J Rheumatol
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Statins: potentially useful in therapy of systemic sclerosis-related Raynaud's phenomenon and digital ulcers.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by fibrosis and widespread vascular pathology. Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and digital ulceration are prominent manifestations of vascular involvement in SSc. Digital ulcers (DU) remain a serious complication, and effective therapy remains elusive. Statins display pleiotropic effects on endothelial function that may potentially retard vascular injury. We evaluated the potential efficacy of statin therapy in endothelial dysfunction and in management of RP and DU. ⋯ Our results showed that statins retarded vascular injury and improved patient function. The findings suggest that statins may aid in treating RP and DU in SSc patients. Given the safety and relative low cost of statins and good patient tolerability to this class of drugs, statins may be of clinical benefit in SSc patients.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Patient pain and tissue trauma during syringe procedures: a randomized controlled trial.
To investigate the relationship of needle control to tissue trauma and hemorrhage during syringe procedures. ⋯ Inadequate control of needle and syringe during physician-performed syringe procedures is an important cause of trauma to patient tissues resulting in hemorrhage, increased patient pain, and decreased aspirate yield. The RPD -- a safety device that improves needle control and decreases needle trauma to tissues -- reduces hemorrhage and improves the safety, outcome, and aspirate yield of physician-performed syringe procedures.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial of pregabalin in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin for symptomatic relief of pain associated with fibromyalgia (FM) and for management of FM. ⋯ Pregabalin at 300, 450, and 600 mg/day was efficacious and safe for treatment of pain associated with FM. Pregabalin monotherapy provides clinically meaningful benefit to patients with FM.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Safety and efficacy of adalimumab in treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis who had failed disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy.
To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of adalimumab for the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with an inadequate response to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). ⋯ In this study of patients who had active PsA and a previous, inadequate response to DMARD therapy, adalimumab was well tolerated and significantly reduced the signs, symptoms, and disability of PsA during 12 weeks of blinded and 12 weeks of open-label therapy. Adalimumab also improved psoriasis in these patients.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Scoring inflammatory activity of the spine by magnetic resonance imaging in ankylosing spondylitis: a multireader experiment.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine is increasingly important in the assessment of inflammatory activity in clinical trials with patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We investigated feasibility, inter-reader reliability, sensitivity to change, and discriminatory ability of 3 different scoring methods for MRI activity and change in activity of the spine in patients with AS. ⋯ This experiment demonstrates the feasibility of multiple-reader MRI scoring exercises for method comparison, provides evidence for the feasibility, reliability, sensitivity to change, and discriminatory capacity of all 3 tested scoring systems to be used in assessing spinal activity on MRI in patients with AS in clinical trials. On the basis of these results it is not possible to prioritize one of the 3 methods.