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Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with diverse clinical manifestations and relapsing - remitting disease course. Nephritis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with lupus. Many clinical parameters and laboratory markers can be used to evaluate disease activity and nephritis. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are positively associated with inflammatory disorders. Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between NLR and PLR in peripheral blood and renal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods: 63 patients were diagnosed with SLE according to the criteria of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics 2012 (SLICC 2012) and were treated at the Internal Medicine Department of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Thua Thien Hue province, in central Vietnam, from February 2020 to July 2021. This study included 41 SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and 22 SLE patients without renal involvement. Results: The mean age of the study group was 31.67 ± 12.10. The most common age group was 21-50 years old, accounting for 69.8%. Females accounted for 90.5% and the female-to-male ratio stood at 9.5:1. Clinical and laboratory characteristics: acute cutaneous lupus 50.8%, subacute cutaneous lupus 11.1%, oral ulcers 27%, non - scarring alopecia 47.6%, arthritis 61.9%, pleural or pericardial effusion 30.2%, renal involvement 65.1%, neuropsychiatric damage 4.8%, anemia 81.0%, leukopenia 22.2%, neutropenia 11.1%, lymphopenia 41.3%, thrombocytopenia 15.9%, hemolytic anemia 15.9%, positive ANA antibody 61.9%, positive anti-ds DNA antibody 52.4%. Acute cutaneous lupus and arthritis in SLE patients without the nephritis group were higher than in the LN group (p < 0.05). Anemia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, positive ANA, anti-ds DNA in the LN group were higher than SLE patients without nephritis (p < 0.05). SLE patients with LN had higher levels of NLR than those without nephritis. While PLR had no remarkable difference between these two groups. NLR was positively correlated with CRP, serum creatinine, and 24-hour urinary protein. PLR was positively correlated with the SLEDAI score. The best NLR to predict LN was 4.97 with a sensitivity of 51.2% and a specificity of 95.5% (AUC = 0.742, 95% CI, 0.617 - 0.866, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Most of the clinical manifestations in SLE patients according to SLICC 2012 criteria were lupus nephritis, arthritis, and acute cutaneous lupus. PLR was positively correlated with the SLEDAI score. NLR could predict renal involvement in SLE patients. Keywords: Lupus nephritis, ANA, anti-ds DNA, NLR, PLR.

Introduction/Background: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that commonly occurs in the elderly population. Treatment goals include pain relief, improvement in knee function, improved quality of life and reduction in disability. Several studies describe the use of biological therapies such as autosomal plateletrich plasma as effective and safe methods in the treatment of pain and joint dysfunction caused by knee osteoarthritis. Objectives: To evaluate the analgesic, mobility functional improvement efficacy, and safety of intraarticular autosomal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the primary knee osteoarthritis treatment. Materials and Methods: Prospective descriptive study of 38 knee joints of 31 patients was diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria and in Kellgen & Lawrence grade II, III. The patient was assessed about clinical features, subclinical features and the VAS score, Lequesne index at the initial of the study and 30 days later. Results: The VAS score at 30 days postinjection of PRP lower than the initial value with a statistically significant difference (40.55 ± 9.65 and 65.71 ± 10.06, respectively, with p < 0.001). The Lequesne index at 30 days post-injection of PRP lower than the initial value with a statistically significant difference (12.50 ± 2.64 and 16.74 ± 2.40, respectively, with p < 0.001). The improvement of VAS score and Lequesne index is better in the patient with Kellgren & Lawrence grade II than those with Kellgren & Lawrence grade III (27.24 ± 6.55 and 22.59 ± 5.95, respectively, with p < 0.05). The incidence of the observed complications was not reported in this study. Conclusions: The intraarticular PRP injection in the primary knee osteoarthritis treatment is a safe approaching and has a significant effect on pain relief and physical function improving after 30 days. The improvement of the VAS score and Lequesne index is greater in the patient with the early grade on Kellgren & Lawrence classification. Key words: Knee osteoarthritis, intraarticular injection, autosomal platelet-rich plasma, PRP.