Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2012
ReviewClinimetric properties of observer-assessed impairment tests used to evaluate hip and groin impairments: a systematic review.
To recommend the most suitable observer-assessed impairment tests in people with hip and/or groin pathologies by conducting a systematic review of the clinimetric properties of these tests. ⋯ This systematic review highlighted a paucity of literature evaluating the clinimetric properties of impairment tests for people with hip and/or groin pathology. A large number of inconclusive findings were found and as such, many clinical impairment tests should be used with caution in people with hip and/or groin pathologies until further clinimetric evidence becomes available.
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialRilonacept (interleukin-1 trap) for prevention of gout flares during initiation of uric acid-lowering therapy: results from a phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, confirmatory efficacy study.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the interleukin-1 inhibitor rilonacept (interleukin-1 Trap) for gout flare prevention during initiation of uric acid-lowering therapy (ULT). ⋯ Rilonacept markedly reduced the occurrence of gout flares associated with the initiation of ULT. The efficacy and safety profile suggests that rilonacept may have the potential to improve long-term disease control for some patients by improving adherence to ULT by reducing flares during the first months after ULT initiation.
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2012
Clinical manifestations of dermatomyositis and clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis patients with positive expression of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody.
To investigate the clinical features of dermatomyositis (DM) and clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) patients with the presence of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (anti-MDA-5) antibodies. ⋯ Anti-MDA-5 antibody levels closely correlate with the severity of skin ulcerations, ILD, and the prognosis of the disease. Dynamic observation of serum anti-MDA-5 antibody levels would be helpful in predicting the course of ILD and facilitating better therapeutic targeting.
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Arthritis care & research · Oct 2012
Effect of body mass index on mortality and clinical status in rheumatoid arthritis.
To study the relative risk (RR) of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) associated with body mass index (BMI), and to quantify the clinical and outcome consequences of abnormal BMI. ⋯ Overweight and obesity reduce the RR of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality across different age groups and durations of RA. By contrast, overweight and obesity are associated with substantial increased risks of comorbidity, total joint replacement, greater pain, medical costs, and decreased quality of life.