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Aim: This study examines treatment patterns and preferences among patients diagnosed with Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) across different age groups. Material and Method: Ankara Bilkent City Hospital registry enabled a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of 2,811 patients stratified into three age groups: 18-40, 41-55, and over 55 years. These groups were compared in terms of their treatments. Results: Our findings indicate an increasing prevalence of female patients and comorbidities with age. Medication usage patterns showed a trend towards increased use of Methotrexate and Colchicine with age, while Sulfasalazine and Leflunomide were more commonly prescribed in older age groups. Notably, the use of biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs), including anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor (anti-TNF)", "anti-Interleukin (anti-IL) agents, demonstrated a declining trend with advancing age, though not reaching statistical significance. This trend was also reflected in gender-specific treatment distributions, where no significant difference was found in bDMARDs administration among patients over 55 years, contrasting with a higher usage rate in younger male patients. Conclusion: Our study highlights a shift towards more conservative treatment approaches, such as increased conventional synthetic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (csDMARDs) use in older patients, likely due to their safety profile and the specific challenges associated with treating older adults, including higher comorbidity rates and medication side effects. These findings emphasize the need for personalized treatment strategies and suggest potential adjustments in clinical practices to better accommodate the aging population, advocating for ongoing research to optimize treatment efficacy and safety for elderly patients with AxSpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Long-COVID refers to a variety of symptoms that continue for at least 4 weeks following the onset of acute COVID-19 infection. "Microclots/microvasculopathy" is a potential cutting-edge theory. Nailfold capillaroscopy is a non-invasive method used to assess microvascularity. In this study, we aimed to compare baseline characteristics and capillaroscopic findings of patients with and without long-COVID syndrome. METHODS: Baseline clinical characteristics of 53 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were recorded. At the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, patients underwent nailfold capillaroscopy. One year later, patients were rescreened for long-COVID symptoms. Comparisons were made between patients with and without long-COVID syndrome in terms of their baseline characteristics and capillaroscopic findings. RESULTS: There were 35 individuals (66%) with long-COVID syndrome. The most common symptoms related to long-COVID were fatigue (43.4%), myalgia (34%), arthralgia (20.8%), dyspnea (20.8%). In total, 22 patients (41.5%) had abnormal capillaroscopy findings. Like other baseline characteristics, the proportion of patients with abnormal capillaroscopic findings (40% vs 44%, p=0.76) was similar between patients with and without long-COVID syndrome. CONCLUSION: Microvasculopathy and microthrombotic vascular damage are among the strongest hypotheses discussed in this regard. Our results may suggest that factors, rather than baseline microvasculopathy, may drive pathophysiological mechanism underlying the poorly understood long-COVID syndrome [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a higher incidence in older adults. We aimed to analyze the differences in the choice of RA treatment regimens across various age groups. A retrospective cohort study using data from the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Registry was conducted, involving 3,475 RA patients categorized into three age groups: 18-49, 50-64, and over 65 years. Key variables examined included demographics, comorbidities, and utilization of various treatment modalities, including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFi), targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs), and other biological treatments. Statistical analysis was done with Jamovi software. The study found significant differences in drug prescriptions among age groups. Older patients (>65 years) were less likely to be prescribed methotrexate and sulfasalazine but more likely to receive leflunomide and colchicine. A decline in the use of TNFi and tsDMARDs with age was noted, while other biologics were consistently used across all ages. Our findings underscore the impact of age on treatment choices in RA, revealing a tendency towards less aggressive treatment approaches in older patients. We emphasize the importance of re-evaluating current treatment protocols to better accommodate the health needs of the aging RA population and enhance their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry and medical research. AI offers possibilities for faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases, personalized treatments, and the discovery of new drugs. AI-driven medical imaging can enhance healthcare quality by identifying conditions at early stages, reducing pressure on doctors and improving diagnostic procedures. AI also has the potential to significantly improve the drug development process, simplify clinical trials, and recommend personalized treatments. However, the integration of AI into medical research requires interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical considerations, and patient safety. AI is also shaping the future of healthcare through robotic surgical systems and telemedicine. While there are potential benefits, it is important to adhere to academic ethics and research standards to maintain integrity and trust in the scientific community. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To investigate the association between vascular inflammation, as detected by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and interleukin-6 (IL-6), pentraxin3, and B-cell-activating factor (BAFF) in subjects with LVV. Methods: The study included newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA, n=27) or Takayasu arteritis (n=9) patients and healthy control (HC, n=31) subjects. PET scan and blood samples were obtained before the introduction of treatments. IL-6, PTX3, and BAFF levels were determined quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: Thirty-six patients with LVV (20 females, 16 males; age 64.5±16.6 years) and 31 HC (14 females, 17 males; age 37.1±9.6 years) were included. Serum levels of IL-6, PTX3, and BAFF were increased in patients with newly diagnosed LVV compared with healthy control subjects. In receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, serum IL-6 and BAFF provided excellent discrimination of newly diagnosed LVV patients from HC (area under the ROC curve of >0.90 and >0.80, respectively). None of the inflammatory markers correlated with vascular inflammatory activity determined by PET scanning. Conclusions: Our results suggest that IL-6 and BAFF may serve as markers of large vessel vasculitis, while PTX3 is not useful. None of the inflammatory markers correlated with PET assessed vasculitis activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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