Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder which mainly affects small joints, occurs most commonly in middle‐aged adults, and can be fatal in severe cases. The exact etiology of RA remains unknown. However, uncontrolled expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and chemokines can contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. Aim In the current study, we assessed the potential of serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, IL‐8, and C‐C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)5 as early predictive markers for RA. Methods In addition to clinical examination, blood samples were collected from 100 Saudi patients recently diagnosed with early RA for basic and serological tests, including rheumatoid factor (RF), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Sera of 32 healthy individuals were used as controls. Specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify the serum IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐8, and CCL5 levels in the samples. Results Our results indicated that RF, CRP, and ESR levels were higher in RA patients compared to controls. Furthermore, serum levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and CCL5, but not TNF‐α, significantly increased in RA patients compared to controls. Conclusion Overall, the findings suggested that IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and CCL5 can be used as biomarkers in the early diagnosis of RA.

Background: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus led to a global pandemic. HCQ and FPV were used early in the pandemic as a treatment modality for COVID-19. Various studies evaluated the HCQ and FPV effectiveness, based on the mortality endpoint and showed conflicting results. We hypothesize that analyzing the difference in the LOS as a significant endpoint would be of a major interest, especially for healthcare providers, to prevent a lengthy hospitalization and disease progression. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study, conducted via a medical chart review of COVD-19 patients who were admitted between April 2020 and March 2021 with a moderate to severe illness. The LOS endpoint was tested using the paired Wilcoxon signed-rank (WSR) model. Prior to using the WSR model, the balance between the HCQ and FPV groups, the propensity score matching, the LOS distribution, and the normality assumptions were tested. Two sensitivity statistical analyses were conducted to confirm the results (stratified log-rank test and U Welch test after transforming the LOS by the squared root values). Results: A total of 200 patients were included for the analysis: 83 patients in the HCQ group and 117 patients in the FPV group. Thirty-seven patients were matched in each group. The LOS data was positively skewed and violated the normality (Shapiro–Wilk p < 0.001) and had an unequal variance (Levene’s test, p = 0.019). The WSR test showed no statistical significance in the LOS endpoint, with a median of −0.75 days (95% confidence interval: −4.0 to 2.5, p = 0.629), in favor of the HCQ group (four days), in comparison to seven days of the FPV group. The WSR findings were further confirmed with the stratified log rank test (p = 740) and the U Welch test (p = 391). Conclusions: The study concluded that the HCQ and FPV treatments have a comparable effectiveness in terms of the LOS in the moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. This study highlights the importance of analyzing the LOS as a relevant endpoint, in order to prevent the costs of a lengthy hospitalization and disease progression. The current study also emphasizes the importance of applying the appropriate statistical testing when dealing with two-sample paired data and analyzing non-parametric data such as the LOS.