This study investigated the association between temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and the potential risk factors of TMD using data from Taiwan's Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database. A cohort of 201,465 individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 805,860 matched non-DM controls was observed from 2000 to 2015. To evaluate the risk factors associated with the onset of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted. The Kaplan-Meier method, along with the log-rank test, was applied to assess the cumulative incidence of TMD among DM patients. Results from the Cox analysis indicated that having DM significantly increased the likelihood of developing TMD (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.543; p < 0.001). Furthermore, DM patients who also had rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis faced an even higher risk, being 4.289 and 4.021 times more likely, respectively, to develop TMD compared to those without these comorbidities (p < 0.001). Patients with DM had 2.543 times the probability of experiencing TMD events than patients without DM. Rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis were associated with the highest and second highest risk of patients with DM subsequently developing TMD. Our results provide crucial indications to prevent TMD in patients with DM and improve their quality of life.

To summarize and critically evaluate recent literature on autoinflammatory syndromes of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D insufficiency is common in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). We analyzed the relationship between vitamin D, disease activity, and left ventricular (LV) function in patients with SpA. Methods: A total of 298 patients with SpA and 57 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum vitamin D and laboratory cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed, and LV function was assessed by echocardiography. Vitamin D, the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), and the Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) were examined for mutual correlations using univariate and multivariate linear regression models and were compared between groups. Results: Vitamin D levels did not differ between the SpA group and controls, although vitamin D supplementation was more frequent among SpA patients. Vitamin D was not associated with SpA activity. ASDAS and DAPSA were positively correlated with isovolumic relaxation time, and DAPSA was inversely correlated with peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e'), after adjustment for age, sex, metabolic factors, and/or therapy. Patients with insufficient serum vitamin D levels (<75 nmol/L) showed greater impairment of systolic and diastolic LV function and a diabetic-like lipid profile compared with those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The e' wave was positively correlated with vitamin D after controlling for confounding factors. These findings in patients with SpA are consistent with those previously reported in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Conclusions: Patients with SpA were characterized by vitamin D supplementation, increased disease activity parameters, and impaired LV function. SpA activity, independent of vitamin D, was associated with LV functional impairment, and vitamin D was associated with an increase in the e' wave after adjustment for confounding factors. However, causal inferences cannot be drawn from correlational analyses.

Adipocytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), although their exact role remains unclear. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides quantitative ocular measurements and may detect subclinical ocular changes in AS. This study evaluated serum adipocytokine levels and OCT findings in patients with radiographic AS and investigated possible correlations between these parameters. This cross-sectional study included 47 patients with radiographic AS diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria and 23 age- and sex-similar healthy controls. Serum visfatin, resistin, adiponectin, and fetuin-A levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. OCT parameters, including retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), macular thickness, and subfoveal choroidal thickness, were recorded using spectral-domain OCT. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify biomarkers independently associated with AS. Visfatin levels were higher (6.7 [3.9-14.0] vs. 4.5 [3.9-8.1] ng/mL, p<0.001), whereas fetuin-A levels were lower (3253 [1652-5565] vs 3724 [2204-5651] ng/mL, p=0.017) in patients with AS compared with controls. Adiponectin and resistin levels did not differ (both p>0.05). Subfoveal choroidal thickness was greater in AS patients (262 [124-387] vs. 197 [101-300] µm, p<0.001), whereas RNFL, GCC, and macular thickness were similar between the groups (all p>0.05). On multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and CRP, visfatin (OR=3.894, 95% CI 1.378-11.004) and choroidal thickness (OR=1.047, 95% CI 1.007-1.088) remained independently associated with AS (both p<0.05). Conclusion: Elevated visfatin and increased choroidal thickness were independently associated with AS, suggesting subclinical ocular involvement even in the absence of uveitis. Prospective, larger studies are needed to confirm the clinical utility of these parameters.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by inflammatory low back pain, new bone formation, and progressive ossification of the axial skeleton. Over time, it causes irreversible structural damage to the spine and sacroiliac joints, profoundly impairing patients' quality of life and physical function. Without timely and effective intervention, AS can lead to permanent functional disability. Evidence suggests that biological, psychological, and social factors jointly undermine treatment adherence, with complex interactions among these dimensions that make single-domain interventions insufficient. Improving adherence to treatment regimens therefore requires a thorough understanding of these multifaceted influences and the development of evidence-based, multicomponent strategies. This narrative review synthesizes literature published from 2010 to 2024, drawn from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI, to identify factors contributing to non-adherence in AS patients, with particular attention to disease knowledge, perceptions of treatment efficacy, exercise and rehabilitation adherence, and social support. Wherever possible, evidence derived directly from AS or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) populations is distinguished from findings extrapolated from broader rheumatology or chronic-disease literature. Based on this synthesis, targeted recommendations for optimizing treatment management and enhancing long-term patient outcomes are proposed, together with priority directions for future AS-specific adherence research.

To perform cross-disease immunological comparison across the broader spondyloarthritis (SpA) spectrum and examine their association with disease activity. We analyzed 111 patients with active broader SpA spectrum (ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease-associated SpA, psoriatic arthritis, pustulotic arthro-osteitis, and chronic non-bacterial osteitis) and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Serum IL-17A, IL-17F, TNFα, and Oncostatin M levels were higher in the broader SpA spectrum than in HC. These cytokines levels did not differ among the broader SpA spectrum. Activated Th17, activated Th1-17, classical and intermediate monocytes were increased in the broader SpA spectrum compared with HC. Although Kruskal-Wallis test showed differences among the spectrum for activated Th17, activated Th1-17, and classical monocytes, post hoc analyses did not identify a specific disease driving these differences. Intermediate monocytes positively correlated with CRP and MMP-3 levels. Circulating immune subsets remained unchanged following DMARDs treatment despite clinical improvement. Systemic immune alterations, including activation of IL-17 axis, elevated Oncostatin M, and expansion of intermediate monocytes, are broadly shared across the broader SpA spectrum. Although global differences among the spectrum were observed for some immune cell populations, post hoc analyses did not identify disease-specific enrichment.