Annals of the rheumatic diseases
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To investigate the prevalence of calcium phosphate mineral salt accumulation in degenerative supraspinatus 'tendinitis' compared with a normal sample of human tendons, and to determine whether there is an association of calcium salt deposition with pathological changes in the tendon extracellular matrix. ⋯ Although there was a relatively high prevalence of calcium salts in degenerate tendons, which might contribute to the pathological process (such as increased matrix collagen degradation), these data are consistent with the hypothesis that 'dystrophic calcification' of degenerate tendon matrix is a pathological entity distinct from cell mediated 'calcifying tendinitis'. Calcification is probably one possible outcome (or end point) of chronic tendon injury, although the possibility exists that in many cases, the presence of calcium salts may contribute to the tendon matrix degeneration.
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To determine whether measurement of different markers of endothelial damage, activation of coagulation, and platelet activation might differentiate between patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon (PRP), limited cutaneous and diffuse systemic sclerosis (lcSSc and dSSc), and healthy control subjects. ⋯ VWF, and to a lesser extent thromboxane and tissue plasminogen activator antigen, are associated with disease severity in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. Prospective studies are now required to establish if these parameters can be used as markers of disease progression.