.154). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that higher levels of CRP (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.001-1.010, P=0.016), WBC (OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22, P=0.03), and HRCT scores (OR=1.08, 95%CI=1.01-1.16, P=0.037) were linked to higher odds of ICU admission. Conclusion: This study suggests that higher levels of CRP, WBC, and LDH, as well as the HRCT score at the time of admission, were potential independent predictors of ICU admission during inpatient treatment in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]