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Aim of the work: To determine the frequency of depression in Behçet’s disease (BD) patients and to clarify its burden on patients’ clinical manifestations, disease activity status and quality of life (QoL). Patients and methods: 35 BD patients with 35 matched control were included in this study. Disease activity was assessed by Behçet Syndrome Activity Score (BSAS). All participants were requested to complete the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), Multidimensional assessment of fatigue (MAF) questionnaire and the short form-36 (SF-36) QoL Scale. Results: The mean age of the patients was 40.3 ± 13.5 years (17–72 years) and they were 27 males and 8 females. The frequency of depression in BD patients was 74.3% with increased male frequency (p = 0.007) and major organ involvement (p = 0.04) among depressed patients. Significant differences (p

Background: Increased coronary artery atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may cause significant mortality. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that has been involved in RA pathogenesis and atherosclerosis. Aim of the work: To determine the association between TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and carotid atherosclerosis in RA patients. Patients and methods: This study was carried out on 50 RA patients and 40 age and sex matched healthy control. All patients were subjected to full history taking, thorough clinical examination, and assessment of disease activity score (DAS28). Carotid artery intima–media thickness (IMT) was measured by Doppler ultrasonography. TNF-α −308A/G (rs1800629) polymorphism was assessed. Results: The mean age of patients was 41.2 ± 13.2 years with disease duration of 6.1 ± 4.5 years. The mean DAS28 was 4.1 ± 0.8 and Larsen score 2.1 ± 0.9. The mean IMT was significantly higher in patients (0.78 ± 0.47 mm) compared to the control (0.44 ± 0.16 mm) (p

Aim of the work: To investigate serum and synovial fluid levels of IL-17 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and its correlation with disease activity and severity. Patients and methods: 20 RA patients together with 20 primary knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients and 15 healthy individuals matched for age and sex as control groups were enrolled in this study. Both RA and KOA patients presented with knee effusion. Paired samples of serum and synovial fluid (SF) were collected from RA, OA patients and serum samples from the healthy individuals. RA disease activity was assessed using DAS-28 score and power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) according to the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR). Radiographic damage was evaluated according to Larsen score. Results: Serum levels of IL-17 were significantly elevated in RA patients compared to controls (p