In this nationwide study we found that 8.6% of our FMF patients had amyloidosis and homozygosity for M694V was the most common mutation in these patients. The latter finding confirms the association of homozygous M694V mutation with amyloidosis in Turkish FMF patients.

Background and objectives: Obesity has been associated with kidney disease in adults. This study was designed to evaluate the association of obesity with an early marker of kidney disease, albuminuria, among young adults.Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Urinalysis (n ‫؍‬ 9371), albumin-to-creatinine ratio (n ‫؍‬ 4463), and body mass index (kg/m 2 ) were measured in the Add Health Wave III cohort (2001 to 2002), a multiethnic sample of young adults followed for approximately 6 yr. Multivariate logistic regression modeled the association of sex-specific albuminuria with body mass index, adjusted for sample weights, sex, race, ethnicity, and glycosuria.Results: Urinalysis revealed that 0.8% had proteinuria, 4.6% had hematuria, 0.2% had combined hematuria and proteinuria, and 1.5% had glycosuria. Albuminuria prevalence was 4.4%. Mean body mass index was higher among those with albuminuria compared with those without. There were no associations between body mass index categories of 25 to <30 or 30 to <35 kg/m

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The new 2012 EULAR/ACR clinical classification criteria for PMR is highly sensitive; however, its ability to discriminate PMR from other inflammatory/noninflammatory shoulder conditions, especially from seronegative RA, is not adequate. Imaging and other modifications such as cutoff values for APR might increase the specificity of the criteria.

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Background Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory syndrome characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and aseptic polyserositis. Subclinical inflammation generates a hidden threat to the development of FMF complications such as amyloidosis in attack-free intervals. The kynurenine pathway (KP) has been considered an important player in inflammation and immune response. The study was aimed to measure serum levels of KP metabolites in patients with FMF in the attack-free period. Methods A total of 161 participants were recruited from the rheumatology department in this single-center, case-control study. Participants meeting the eligibility criteria were divided into healthy controls (n=80) and FMF (n=81). The laboratory data were obtained from the electronic registration database. Serum tryptophan, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, quinolinic acid concentrations were measured with tandem mass spectrometry. Laboratory findings of FMF patients and healthy controls subjects were compared and evaluated. Results Serum tryptophan, kynurenic acid levels were significantly decreased in both FMF groups compared to the control group, while the levels of kynurenine, quinolinic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, the Kynurenine/Tryptophan ratio, and RDW were higher. Conclusion Tryptophan degradation by the KP is increased in patients with FMF. KP metabolites can be useful in demonstrating subclinical inflammation.

Patients with FMF whose symptoms start before 20 years of age seem to have severe symptoms and M694V mutation may be responsible for the early expression of the disease.

PWV values were higher in patients with active BD than in patients with inactive BD. This may be explained by more prominent inflammatory changes in the vascular wall in the active disease period. Further studies in large populations are required to confirm our results.