Rheumatology international
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Efficacy of EMLA cream phonophoresis comparison with ultrasound therapy on myofascial pain syndrome of the trapezius: a single-blind, randomized clinical study.
The aim of this study is to investigate whether eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream phonophoresis superior to conventional US over the trigger points (TPs) in terms of improvements of pain, range of motion and disability in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Fifty patients (42 female, 8 male) diagnosed with MPS were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned into two treatment groups including phonophoresis (PH) group (n = 25) and ultrasound (US) group (n = 25). ⋯ The NTP decrease in PH group was significantly higher than that in US group (1.84 ± 1.46 vs. 0.72 ± 1.45; p = 0.01). Pain intensity at rest (p = 0.001) and NPDI scores (p = 0.001) were statistically improvement in only PH group. EMLA cream phonophoresis is more effective than conventional ultrasound therapy in terms of pain and associated neck disability, and it seems the complementary treatment option for MPS.
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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease associated with high disability levels, which in turn lead to low quality of life (QOL). The objectives of this study were to translate the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) into Spanish and to assess its reliability and validity for its use in patients with FM. A total of 140 women are suffering from FM (52.87 ± 9.35 years old). ⋯ The main component analysis and the varimax rotation revealed the convergence on three factors that account for 54.05 % of variance. Taking into account the severity of the disorder, significant differences (p < 0.05) appeared in QOLS, with moderately afflicted patients getting higher scores than the most severe cases. In conclusion, our study shows that the Spanish version of the QOLS is a reliable instrument, with a good convergent and discriminant construct validity, for measuring the QOL of Spanish FM patients.
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Data about clinical-laboratory features and outcome of antiphospholipid syndrome nephropathy (APSN) in the course of lupus nephritis (LN) are scarce. To determine prevalence, clinical correlations and outcome of APSN in patients with LN, retrospective analysis of renal specimens and review of medical records from 48 LN patients were performed. APSN was found in 12/48 (25 %) of LN. ⋯ APSN-LN and LN did not differ significantly as regards the rate of complete (25 vs. 19.4 %, p = 0.72) and partial treatment response (25 vs. 29 %, p = 0.82) at 6 months and the progression to end-stage renal disease after a median follow-up of 8.1 ± 3.6 years (16.6 vs. 13.8 %, p = 0.82). APSN was demonstrated in a quart of LN, appeared to be independent from underlying LN class and SLE severity, and did not seem to confer a worse prognosis to LN. The findings of higher creatinine and more interstitial fibrosis in APSN should be confirmed in future prospective larger studies.
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Observational Study
Osteoarthritis pain has a significant neuropathic component: an exploratory in vivo patient model.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and includes manifestations of both nociceptive and neuropathic mechanisms. Intravenous lignocaine, a sodium channel blocker and neuronal membrane stabiliser, has been shown in controlled trials to be effective in neuropathic pain; however, the outcome of intravenous lignocaine in osteoarthritis patients has not been assessed yet. The existence of a neuropathic component to the pain of osteoarthritis was investigated by examining possible benefits upon sensory aspects of pain in osteoarthritis patients receiving intravenous lignocaine therapy. ⋯ Pain intensity (p < 0.001), pain relief (p < 0.003) and mobility (p < 0.003) were all significantly improved after administration of lignocaine intravenous infusion therapy. Pain was significantly reduced in a group of osteoarthritis patients after administration of intravenous lignocaine. This suggests that part of the pain mechanism in this patient group may be neuropathic, appears to contribute significantly to the patients' pain, and requires further investigation in studies designed specifically for the purpose.
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Review Comparative Study
Comparison of national clinical practice guidelines and recommendations on vaccination of adult patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
The aim of the study is to identify and compare national recommendations on vaccination of adult patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) in Europe, North America, and Australia. We conducted a search for recommended immunizations in adult patients with ARDs in the Medline database and the Web sites of National Rheumatologic Societies, Ministries of Health, National Advisory Committees on Immunization, and other relevant National Scientific Societies. We compared national guidelines and identified points of agreement and differences. ⋯ Points of agreement include administering influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in addition to inactivated age-appropriate or travel-related vaccines, and avoiding the use of live vaccines in immunocompromised patients with ARDs. The most important differences concern the steroid dose that induces immunosuppression, the time interval between live vaccines and the initiation of immunosuppressive treatment, herpes zoster vaccination, and the preferred pneumococcal vaccine in patients with ARDs. We observed significant differences among national recommendations on immunizations in patients with ARDs, reflecting the lack of evidence-based data.