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Objective: To investigate the relationship between disease activity and the involvement of Behçet's disease (BD) and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23. Methods: Sixty patients with BD and 20 healthy control group subjects were included in this study. The patients were divided into four groups according to clinical findings as follows: entero-Behçet, mucocutaneous-Behçet, neuro-Behçet and vascular-Behçet. The serum levels of the IL-17 and IL-23 levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Of the BD patients, 15 (25%) had active disease and 45 (75%) had inactive disease. The serum levels of IL-23 and IL-17 were statistically significantly higher in the patients with BD than in the control groups (p < 0.05). A significant relationship was also observed between the disease activity, and both the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein levels (p < 0.05). The mean serum levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in patients with active disease were 0.07 ± 0.25 pg/ml and 36.0 ± 30.5 pg/ml, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between the disease activity and the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-23 (p > 0.05). There were also statistically significant relationships between the disease activity and uveitis, retinal vasculitis or superficial thrombophlebitis. Conclusion: No relationship was found between BD and serum levels of the IL-17 and the IL-23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with an extension of approximation properties of generalized sampling series to weighted spaces of functions. A pointwise and uniform convergence theorem for the series is proved for functions belonging to weighted spaces. A rate of convergence by means of weighted moduli of continuity is presented and a quantitative Voronovskaja-type theorem is obtained.

Background: Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is one of the most common acquired causes of hypercoagulability. The 2023 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) / European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) APS Classification Criteria were specified as new APS classification criteria with high specificity for use in observational studies and research. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria in a real-world rheumatology department., Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center study evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of the 2006 revised Sapporo and 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria in patients diagnosed with APS through clinical evaluation. A total of 184 patients, 103 of whom were diagnosed with APS, were included in the study., Results: The 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria demonstrate higher specificity 98.8% (95% CI 93.3-99.8) and positive predictive value (PPV) 98.7% (95% CI 93.2-99.8). The revised Sapporo criteria exhibit higher sensitivity 90.3% (95% CI 83-96.6), negative predictive value (NPV) 88.1% (95% CI 79.4-93.4), and accuracy 90.8% (95% CI 85.7-94.1). When the diagnosis of APS was accepted according to the revised Sapporo criteria, the sensitivity of the 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria was 77% (95% CI 67.8-84.2), specificity 97.6% (95% CI 91.7-99.3), PPV 97.5% (95% CI 69.3-84.9) and NPV 78.1% (95% CI 69.3-84.9)., Conclusion: The 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria have low sensitivity and high specificity compared to the revised Sapporo APS classification criteria. The increase in specificity is due to risk assessment in thromboses and strict obstetric and laboratory criteria., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no conflict of Interest.

Background/aim: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the commonalities and distinctions between patients with seronegative and seropositive primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS)., Materials and Methods: The records of 399 patients with pSS seen between January 2010 and June 2023 were retrospectively examined. Patients with negative antiSSA/Ro, antiSSB/La, ANA, and RF antibodies comprised the seronegative group, while patients with at least one positive antibody were included in the seropositive group., Results: The most common clinical features between the groups were arthralgia (81.2%), arthritis (11.5%), hematological involvement (19.8%), and pulmonary involvement (11.8%). In 41 patients (10.3%), no autoantibody positivity was detected. The number of patients with at least one extraarticular involvement was statistically more frequent in the seropositive group (p = 0.011). Dry mouth was found to be more prevalent among seronegative patients (p = 0.003). While hyperimmune gammaglobulinemia exhibited a higher prevalence within the seropositive group (p = 0.004), the occurrence of reduced complement levels was at similar rates in both groups. All deaths were observed exclusively within the seropositive group (17/358, 4.7%). No difference was observed between the two groups concerning mortality (p = 0.237) and malignancies (seropositive group: 9/358, 2.5% vs. seronegative group: 3/41, 7.3%, p = 0.115). There was a statistically significant association between low C4 levels (OR = 2.99 [1.09-8.16], p = 0.045 in model 1, OR = 3.10 [1.14-8.42], p = 0.022 in model 2), and the extraarticular findings., Conclusion: While hematological, renal, pulmonary, and neurological involvements are observed with similar frequency in both seronegative and seropositive pSS patients, the presence of extraarticular manifestations was more common in seropositive patients. Additionally, there was a relationship between extraarticular involvement and low C4 levels., Competing Interests: Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflict interest., (© TÜBİTAK.)

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate hearing loss in patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to investigate the relation between hearing loss, subtypes of the disease, its duration and clinical findings, and antibody positivity., Methods: The study included 47 patients with SSc and 44 healthy controls. Audiometric, tympanometric, and otoacoustic emission measurements were applied to both groups., Results: The evaluation of the participants medical history showed that among the patients with SSc, 19.1% experienced ear fullness, 27.7% experienced vertigo, and 36.2% experienced tinnitus. Hearing loss was detected in 23.4% of the patients with SSc. The corresponding result was 4.3% in the control group with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001). Transient-evoked otoacoustic emission amplitude values were significantly lower in the patients' both ears with SSc than the control group (p < 0.005). Duration of disease was significantly longer, and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide values were significantly higher in the patients with SSc and sensorineural hearing loss., Conclusions: The present study found that the incidence of hearing loss was significantly higher in the study group than in the healthy control group. In addition to other organ involvements, cochlear involvement occurs in these patients, and further studies are required., (© Japan College of Rheumatology 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Propionibacterium freudenreichii is crucial in Swiss-type cheese manufacture. Classic propionic acid fermentation yields the nutty flavor and the typical eyes. Co-metabolism of aspartate pronounces the flavor of the cheese; however, it also increases the size of the eyes, which can induce splitting and reduce the cheese quality. Aspartase (EC 4.3.1.1) catalyzes the deamination of aspartate, yielding fumarate and ammonia. The aspartase activity varies considerably among P. freudenreichii strains. Here, the correlation between aspartase activity and the locus of aspartase-encoding genes (aspA ) and dcuA encoding the C4-dicarboxylate transporter was investigated in 46 strains to facilitate strain selection for cheese culture. Low aspartase activity was correlated with a particular genomic rearrangement: low in vitro aspartase activity always occurred in strains with gene clusters aspA - dcuA where the dcuA was frameshifted, producing a stop codon or was disrupted by an ISL3-like element. The low aspartase activity could be due to the protein sequence of the aspartase or a dysfunctional DcuA. The highest values of aspartase activity were detected in strains with aspA1 - aspA2-dcuA with a DcuA sequence sharing 99.07 - 100% identity with the DcuA sequence of strain DSM 20271 T and an additional C4-dicarboxylate transporter belonging to the DcuAB family., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)