Rheumatology international
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Online social networking offers numerous opportunities for continuing medical education, professional development, and scholarly collaboration. Available social media channels proved useful for expanding education and research perspectives, particularly in rapidly developing academic disciplines such as rheumatology. ⋯ Enforcing ethical norms and advancing professional etiquette in the field is strongly advisable. This article overviews the advantages and shortcomings of social media and reflects on available platforms for education and research in rheumatology.
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Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is frequent in autoimmune connective tissue diseases (AICTD) and its approach includes nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC), as it is a non-invasive technique that permits direct visualization of the microcirculation. The aim of this study is to analyze and establish clinical correlations between NFC findings and particular aspects of autoimmune disorders. This is a retrospective study. ⋯ In MCTD, scleroderma pattern relates to myositis. SLE and APS reveal significant hemorrhages, but not related to APS antibodies. This study highlights the possible role of NFC as biomarker of AICTD, particularly in SSc and IIM.