Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Dec 2015
Multicenter StudyAnti-TNF-α therapy in refractory uveitis associated with sarcoidosis: Multicenter study of 17 patients.
To assess anti-TNF-α therapy response in uveitis associated with sarcoidosis refractory to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. ⋯ Anti-TNF-α therapy is effective in sarcoid uveitis patients refractory to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. Infliximab and adalimumab allowed a substantial reduction in prednisone dose despite having failed standard therapy.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Dec 2015
Survival in systemic sclerosis-pulmonary arterial hypertension by serum autoantibody status in the Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma (PHAROS) Registry.
To determine the association between serum autoantibodies and survival in patients with incident systemic sclerosis (SSc)-pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) enrolled in the Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma (PHAROS) Registry. ⋯ Anticentromere and NUC autoantibodies are prevalent in SSc-PAH patients. An association between serum autoantibodies and survival in patients with SSc-PAH was not identified in the PHAROS cohort.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2015
ReviewStructural and functional brain abnormalities in chronic low back pain: A systematic review.
The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the available literature on structural and functional brain abnormalities in chronic low back pain (CLBP) using several brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. ⋯ Overall, there is moderate evidence for regional changes in gray and white matter, together with an altered functional connectivity during rest and increased activity in pain-related areas following painful stimulation, evidencing an upregulated pain matrix. More longitudinal research is needed to clarify the temporal relationship regarding pain and neuroplastic changes, and integration of different brain imaging techniques is warranted.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2015
Meta AnalysisRisk of liver injury among methotrexate users: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Methotrexate is an effective treatment for a variety of inflammatory diseases. Robust evidence on the risk of serious liver injury is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative risk and severity of liver disease among patients treated with methotrexate. ⋯ Our study found an increased risk of elevated transaminases but not liver failure, cirrhosis or death with methotrexate compared to other agents. We were unable to assess long-term liver toxicity due to the short duration of included clinical trials.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2015
Use of prescription analgesic medication and pain catastrophizing after total joint replacement surgery.
To survey the use of analgesic medication 4.8 years after total joint replacement (TJR) surgery and assess the determinants of medication usage. ⋯ Use of opioid medication 4 years post-TJR is very high in our study population. In addition to joint, back and body pain, a major contributor to opioid use is pain catastrophizing. Our data suggest that current opioid and other analgesic prescribing patterns may benefit from considering the catastrophizing characteristics of patients.