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Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessively-inherited disorder typically manifested by recurrent attacks of fever and polyserositis. The articular disease occurs in 50–70% of patients. Bone scintigraphy is more sensitive in the diagnosis of arthritis than clinical examination or conventional radiological imaging, allowing earlier diagnosis through the visualization of disease in multiple sites. To assess joint involvements in FMF patients with or without joint symptoms, bone scintigraphy was performed in 36 patients with FMF and in 25 controls. There was arthritis in 72% of patients. Of these, 65% knee, 42% ankle, 50% sacroiliac, 8% elbow, 8% wrist, 4% sternoclavicular and 4% hip involvements were found. The sacroiliac joints with sacroiliac index higher than 1.34 were diagnosed as sacroiliitis, which was higher than 2 SD of normal. FMF is frequently associated with joint disease such as knee and ankle arthritis and sacroiliitis. This high incidence of sacroiliitis in our study has not been previously reported. This difference could be explained by the different methodology used for the screening of the joints. Thus, we recommend that bone scintigraphy can be used in patients with FMF to determine the presence of arthritis, especially in sacroiliac joints, even asymptomatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Behçet’s disease is a systemic vasculitis in which studies have given conflicting results about ventricular diastolic functions. However, tissue Doppler echocardiography has never been used in any of these studies. Aortic stiffness, a cardiovascular risk factor, may also precede ventricular dysfunction. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess aortic stiffness and biventricular diastolic functions in patients with Behçet’s disease. Methods: A total of 26 patients with Behçet’s disease (mean age; 33±10 years) and 20 age- and sex-matched controls (mean age; 33±7 years) were included. Aortic stiffness was evaluated by aortic strain and distensibility. Ventricular diastolic functions were evaluated with both conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Mitral E and A wave, E/ A ratio of E wave, deceleration time, and isovolumic relaxation time were calculated. Results: There was no significant difference in diastolic Doppler parameters between patients and controls. Similarly, there was no significant difference in mitral annular E and A velocities between these two groups. Aortic strain in patients with Behçet’s disease was found to be significantly less than in the controls (8.3±4.9% and 15.7±2.7% respectively, p<0.001). Aortic distensibility was also significantly low in patients with Behçet’s disease when compared to controls (0.45±0.28 and 0.78±0.13 respectively, p<0.001). Beta index values were significantly high in Behçet’s patients (7.23±5.93 and 2.69±0.55 respectively, p<0.001). Conclusion: No significant diastolic dysfunction was found in left and right ventricles in patients with Behçet’s disease by using both conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. However, an increase in aortic stiffness was found, suggesting an inflammatory involvement of proximal aorta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare plasma Platelet-activating factor (PAF) and P-selectin (CD62P) activities in Behçet's disease patients with and without thrombosis. Methods: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, 30 consecutive Behçet's patients were included, 15 of them with venous thrombosis. All patients were also divided into two subgroups according to the presence or absence of clinical activity. Plasma PAF levels, basal and Ca+ + ionophore (A23187)-induced leukocyte (cellular) PAF activities, and platelet-rich plasma ΔCD62P activity (the mean fluorescent density difference between CD62P phycoerythrin-positive and -negative stains) were evaluated. Results: In the thrombotic group, plasma PAF (P=0.001), basal leukocyte PAF (P=0.017), induced leukocyte PAF (P = 0.024), and ΔCD62P (P = 0.023) levels were significantly higher than in the nonthrombotic group. In the whole group of Behçet's patients, there was a positive correlation between plasma PAF and ΔCD62P levels (r = 0.533, P = 0.002). When we compared clinically active and inactive patients with respect to the above parameters, there was no significant difference, irrespective of thrombosis. Plasma PAF (P=0.001), basal leukocyte PAF (P=0.004), and ΔCD62P (P = 0.038) levels were significantly higher in the presence of both clinical activity and thrombosis than of clinical activity alone. Conclusion: Platelet-activating factor and CD62P may contribute to endothelial injury and thrombosis development in Behçet's disease. These two parameters seem related to the presence of thrombosis rather than clinical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases and autoantibodies in patients with chronic fasciolosis (CF) was investigated. Methods: Thyroid function of 32 patients with CF and 72 patients without fasciolosis infection was evaluated biochemically. Thyroid hormones, antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were measured. Results: In patients with CF, the prevalences of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin were 21.9% (7/32) and 15.6% (5/32) respectively. However, thyroid function disorder was identified in only 3 (9.4%) cases. In the control group, TPOAb and TgAb were determined in 2 (2.7%) cases, but no one had thyroid function disorder. The prevalences of thyroid autoantibodies (χ2: 7.948, p < 0.01) and autoimmune thyroid diseases (χ2: 4.007, p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the CF group. Conclusions: The high prevalence of TPOAb and TgAb in CF suggests that patients with CF should be evaluated for autoimmune thyroid disorders at the time of diagnosis and during the follow-up period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]