This cross-sectional study aimed to compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) findings in patients with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon (PRP; n = 22), very early disease of systemic sclerosis (VEDOSS; n = 19), and systemic sclerosis (SSc; 25 patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 13 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc)). Whole, parafoveal, and perifoveal superficial capillary plexus (SCP) vessel densities (VDs), deep capillary plexus VDs, and whole, inside, and peripapillary VDs were significantly higher in the PRP group (p < 0.001). In the lcSSc group, the FAZ perimeter was significantly higher than that in the VEDOSS group (p = 0.017). Retinal nerve fiber layer VDs were significantly lower in the lcSSc group than in the PRP and VEDOSS groups (p < 0.001). The whole and peripapillary optic disc VDs of the VEDOSS group were significantly higher than in the lcSSc group (p < 0.001). Whole SCP VDs (94.74% sensitivity, 100.00% specificity) and parafoveal SCP VDs (89.47% sensitivity, 100.00% specificity) showed the best performance in distinguishing patients with SSc from those with PRP. OCT-A seems to have potential diagnostic value in differentiating patients with PRP from patients with SSc and VEDOSS, and there is potential value in assessing prognostic roles, since findings from OCT-A images could be early indicators of retinal vascular injury long before overt SSc symptoms develop.

Recurrent oral ulcers, which are the first and most common manifestation of Behçet’s disease (BD), have several etiological causes but are often idiopathic and known as recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). In recent years, publications have drawn attention to the fact that whole-wall thickness (WWT) and intima–media thickness (IMT) measurements of the common femoral vein (CFV) may be useful in the diagnosis of BD, which are independent of organ involvement. In this study, the usefulness of the WWT and IMT of the CFV measured by venous Doppler ultrasound (US) was investigated in differentiating BD presenting with oral ulcers from RAS. Patients with BD (n = 84), patients with RAS (n = 85), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 70) were the three groups included. Both the right and left WWT of the CFV were significantly higher in the BD compared with the HCs and RAS groups (p < 0.001). The diagnostic cutoff values of ≥0.58 mm for the WWT of the CFV performed well against both the patients with RAS and HCs for the discrimination of BD (sensitivity = 79.8%, specificity = 64.7%). In patients with recurrent oral ulcers, the WWT of the CFV measurement may be a distinctive new diagnostic tool for the differential diagnosis of BD and RAS.

Background/Aim: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease characterized by the infiltration of various organs. Due to the lack of a widely-accepted biomarker, researchers have explored alternative and previously unexplored parameters in sarcoidosis. This study aimed to investigate the utility of various markers, including the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV), in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: A case-control study was conducted between January 2019 and February 2023. The study included 75 patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, and 93 healthy individuals matched for age, sex, and body mass index. Sarcoidosis-related features, such as lung stage and extrapulmonary involvement, were recorded. The researchers investigated SII, PIV, procalcitonin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), other biochemical results, and complete blood counts (including neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, platelet counts, hemoglobin, mean platelet volume [MPV], and red cell distribution width [RDW]). Results: The age and sex distribution were similar in both the case and control groups (P=0.258 and P=0.196, respectively). The patient group had a significantly lower absolute lymphocyte count than the control group (P=0.035). Patients’ RDW (P=0.007), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (P=0.028), and ESR (P<0.001) values were significantly higher compared to controls. No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding other variables, including PIV and SII. There was a significant weak positive correlation between PIV and lung stage, as well as between MPV and the presence of erythema nodosum. Conclusion: PIV and SII values in patients with sarcoidosis were similar to controls. The positive correlations between PIV and lung stage and between MPV and erythema nodosum suggest potential relationships with sarcoidosis-related features and demonstrate the value of these readily available and inexpensive markers in patient management. Comprehensive studies are needed to clarify whether SII and/or PIV can be used to assess the characteristics of patients with sarcoidosis.

In this cross-sectional study, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) findings were compared in patients with gout (n = 30) and healthy participants (n = 32). The superficial and deep vessel density variables measured using OCT-A were compared between the groups. The superficial foveal and perifoveal vessel densities of the patient group were lower than those of the healthy participants (p = 0.014 and p = 0.045, respectively). However, all superficial and parafoveal vessel densities were similar in both groups (p = 0.469 and p = 0.284, respectively). The deep capillary plexus density measurements of the whole-zone, foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal vessel densities using OCT-A revealed no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.251, p = 0.074, p = 0.177, and p = 0.881, respectively). A higher serum uric acid (SUA) level was found to be independently associated with a decreased superficial capillary plexus density and an increased choriocapillary flow deficit in the study population. Men were less sensitive to high SUA levels than women. These findings suggest that an elevated uric acid concentration may play a role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease through changes in the microvasculature, as shown by the OCT-A parameters.