Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Jul 2016
Review Meta AnalysisConstruct validity of clinical spinal mobility tests in ankylosing spondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The study aimed to determine, using systematic review and meta-analysis, the level of evidence supporting the construct validity of spinal mobility tests for assessing patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Following the guidelines proposed in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses, three sets of keywords were used for data searching: (i) ankylosing spondylitis, spondyloarthritis, spondyloarthropathy, spondylarthritis; (ii) accuracy, association, construct, correlation, Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials, OMERACT, truth, validity; (iii) mobility, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index-BASMI, radiography, spinal measures, cervical rotation, Schober (a further 19 keywords were used). Initially, 2558 records were identified, and from these, 21 studies were retained. ⋯ Two meta-analyses were conducted, with assessment of agreement between BASMI and two radiological indexes of global structural damage. The spinal mobility indexes and the original Schober test show acceptable construct validity for inferring the extent of structural damage when assessing patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Spinal mobility measures do not reflect levels of inflammation at either the sacroiliac joints and/or the spine.
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Clinical rheumatology · Nov 2015
Review Meta AnalysisEfficacy of tripterygium glycosides tablet in treating ankylosing spondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Hundreds of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on tripterygium glycosides tablet (TGT) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have been published, but the therapeutic effects have never been systematically reviewed yet. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of TGT on AS based on RCTs. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, China Journals Full-text Database, and Wanfang Data were searched. ⋯ MD of CRP was 1.86 (95% CI -2.03, 5.76). Subgroup, sensitivity, and meta-regression analyses found the robust results. In conclusion, TGT could not treat AS effectively, as suggested by the moderate RCT quality and meta-analysis evidence.
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Clinical rheumatology · Oct 2015
Meta AnalysisEffects of home-based exercise intervention on health-related quality of life for patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a meta-analysis.
The objective of this paper was to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of home-based exercise interventions for improving health-related quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Ovid-Medline, and The Cochrane Library were electronically searched published from inception through October 2014 involving home-based exercise intervention in AS patients. Studies that measured the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), depression and pain as outcomes were included. ⋯ Meta-analyses showed that home-based exercise interventions significantly reduced the BASFI scores (MD = -0.39, 95 % CI -0.57, -0.20, p = 0.001), BASDAI scores (MD = -0.50, 95 % CI -0.99, -0.02, p = 0.04), depression scores (MD = -2.31, 95 % CI -3.33, -1.30, p = 0.001), and for pain scores because of different evaluation methods among these studies; therefore, a subgroup analysis should be conducted for comparison. The results show that home-based exercise interventions can effectively improve the health-related quality of life in patients with AS. The benefit and clinical performance of home-based exercise care requires further investigation by a series of multicenter, large-sample size randomized controlled trails.
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2015
Meta AnalysisMeta-analysis of associations between functional prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism confers susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A meta-analysis was conducted for examining the associations between prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism and susceptibility to SLE or RA using allele contrast, recessive and dominant models, and homozygote contrast. A total of 10 comparative studies, consisting of 4 SLE and 6 RA studies, involving 4252 patients and 4949 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. ⋯ After stratification by ethnicity, the G allele was found to be significantly associated with RA in Caucasians (OR = 1.112, 95 % CI = 1.041-1.189, p = 0.002). Furthermore, the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism was found to be associated with RA in Caucasians under the dominant model and under homozygote contrast. This meta-analysis demonstrates that the prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to RA, but not SLE, in Caucasians.
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Clinical rheumatology · Aug 2014
Review Meta AnalysisRisk of coronary artery disease in patients with systemic sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Several chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, have been shown to increase coronary artery disease (CAD) risk but the data on systemic sclerosis (SSc) is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that reported odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio, or standardized incidence ratio comparing CAD risk in patients with SSc versus non-SSc participants. Pooled risk ratio and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated using a random effect, generic inverse variance method. ⋯ The pooled risk ratio of CAD in patients with SSc was 1.82 (95 % CI, 1.40 to 2.36). The statistical heterogeneity of this meta-analysis was moderate with an I (2) of 73 %. Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased CAD risk among patients with SSc.