Internal medicine
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Objective The early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improves disease outcomes. Using bilateral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we investigated whether or not tenosynovitis at the level of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist joints, as well as non-symmetrical versus symmetrical involvement, predicts RA development in undifferentiated arthritis (UA) patients. Methods We collected the clinical and serological findings as well as bilateral gadolinium-enhanced 1.5-T MRI data of UA patients after 1 year. ⋯ A multivariate analysis showed that symmetrical MCP tenosynovitis was independently associated with RA development after adjusting for age, gender, swollen joint count, C-reactive protein level, and ACPA positivity (odds ratio: 4.96). The presence of symmetrical MCP tenosynovitis had low sensitivity (35%) but high specificity (87%) for RA development. Conclusion MRI-detected tenosynovitis, especially symmetrical findings at the MCP joint, is predictive of RA development in a UA population with low ACPA positivity.
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Observational Study
Utility of Indices Obtained During Medical Checkups for Predicting Fatty Liver Disease in Non-obese People.
Objective To predict fatty liver disease (FLD), including nonalcoholic FLD (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated FLD (MAFLD), from blood tests and anthropometric measurements, the fatty liver index (FLI) and triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) have been reported as promising indicators. We evaluated the predictive ability of several indices, including the waist circumference, BMI, FLI and TyG-BMI, that might predict FLD in non-obese individuals undergoing health checkups. Methods This retrospective observational study enrolled non-obese subjects who underwent abdominal ultrasonography between May 1, 2015, and June 30, 2022. ⋯ In analyses of subjects with a BMI <23 kg/m2, the superiority of the FLI and TyG-BMI remained unchanged. The FLI and TyG-BMI also had significantly higher AUC values for MAFLD prediction than the other indicators. Conclusion The FLI and TyG-BMI had a particularly high predictive ability for NAFLD and MAFLD in non-obese subjects.