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and sub-clinical features in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) according to the criteria of the ACR/SLICC 2015, studying the relationship between clinical and sub-clinical features. Methods: This was a descriptive cross - sectional study of 74 SLE patients admitted to Nephrology – Rheumatology Department of Hue Central Hospital and General Medicine - Endocrinology Department of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital from March 2020 to March 2021. Results: Malar rash 70.3%, photosensitivity 66.2%, discoid rash 18.9%, non – scarring alopecia 75.7%, oral ulcers 21.6%, arthritis 54.1%, serositis 2.7%, neurology and/or psychosis damage 5.4%, kidney involvement 75.7%, hematologic: leukopenia 40.5%, lymphopenia 56.8%, thrombocytopenia 41.9%, hemolytic anemia 16.2%, positive ANA 74.3%, positive anti-dsDNA 64.9%. Positive ANA in non – scarring alopecia group was higher than the group without (p < 0.05); positive anti-dsDNA in malar rash group was higher than the group without (p < 0.05); the risk of kidney involvement was higher in the group with positive anti-dsDNA (OR = 3.1; p < 0.05), the rates of anemia and thrombocytopenia in kidney involvement groups were higher than the group without (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In this study cohort, the clinical, subclinical features according to the criteria of the ACR/ SLICC 2015 that had the highest rate were non – scarring alopecia and kidney involvement, followed by malar rash, photosensitivity. ANA positivity in the non-scarring alopecia group was higher. Anti-dsDNA positivity in malar rash group was higher. The risk of potential kidney disorders was higher in the group with positive anti-dsDNA. The rates of anemia and thrombocytopenia in the potential kidney disorders group were higher. Key words: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, ACR/SLICC 2015, ANA, anti ds DN

Objectives: To estimate percentage of low bone mineral density (BMD) in rheumatoid arthritis patients; survey the relationship between bone mineral density and factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), menopause, disease duration, disease activity level, low factor (RF), Anti Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide (anti-CCP), C-reactive Protein (CRP), 1st- hour erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), cortisol. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 74 patients which diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at General Internal Medicine – Endocrinology Department of Hue University Hospital and Nephrology – Rheumatology Department of Hue Central Hospital from April 2020 to May 2021. Statistical analysis methods were description, compare means, bivariate correlation, univariate logistic analysis was performed. Result: In the RA patients, 31.08% had osteoporosis, 44.59% had osteopenia, and 24.33% had normal BMD. The mean of BMD at lumbar spine is 0.788±0.155 g/cm2 and at femoral neck is 0.779 ± 0.186 g/cm2. BMD had associated with sex, menopause, and significantly correlated with age, BMI, duration of disease. Conclusion: In RA patients, 63.51% had low BMD. Osteoporosis screening should be considered in clinical practice to promptly detect, treat and prevent the risk of osteoporosis fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Key words: bone mineral density, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To study clinical, subclinical features and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of Secukinumab in patients with active Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). Patients and methods: Descriptive, comparative, retrospective and prospective study, combination with treatment intervention in patients diagnosis with AS, following to modified ACR-1984 criteria (New York criteria) who are inpatient or outpatient in the Department of General Internal Medicine - Endocrinology of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and in the Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology of Hue Central Hospital from May 2018 to August 2019. Results: The study recruited of 38 patients, (76.3% males) with mean age of 29.76 ± 9.75 years old. The age of onset was about 23 years old and the percentage of patients who were diagnosed AS under 30 years old was 73.7%. The majority of patients were hospitalized with severe pain (92.1%), in which 86.8% of patients sufferred from spinal pain, 71.1% of patients showed peripheral joint pain, commonly seen in hip joints (44.7%). Other common symptoms were lumbar Schober (about 3 cm), hand to ground distance (about 20 cm), median BASDAI score: 4.15 ± 1.01, median ASDAS-CRP: 3.81 ± 0.94, increasing CRP (81.58%), increasing erythrocyte sedimentation rate (81.6%), the percentage of HLA-B27 (+): 81.25% (for patients who have received this test). For patients treated with Fraizeron, in general, there were changes in patient global assessment, noctural back pain, peripheral swelling, lumbar Schober, hand to ground distance, BASDAI, ASDAS-CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP. These changes were positive with p < 0.05. When we assessed the safety of Secukinumab, we did not record any clinical or subclinical undesirable effects. Conclusion: At week 16, Secukinumab has been effectively shown to improve clinical symptoms as well as subclinical symptoms in patients with AS. It is also considered safe for use in these patients. Key words: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Secukinumab