Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Oct 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAdalimumab for the treatment of patients with moderately to severely active psoriatic arthritis: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Adalimumab, a fully human, anti-tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody, was evaluated for its safety and efficacy compared with placebo in the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). ⋯ Adalimumab significantly improved joint and skin manifestations, inhibited structural changes on radiographs, lessened disability due to joint damage, and improved quality of life in patients with moderately to severely active PsA.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Oct 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialReduction of the efficacy of methotrexate by the use of folic acid: post hoc analysis from two randomized controlled studies.
To examine the effect of folic acid on the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at 12 months in 2 phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of leflunomide in which MTX was used as a comparator. ⋯ After using propensity scores to adjust for differences in the baseline characteristics of folic acid users and non-folic acid users, 9-21% fewer MTX-treated RA patients taking folic acid had ACR 20%, 50%, or 70% improvement at 52 weeks compared with those who did not receive folic acid in the 2 phase III RA clinical trials. As a post hoc analysis, the results of this data analysis should be considered "hypothesis generating" and an impetus for future studies regarding the effects of folic acid on the efficacy of MTX in RA.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Aug 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialImpact of fibromyalgia pain on health-related quality of life before and after treatment with tramadol/acetaminophen.
To assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with moderate-to-severe fibromyalgia pain compared with the general population, and to assess the relationship between pain severity and HRQOL before and after treatment with an analgesic. ⋯ Moderate-to-severe fibromyalgia pain significantly impairs HRQOL, and effective pain relief in these patients significantly increases HRQOL.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Aug 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of pramipexole, a dopamine agonist, in patients with fibromyalgia receiving concomitant medications.
To assess the efficacy and safety of pramipexole, a dopamine 3 receptor agonist, in patients with fibromyalgia. ⋯ In a subset of patients with fibromyalgia, approximately 50% of whom required narcotic analgesia and/or were disabled, treatment with pramipexole improved scores on assessments of pain, fatigue, function, and global status, and was safe and well-tolerated.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialWeight loss reduces knee-joint loads in overweight and obese older adults with knee osteoarthritis.
To determine the relationship between change in body mass and knee-joint moments and forces during walking in overweight and obese older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) following an 18-month clinical trial of diet and exercise. ⋯ Our results indicate that each pound of weight lost will result in a 4-fold reduction in the load exerted on the knee per step during daily activities. Accumulated over thousands of steps per day, a reduction of this magnitude would appear to be clinically meaningful.