ED can be seen in the course of AS. The pathogenesis of ED in patients with AS is thought to be multifactorial with disease and treatment related factors. Thus, male patients with AS, in particular those with a high degree of morning stiffness, should be encouraged to talk about their sexuality.

This study demonstrates that female patients with FM have distinct sexual dysfunction compared with healthy controls and coexistent MD has no additional negative effect on sexual function. Thus, female subjects with FM should be evaluated in terms of sexual function to provide better quality of life.

Proximal nailfold is the most important site of affection in CTDs. These nail changes can be used in combination with highly sensitive diagnostic modalities to establish an accurate diagnosis.

These results suggested that B. hominis may be pathogenic, especially when it is present in large numbers, and TMP-SMX is highly effective against this organism. Although there are some anecdotal reports, to our knowledge this is the first study examining the effect of TMP-SMX on B. hominis in humans.

The aim of this study was to determine the endothelial function in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We also aimed to determine whether endothelial (dys)function correlates with extraglandular manifestations, specific autoantibodies and the severity of salivary gland involvement of SS. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation and endothelium-independent vasodilation of the brachial artery were assessed by a high-resolution ultrasound on 25 patients with primary SS and on 29 healthy controls. Patients with primary SS had significantly less mean endothelium-dependent vasodilation than did controls (3.0 +/- 0.4% vs 4.2 +/- 0.3%; p = 0.012). Endothelium-independent vasodilation induced by sublingual glycerol trinitrate was not different between the two groups (12.9 +/- 1.4% vs 14.1 +/- 1.2%; p = 0.86). We concluded that endothelium-dependent vasodilation was impaired in primary SS patients, in particular those presenting with Raynaud's phenomenon, when compared with the healthy controls and this impairment was not associated with the presence of RF, ANA, anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-La/SS-B and with the other extraglandular manifestations of the disease.

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.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of secondary Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) on QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed electrocardiography and Doppler echocardiography on 58 patients with RA whom we divided into two groups according to the presence of secondary SjS, and on 29 healthy controls. All patients revealed significantly longer QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion values ( P< 0.05). Diastolic function variables were significantly different in all patients compared to controls. QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion values were significantly longer in RA patients with secondary SjS than in those without. We concluded that secondary SjS could be a cardiovascular risk factor contributing to the well documented cardiovascular disease in RA patients.

Behçet's disease (BD), when first described in 1937, consisted of three symptoms: recurrent oral and genital ulcerations and iridocyclitis. Today, it is known that BD is a multisystemic chronic vasculitic disorder which may involve both arteries and veins of all sizes, as well as the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. The rate of gastrointestinal involvement of BD varies in different populations, being more common in Japan (50%-60%) and less common in the Mediterranean basin, including Turkey (0%-5%). We present a 34-year-old Turkish woman with BD who had ileal and colonic ulcerations complicated by perforation and gastrointestinal bleeding. Special emphasis was placed on the differential diagnosis between Crohn's disease (CD) and BD with gastrointestinal involvement.