Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of oxidative stress parameters in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to investigate their potential associations with disease severity, functional impairment, anxiety, and depression. Materials and Methods: The study included 84 participants, consisting of 42 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) and 42 healthy female controls. Serum levels of total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in all participants, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Additionally, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered to assess mental health and functional status. Results: The levels of TOS, TAS, MDA, and the OSI were significantly higher in the fibromyalgia group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The relationship between TAS, TOS, MDA, and OSI levels and BDI, BAI, and FIQ scale scores was investigated in the case group, but no significant associations were identified between oxidative stress markers and psychological or functional scores. When all participants were analyzed as a single group, significant correlations were found between TAS, TOS, MDA, and OSI levels and several biochemical parameters, including CRP, AST, free T4, HbA1c, ferritin, and folic acid. Conclusions: Our study adds to the growing body of evidence indicating elevated oxidative stress in female patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and suggests that TAS, TOS, MDA, and OSI may serve as potential biomarkers for its diagnosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in the electrocardiography (ECG) measurements of healthy controls and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to predict whether they can be used to determine the risk of arrhythmia in patients. Patients and methods: The prospective study included 50 cardiac asymptomatic RA patients (38 males, 12 females; mean age: 46.8±9.1 years; range, 18 to 60 years) who met the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology RA criteria and 50 healthy volunteers (34 males, 16 females; mean age: 43.4±10.4 years; range, 18 to 60 years) as a control group between June 1, 2022, and August 31, 2022. Disease activity of the patients was calculated with the Disase Activity Score (DAS28). Heart rate, minimum and maximum QT intervals, QT dispersion, minimum and maximum P waves, P wave dispersion (Pd), minimum and maximum Tp-e intervals, Tp-e dispersion, minimum and maximum corrected QT (QTc) intervals, QTc dispersion, and the Tp-e/QTc ratio in ECGs were calculated. Results: The mean disease duration of the RA group was 9.09±5.74 years. The mean C-reactive protein level was 9.83±8.29, the mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 26.12±16.28 mm/h, and the mean DAS28 was 3.03±0.37. There was a statistically significant increase in the maximum P wave, Pd, maximum QT, QT dispersion, maximum QTc, QTc dispersion, maximum Tp-e, Tp-e dispersion, and Tp-e/QTc dispersion parameters in the RA group compared to the control group, while there was a significant decrease in the minimum P wave, minimum QT, and minimum QTc parameters. Conclusion: In our study, the Pd, QTc dispersion, Tp-e dispersion, and Tp-e/QTc dispersion values of our patients, which indicate the risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmia, were found to be significantly higher. This finding suggests that our patients had an increased risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality. Arrhythmias are the likely source of the increase in sudden cardiac death in RA, and these new indicators measured on ECG can be used as standardized cardiovascular morbidity and mortality indicators in the future.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate serum asprosin levels in female patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FM), investigate their associations with clinical parameters such as disease severity, anxiety, and depression, and evaluate the potential of serum asprosin levels as a biomarker for fibromyalgia diagnosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 participants were included in the study, 40 women aged 18–60 years who were diagnosed with FM according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2016 criteria and 40 healthy women with similar sociodemographic characteristics to the patient group. All participants were measured for hemograms, biochemistry tests, and serum asprosin levels. Additionally, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to the patient group. Results: The median asprosin level in the case group was 15.01 (SD = 10.08–31.42), while in the control group it was 31.03 (SD = 25.14–35.7). The asprosin levels in the case group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p = 0.001). In contrast, AST, vitamin B12, and folic acid levels were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group. When all participants were evaluated, asprosin levels showed a significant positive correlation with systolic arterial blood pressure (Rho = 0.337, p = 0.002) and diastolic arterial blood pressure (Rho = 0.238, p = 0.033). A cut-off value of 17.72 ng/mL for asprosin levels in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia demonstrated a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 90%. Conclusions: Low asprosin levels may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia in women.

Introduction: Lumbar strain originating from the quadratus lumborum (QL) is an important cause of low back pain; however, its diagnosis is often missed, and treatment is often inadequate. This leads to unnecessary diagnostic investigations and chronicization of pain. Therefore, it is important to treat it effectively and safely. In this study, we aimed to find out the effect of ultrasound (US)-guided QL block in acute-subacute low back pain caused by a strain of QL. Materials and methods: Our study was retrospective, and the changes in the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores within one week in 50 patients with acute-subacute localized low back pain, unilateral lumbar strain, palpation tenderness, paravertebral spasm, and decreased lumbar range of motion in the QL muscle, in whom we applied US-guided block to the QL muscle, were analyzed. Results: There was a significant decrease in the mean VAS and ODI scores of the patients after the procedure. There was a negative correlation between improvement rates in VAS and ODI scores and age and body mass index (BMI). Recovery rates were higher in female patients than in male patients. Conclusion: It can be said that US-guided QL block is an effective treatment method for QL-induced lumbar strains, and younger age, female gender, and lower BMI are associated with better responses after injection.

Background and Objectives: Poststroke depression (PSD) is a psychiatric complication occurring after a stroke, and is known to negatively impact quality of life. In the present study, the possible relationship between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) levels and early-onset PSD, as well as the predictive value of serum VEGF-A levels for early-onset PSD, were investigated. Materials and Methods: The study included 88 individuals diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and serum VEGF-A levels were recorded, and radiological images were examined to determine the lesion locations. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) were administered to the patients. Furthermore, serum VEGF-A levels were measured in all participants. Results: Although the body mass index (BMI) and VEGF-A levels were similar between the groups, MoCA scores were lower [(19.2 ± 4.4) vs. (22.3 ± 3), p = 0.001] and NIHSS scores were higher [18 (8–28) vs. 14 (3–24), p = 0.006] in individuals with PSD than in those without it. When the patients with PSD were categorized into three groups, patients with severe PSD had higher NIHSS scores [26 (23–27) vs. 15 (8–23), p = 0.006] and lower MoCA scores [(14.3 ± 1) vs. (20.9 ± 3.8), p = 0.005] than those with mild PSD. Moreover, VEGF-A levels and lesion localization were similar between mild, moderate, and severe PSD groups (p = 0.130). The MoCA score was negatively (r = −0.498, p < 0.001) correlated and the NIHSS score was positively correlated (r = 0.497, p < 0.001) with the HAMD-17 score. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that longitudinal studies in large cohorts including healthy control groups are needed to examine the possibility of using serum VEGF-A level as a marker for predicting early-onset PSD.

Background Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an agent closely associated with inflammation and has recently been recognized as a significant factor in degenerative processes. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum ET-1 level and radiological and clinical manifestations of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) pathologies. Methodology The study was conducted with 50 healthy controls and 50 LDH patients. The pain level of the patients was analyzed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and their functionality was analyzed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The disc degeneration and disc herniation grades were determined using magnetic resonance imaging. Serum ET-1 levels of the participants were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results ET-1 level was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the controls (p < 0.01). A positive correlation was determined between serum ET-1 level and Pfirrmann grade in the patient group (p < 0.01). No correlation was determined between the MacNab grade, VAS, and ODI scores and ET-1 (p = 0.397, p = 0.137, and p = 0.208, respectively). There was no significant difference between the serum ET-1 levels of the patients with or without neurological deficits (p = 0.312). Conclusions The correlation between the serum ET-1 levels and IDD grade suggested that the former could serve as a biomarker to determine the degree of degeneration in the future. However, further research is required to determine the underlying mechanisms.