Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2009
Effect of baseline quadriceps activation on changes in quadriceps strength after exercise therapy in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.
To examine whether pretreatment magnitude of quadriceps activation (QA) helps predict changes in quadriceps strength after exercise therapy in subjects with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We hypothesized that subjects with lower magnitudes of QA (greater failure of muscle activation) would have smaller gains in strength compared with those with higher magnitudes of QA following exercise therapy. ⋯ Baseline QA did not predict changes in quadriceps strength following exercise therapy. Measurement of QA using the central activation ratio method does not appear to be helpful in identifying subjects with knee OA who will have difficulty improving quadriceps strength with exercise therapy.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2009
Comparative StudyValidation of whole-body against conventional magnetic resonance imaging for scoring acute inflammatory lesions in the sacroiliac joints of patients with spondylarthritis.
To compare the performance of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) versus conventional MRI in assessing acute inflammatory lesions of the sacroiliac (SI) joints in patients with established and active spondylarthritis (SpA) using the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) MRI index. This study is validating whole-body MRI against the current MRI standard for assessing active inflammatory lesions of the SI joints in patients with SpA. ⋯ Whole-body and conventional MRI scores show a strong correlation and comparable reliability for the detection of inflammatory lesions of the SI joints.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2009
Multicenter StudySociodemographic, disease, and symptom correlates of fatigue in systemic sclerosis: evidence from a sample of 659 Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry patients.
To assess fatigue levels and demographic, socioeconomic, disease, and psychosocial correlates of fatigue in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). ⋯ High levels of fatigue are common in patients with SSc and are independently associated with clinical variables, including number of comorbidities, breathing problems, GI symptoms, and smoking.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2009
Sensitivity and specificity of spinal inflammatory lesions assessed by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in patients with ankylosing spondylitis or recent-onset inflammatory back pain.
To determine the diagnostic utility of different spinal inflammatory lesions assessed by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or with recent-onset inflammatory back pain (IBP) compared with healthy controls. ⋯ Diagnostic utility of STIR MRI for AS is optimal when > or =2 CIL are present. A single CIL can be found in up to 26% of healthy individuals.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2009
Risk of tuberculosis is higher with anti-tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody therapy than with soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor therapy: The three-year prospective French Research Axed on Tolerance of Biotherapies registry.
Tuberculosis (TB) is associated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy, but whether this association is drug-specific remains a concern. Our objective was to describe cases of TB associated with anti-TNF mAb therapy, identify risk factors, and estimate the incidence. ⋯ The risk of TB is higher for patients receiving anti-TNF mAb therapy than for those receiving soluble TNF receptor therapy. The increased risk with early anti-TNF treatment and the absence of correct chemoprophylactic treatment favor the reactivation of latent TB.