Archives of Clinical Rheumatology

Artificial Intelligence (AI) principles published in 1956 included the recommendation to use algorithms for solving complex processes. The creation of the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) was published in 1993 with integration of an intelligent algorithm to solve issues of causality assessment in cases of complex suspected drug induced liver injury (DILI) cases. Other causality assessment methods (CAMs) published before the era of AI and RUCAM followed rather general principles without precise and valid algorithm.

Background: At present, progesterone administration is widely used. There is no agreement on whether estradiol (E2) addition should be supplement to progesterone (P) as luteal phase support (LPS). The present meta-analysis was conducted to clarify whether E2 supplementation as LPS has beneficial effect on the clinical outcome after in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

By deduction from complexity of (behavioral) models, we develop an entropic computational tool to distinguish erroneous/redundant eye movements from task relevant eye movements.

The recently published manuscript entitled “Epigenetically Altered T Cells Contribute to Lupus Flares” summarizes recent advances in our understanding of how the environment alters the immune system to cause flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in genetically predisposed people, and why it affects women approximately 9 times more often than men

Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) is highly prevalent in poststroke patients, leading to major impact on the quality of life (QoL) and healthcare resources. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has, over the past two decades, been recommended as first-line treatment for neurologically healthy patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). 

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a devastating autoimmune disease that affects women to men at a ratio of 9:1 and is predominant in those of African ancestry. In SLE, the presence of autoantigens results in aberrant immune activation leading to systemic inflammation that predominantly affects the brain, kidneys, blood, and skin. Current guidelines recommend treatment with immunosuppressive drugs like prednisone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and even some antimalarial drugs

Cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in the year 2018, a number that is expected to grow to more than 13 million by 2030. In the past decade, we have witnessed unprecedented scientific advancement in the understanding of cancer etiology, prevention, diagnosis and development of new therapeutic strategies.

Pharmaceutical companies have been actively adopting artificial intelligence (AI) approaches for drug discovery and are starting to focus this technology on clinical trials. The shift from large-scale collaborations to smaller strategic partnerships and recently to internal teams has led to increased headcounts that are being organized to deliver AI across the enterprise. Although the urgency of the COVID-19 could have been a perfect test case for leveraging AI, it drew awareness to the obstacles of data access.

The principal mechanism governing immune central tolerance is regulated by T-cells that reside in a pathway wherein the death of immature T-cells is coupled to the development of CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. In that regard, Treg cells undergo development in the thymus or peripheral tissues upon recognition of self-antigens.

Forward head posture (FHP) and rounded shoulder posture (RSP) are common postural misalignments caused by muscular imbalance that lead to a variety of pain patterns in the neck and shoulder [1,2]. FHP prevalence ranges from 61% to 85% and is associated with RSP [3-7]. RSP prevalence ranges from 66% to 78% [3,5,7]. Importantly,

Ovarian cancer stands as the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and remains the fifth most common gynecologic cancer. Poor prognosis and low five-year survival rate are attributed to nonspecific symptoms at early phases along with a lack of effective treatment at advanced stages. It is thus paramount, that ovarian carcinoma be viewed through several lenses in order to gain a thorough comprehension of its molecular pathogenesis, epidemiology, histological subtypes, hereditary factors, diagnostic approaches, and methods of treatment.

Recently we published the article ‘Accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in medulloblastoma cell lines and sensitivity to subsequent photodynamic treatment’. In this commentary, we review protoporphyrin IX accumulation after application of 5-aminolaevulinic acid and the resulting sensitivity of medulloblastoma cells to photodynamic therapy. We compare the results to glioblastoma cells, including glioblastoma stem-like cells, and address the contribution of the transporter adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) as well as the enzyme ferrochelatase to the process.

We present two unique cases in which two HIV positive patients with generalized lymphadenopathy and pancytopenia without any skin lesions were diagnosed with primary lymph node Kaposi´s Sarcoma after excisional biopsy of an inguinal lymph node. 

Peripheral pancytopenia is not a disease by itself; rather it describes simultaneous presence of anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia resulting from a number of disease processes.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and neurological disability worldwide with millions of people sustaining and living with its long-term effects []. TBI is often categorized as mild, moderate and severe with primary injuries separated as either focal or diffuse, with the latter including contusions, intracranial hematomas and brain herniation. 

Ultrasound elastography is a diagnostic method, to measure elasticity and strain in tissues and organs. The aim of this review was to highlight the usefulness of sciatic nerve ultrasound elastography in clinical practice. Different changes affect the sciatic nerves through various diseases and conditions. 

The present Commentary is a critical follow-up of a previous review about “Extracellular vesicles, news about their role in immune cells: physiology, pathology and diseases”, appeared in Clinical and Experimental Immunology last June 2019 [1].

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a bimodal age distribution with peak incidence at age 24 and age 65 with worse outcomes developing in aged populations

The incidence of thromboembolic events in COVID-19 is reportedly higher in intensive care unit (ICU) patients (29.4%) as compared to non-ICU patients (11.5%), while data on thromboembolic events in non-hospitalized, self-limiting COVID-19 is unavailable. Renal infarction with COVID-19 has only been reported in three patients who had severe infection, multiple comorbidities, and/or immuno-compromised state post kidney transplantation. Since the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, guidelines for the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID- 19-related hypercoagulability have only been focused on hospitalized patients. Concurrently, risk factors and management guidelines for thromboembolic events in mild COVID-19 have remained unidentified. In this report, we describe a case of a 38-year-old male–with no medical history pertinent to hypercoagulability–who developed an isolated renal infarction one week after being diagnosed with mild COVID-19.

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is an emerging life-threatening tick-borne disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Ehrlichia chaffeensis. HME is often presented as a nonspecific flu-like illness characterized by presence of fever, headache, malaise, and myalgia. However, in some cases the disease can evolve to a severe form, which is commonly marked by acute liver injury followed by multi-organ failure and toxic shock-like syndrome.