Aim: To assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the hand among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their relation to disease duration, glycemic control and microvascular complications.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics in Amman, Jordan.Results: One thousand patients with T2DM were included in this study (mean age 57.8 AE 9.5 years, 52.2% females and 47.8% males). Hand disorders were seen in 69.5% of patients, limited joint mobility (LJM) was the most prevalent (63.1%) condition followed by Dupuytren's contracture (DC) (18.6%). Trigger finger, thick skin and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were found in 7.2%, 6.2% and 5.5% of patients, respectively. One disorder was seen in 45.4% of patients, two in18.2%, three in 4.9%, four in 0.9%, while only 0.1% of patients had all disorders. Female gender, age over 60 years and long duration of diabetes were associated with hand abnormalities. Hypertension was significantly associated with DC while retinopathy was associated with increased odds of thick skin, DC and CTS with P-values 0.037, < 0.005 and 0.002, respectively. Conclusion:Hand disorders are very common in T2DM. Female gender, old age, duration of diabetes, retinopathy and hypertension were significantly associated with hand disorders in T2DM.

Recent advances in our understanding of B-cell dysregulation and its important link to autoimmunity have brought about a radical change in the management of autoimmune diseases. Over the past few years, encouraging data from several clinical trials of rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, have led to its approval for use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These data, regarding clinical efficacy, safety, improved patient-reported outcomes and cost-effectiveness with the use of rituximab in patients with RA, have led to the exploration of other agents targeting B-cell functions. Ocrelizumab, a novel humanized anti-CD20 antibody, has shown clinical efficacy and safety in a recently reported trial in patients with RA. Future clinical trials will help evaluate further the role of ocrelizumab in RA and its potential use in other autoimmune diseases. This review describes current understanding of B-cell therapy, the role of rituximab in the treatment of RA and the evolving role of ocrelizumab as a B-cell-targeted therapy.

From these data one can conclude that HLA-B27 is present in about 2% to 5% among major Arab populations and that its prevalence in Arab patients with AS is closer to 70%.

Our results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in methotrexate transporters affect the toxicity but not the response of MTX treatment. Further studies should be performed to have more conclusive results.

The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Arabic version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR_A). Translation of the FIQR followed a worldwide-recognized approach to ensure the accuracy and equivalency of the translation from the English version of the FIQR. Following the translation of the FIQR, 92 women with fibromyalgia completed the FIQR_A, the Arabic Research ANd Development Short Form Health Survey (RAND SF-36), and the Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS). The FIQR_A significantly correlated with RAND SF-36 domains and HADS. The correlations ranged from fair to moderate. For selected outcomes, Bland-Altman plots were consistent with Spearman's correlations. Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients were all significant and ranged from moderate to excellent. Internal consistency was found to be excellent. These observations suggest that the FIQR_A is a valid and reliable tool for both clinical practice and research purposes with Arabic speakers globally.