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This study evaluated interleukin-6 levels as an activity criterion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compared if with other activity criteria. We evaluated 35 patients with active RA, 31 with inactive RA, and 25 patients with osteoarthritis, in addition to 28 healthy individuals. Serum interleukin-6 levels were higher in active RA patients than in those with inactive RA, or osteoarthritis and healthy individuals (P<0.001). Serum interleukin-6 levels of patients with active RA were positively correlated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, anda2-globulin levels (P<0.001), but there was a negative correlation with serum albumin levels (P<0.05). We conclude that interleukin-6 can be responsible for both the most systemic manifestations of RA and for its local manifestations.

Ölmez Ü, Turgay M, Özenirler S, Tutkak H, Düzgün N, Duman M, Tokgöz G. Association of HLA Class I and Class II Antigens with Rheumatic Fever in a Turkish Population. Scand J Rheumatol 22: 49-52.The distribution of class I and class II HLA antigens of 100 Turkish patients with rheumatic fever, 77 of whom had cardiac involvement, was examined. We compared the results with a control group of identical origin. The frequency of HLA A10 and HLA B35 antigens were found significantly higher in patients with rheumatic fever (p<0.05. p<0.01, respectively). The frequency of HLA A10 and HLA DRw11 in patients with cardiac involvement were significantly higher than in those without cardiac involvement (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). On the other hand, HLA Cw2 antigen frequency was found significantly higher in patients without cardiac involvement than in those with rheumatic heart disease (p<0.05). We support the concept that rheumatic fever is an immunological reaction to group A, beta hemolytic streptococci in individuals who have genetic prcedisposition.

Presents letters to the editor in response to articles published in previous editions of "Newsweek " (International Edition). Responses to the article "Africa Leaps Forward," on African development, in the July 11, 2005 edition; Responses to the article "Fate of the World," on global warming, in the July 11, 2005 edition; Response to the article "Toyota Triumphs," in the May 9, 2005 edition; Others.

This study was designed to evaluate the association between certain HLA antigens and tympanosclerosis. The serum concentrations of HLA antigens were measured by microlymphocytotoxicity technique in patients with tympanosclerosis and compared with a healthy control group. The serum levels of HLA-B35 and -DR3 were significantly higher in the patients with tympanosclerosis. This result suggests that certain types of HLA antigens may play an important role as an indicator or mediator in the pathogenesis of tympanosclerosis.

Lipoid proteinosis (Urbach–Wiethe disease (Urbach, E and Wiethe, C, Lipoidosis cutis mucosae, Virchows Arch. Patholog. Anat., 273, 285–319 (1929)) is a rare generalized disease with autosomal recessive inheritance. It most often involves the skin and mucosal membranes of the aerodigestive tract; but also involves the central nervous system, lung, lymph nodes and striated muscles. We present the computed tomography findings in the cranium and larynx of two siblings with lipoid proteinosis.

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with disproteinemia (AILD) is a systemic lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by constitutional symptoms such as generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and skin rash. In this article, we report on a patient with seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis of 18 years duration who recently developed AILD.

Presents readers' letters in response to articles in previous issues of `Newsweek.' Slobodan Milosevic's responsibility for the war in Serbian province of Kosovo; Vice President Al Gore's interest in national security; Serbian nationalism; Genocide; Relocation of German government from Bonn to Berlin; Tibet and China.

Presents readers' letters in response to articles in previous issues of `Newsweek.' Slobodan Milosevic's responsibility for the war in the Serbian province of Kosovo; Al Gore's interest in national security; Serbian nationalism; Genocide; Relocation of German government from Bonn to Berlin; Tibet and China.

Presents readers' letters in response to the March 1, 1999 `Newsweek' article, `A Kurdish Inferno.' Role of the European Union in Greece's decision in favor of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of a terrorist group; The cultural rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey; Italy allowing Ocalan to leave the country without a trial; How the Treaty of Sevres in 1920 could have given Armenia and Kurdistan their statehood.

Presents readers' letters in response to the March 1, 1999 `Newsweek' article, `A Kurdish Inferno.' Role of the European Union in Greece's decision in favor of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of a terrorist group; The cultural rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey; Italy allowing Ocalan to leave the country without a trial; How the Treaty of Sevres in 1920 could have given Armenia and Kurdistan their statehood.

Presents readers' letters in response to `The Wolf at the Door' in the March 16, 1998, issue of `Newsweek.' Hope that the United States will respond to the tragedy caused by the regime of President Slobodan Milosevic; Objection to the suggestion that the Serbs and the Muslims are equally to blame, when it is the Serbs who are killing the Muslims; Objection to the reference to Albanians as Muslims without referring to Serbs as Orthodox; Other viewpoints.