Turk J Med Sci
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Observational Study
Non-adherence to colchicine treatment is a common misevaluation in familial Mediterranean fever.
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a hereditary autoinflammatory disease that requires lifelong colchicine treatment. Colchicine is the mainstay of the treatment, which decreases the frequency and the severity of recurrent FMF attacks and prevents the development of amyloidosis. This study aimed to investigate the rates of colchicine treatment adherence in patients with FMF and the factors related to treatment non-adherence. ⋯ Evaluating adherence to colchicine treatment with objective methods is crucial to ensure sufficient treatment and prevent amyloidosis. Determining beliefs about colchicine may increase patients’ adherence to treatment.
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A correlation between vitamin D deficiency and primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) has already been described. The limited data has been reported regarding the pathological relevance of vitamin D in primary Sjögren’s syndrome. In this study, the peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cocultured with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to determine the modulatory effect of vitamin D3 on T and B lymphocyte phenotypes in pSS. ⋯ In conclusion, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 regulated immune responses in both treated and drug-naive pSS patients, but have a more pronounced modulatory effect on mononuclear cell responses in drug-naive pSS patients.
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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly encompass two entities called ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), both of which are chronic, progressive and, inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Various indicators and non-invasive markers have been sought and used in IBD patients to help assessing disease activity and treatment effectiveness although none of them are proven to yield definite results in full correlation with the clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological examinations. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship of serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) levels with disease type and activity and to assess their potential use in establishing diagnosis and activity status of IBD, namely UC and CD. ⋯ Serum NGAL, ADMA and SMDA levels are increased in patients with IBD, and serum NGAL, ADMA and SMDA concentrations are significantly higher in active IBD patients than inactive IBD patients. Our results suggest these biomarkers may serve in estimating IBD activity and severity.
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COVID-19 pandemic created concerns among patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Frequency of COVID-19 and impact of lockdown on treatment compliance in patients with vasculitis are largely unknown. ⋯ Frequency of COVID-19 was low in patients with vasculitis in our single center cohort. Although outpatient appointments were postponed in one-third of our patients, high compliance with treatment and isolation rules ensured patients with vasculitis overcome this period with minimal morbidity and mortality.
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It is known that the presence of fragmented QRS (fQRS) on electrocardiography (ECG) is associated with cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was the evaluation of fQRS formation and its relationship with the left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) parameters in acromegaly patients. ⋯ The results of our study revealed that fQRS (+) acromegaly patients had increased LVH parameters compared to fQRS (-) patients.