Rheumatology international
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To evaluate the performance of Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) with the disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and the clinical/simplified disease activity index (CDAI/SDAI) in a Korean population with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Four hundred patients with RA were consecutively enrolled. All patients completed disease activity indices such as RAPID3, DAS28, SDAI, and CDAI. ⋯ However, approximately 50 % of patients with remission-to-low disease activity in DAS28, CDAI, and SDAI showed remission-to-low disease activity in RAPID3. This study confirms RAPID3 as an informative disease activity index with equivalent values in DAS28, CDAI, and SDAI. RAPID3 reveals differential agreement in patients with lower disease activity.
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The aim of the study is to assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in Rheumatology International (RI) by using three types of analytical tools. MEDLINE was used to extract RCTs from original articles published in the RI from 1981 (vol. 1) to 2012 (vol. 32). The relationship between the number of articles and RCTs with time and that between various factors and the quality of RCTs were analyzed. ⋯ The differences in RCT quality scores by each method in the publication years evaluated were not statistically significant, but RCTs that included descriptions of allocation concealment methods had received institutional review board (IRB) approval, and that conducted in the multicenter had significantly higher-quality scores than other studies. In conclusion, although the number of RCTs published in RI since its publishing in 1981 has increased with time, but no qualitative improvement of RCT was observed over time. It is necessary to improve the reporting of concealment of allocation, generation of randomization sequences, design of blinded studies, and obtaining IRB approval, all of which are criteria of high-quality RCTs.
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Comparative Study
Backpack-related musculoskeletal symptoms among Nigerian secondary school students.
Musculoskeletal discomfort in schoolchildren is significantly related to the weight and mode of carrying backpack to school. Prevalence and patterns of musculoskeletal discomfort among Nigerian secondary school students carrying backpack was investigated. Systematic sampling technique was used in the selection of the participating junior secondary schools for this study. ⋯ Prevalence of shoulder pain was high, particularly among the girls, in this sample. We suggest that factors other than the weight of backpack may predispose to musculoskeletal pain. Parents, teachers and clinicians can influence the mode of carrying backpack by secondary school students.
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The findings of association between alcohol consumption and arthritis are mixed while little is known about age differences in the associations of mental health and behavioral factors with arthritis. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of arthritis among US adults using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. In total, 8,229 adults with arthritis and 26,256 controls were selected from the adult respondents. ⋯ Stratified by age, SPD was associated with arthritis only in young adults (18-49 years old) while the ORs of anxiety and depression with arthritis decreased as age increased. Alcohol consumption revealed stronger associations in middle-aged adults and elderly. Using a large nationally representative sample in the USA, alcohol consumption, smoking, SPD, anxiety, and depression were associated with arthritis, and the associations varied across different age groups.
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Fibromyalgia may present with widespread pain and tenderness, fatigue, anxiety, and depression and is associated with a low pain threshold. The etiology of fibromyalgia is yet to be ascertained, although both genetic and environmental factors may play a role in the susceptibility of patients to fibromyalgia. Various genetic variations have been investigated to explain fibromyalgia susceptibility and differences in pain sensitivity, pain threshold, and tolerance. ⋯ The PPTs were higher in the 118 A/A genotype carrier fibromyalgia patients than in 118*/G carriers; however, the differences were not significant. As the A118G polymorphism frequency was lower in fibromyalgia patients, this polymorphism may exert a protective effect against fibromyalgia in Turkish women. However, the OPRM1 polymorphism does not have a significant effect on pressure pain and fibromyalgia severity.