Rheumatology international
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We have previously shown that children with pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) have high incidence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLA) and reports suggest that presence of APLA can modify disease expression. While the frequency of APLA has been studied previously in adults with SLE, there is paucity of literature in children especially with regard to long-term follow-up. In the earlier study, we analyzed 27 pSLE patients for the prevalence of APLA; in the present study, we further reviewed the APLA status and its relation with clinical outcome of this cohort of patients over a further 7 year follow-up period. ⋯ On the other hand, presence or persistence of these antibodies was not always associated with thrombosis. Our study suggests that pSLE children should be tested routinely for APLA, as this would identify patients with an increased risk of thrombotic complications. However, the frequency of repeat testing for APLA in those who test negative initially needs to be determined on a case-to-case basis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of phonophoresis for the treatment of chronic neck pain.
The aim of this trial was to investigate and compare the effects of phonophoresis (PP), placebo PP and exercise therapies on pain, disability, sleep quality, and depression in the patients with chronic neck pain (CNP). This is a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study. A total of 61 patients with definite CNP were included in this study. ⋯ These differences were statistically significant in group 1 and 2 compared to group 3, and also in group 1 compared to group 2. We observed that PP treatment was effective in the treatment for patients with CNP. A combination of PP with exercises can be used to obtain optimal clinical results.