Rheumatology international
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effects of therapeutic ultrasound and electrical stimulation program on pain, trunk muscle strength, disability, walking performance, quality of life, and depression in patients with low back pain: a randomized-controlled trial.
The aim of this trial is to investigate and compare the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) program and ultrasound (US) therapy on pain, disability, trunk muscle strength, walking performance, spinal mobility, quality of life (QOL), and depression in the patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). A total of 59 patients with definite CLBP were enrolled in this study. These patients were randomized into three groups. ⋯ This difference was statistically significant in the groups 1 and 2 compared to the control group. There was also no significant difference between the groups 1 and 2. We observed that US treatment and ES treatment were effective in improving pain, isometric extensor muscle strength, and QOL in patients with CLBP.
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Case Reports
Spontaneous displacement of olecranon fracture through geode salvaged by elbow replacement.
We present a case of pathological fracture of olecranon through a giant geode. Fracture was initially undisplaced and was treated conservatively. ⋯ She was treated by a total elbow arthroplasty with ulnar nerve transposition. The current report highlights this unusual case and reviews the relevant literature.
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Although nerve conduction study (NCS) is the method most frequently used in daily clinical practice to confirm clinical diagnosis of Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), ultrasonographic (US) measurement of the median nerve cross-sectional area is both sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of CTS. Moreover, an algorithm evaluating CTS severity based on CSA of median nerve was suggested. This study is aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of this algorithm in assessing CTS severity. ⋯ The median nerve swelling detected by calculation of the CSA reflects in itself the degree of nerve damage as expressed by the clinical picture. In addition to CTS diagnosis, sonographic measurement of CSA could also give additional information about severity of median nerve involvement. Using of US may cost-effectively reduce the number of NCS in patients with suspected CTS.
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Review Meta Analysis
Association between the rs7574865 polymorphism of STAT4 and rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the rs7574865 polymorphism of STAT4 (signal transducers and activators of transcription 4) confers susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in populations with different ethnicities. A meta-analysis was conducted on the T allele of the STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism in 15 studies containing 16,088 RA patients and 16,509 normal control subjects. Meta-analysis revealed an association between RA and the STAT4 rs7574865 T allele in all subjects (OR = 1.271, 95% CI = 1.197-1.350, P < 0.001). ⋯ Stratification of RA patients according to the presence of anti-CCP antibody revealed a statistically significant association between the T allele and RA in both anti-CCP-positive and -negative RA patients versus controls. Europeans had the lowest (21.4%) and Asians had the highest (32.0%) prevalence of the T allele among the populations studied. In conclusion, this meta-analysis confirms that the STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism is associated with RA susceptibility in different ethnic groups, and that its prevalence is ethnicity dependent.
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Review Case Reports
Dermatomyositis associated with acute myelocytic leukemia.
Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are inflammatory myopathic diseases characterized by symmetric, proximal myopathy with or without a distinct cutaneous eruption. They have long been recognized to be associated with cancer. The common cancers associated with DM/PM include ovarian, lung, pancreatic, breast, and stomach cancer. ⋯ In our review of literature we could find only seven such reported cases. We present here a case presenting with DM and diagnosed to be suffering from AML on admission. This happens to be the second reported case of DM and AML with no latent period between the two diseases.