Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Feb 2011
Adaptation of Turkish version of the questionnaire Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick DASH) in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick DASH) scale in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Sixty nine patients with idiopathic CTS were included. The Quick DASH questionnaire consists of three subscales including disability/symptom, and work and sports/performing arts. ⋯ A high correlation was found between the disability/symptom and work subscales with Boston symptom severity and Boston functional status subscores. The Turkish version of Quick DASH was reliable and valid for evaluating symptoms and functional disability in patients with CTS. Our results suggest that Quick DASH could be preferred as it is a simple and easy scale to use.
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Clinical rheumatology · Feb 2011
The ILAR-East Africa initiative: current needs and progress in the globalization of rheumatology.
In early 2009, the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) funded a program known as the "East Africa Initiative." The long-term goal of this program is to unite the international rheumatology community to aid in enhancing clinical rheumatology services in an area that carries 25% of the world's disease burden but has only 2% of the world's human resources for health. This paper provides an overview of the rationale and progress to date of this collaborative effort toward the globalization of rheumatology.
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Clinical rheumatology · Feb 2011
Comparative StudyKinesio taping compared to physical therapy modalities for the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome.
The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the efficacy of kinesio tape and physical therapy modalities in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome. Patients (n = 55) were treated with kinesio tape (n = 30) three times by intervals of 3 days or a daily program of local modalities (n = 25) for 2 weeks. Response to treatment was evaluated with the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scale. ⋯ No side effects were observed. Kinesio tape has been found to be more effective than the local modalities at the first week and was similarly effective at the second week of the treatment. Kinesio taping may be an alternative treatment option in the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome especially when an immediate effect is needed.
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Clinical rheumatology · Jan 2011
The role of viral agents in aetiopathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever.
The reason why abnormal immune response exists in acute rheumatic fever is not exactly explained. The influence of co-pathogens like certain viruses were mentioned regarding the initiation of the immunological reaction in acute rheumatic fever patients by several authors since 1970. This study was designed to find the role or effect of some viral infections in the development of rheumatic fever. ⋯ EBV DNA was searched by the polymerase chain reaction technique; due to the latent nature of the virus, no significant difference was found between the control group and the other groups (p > 0.05). In this study, no positive correlation could be found to support the synergism theories regarding the streptoccocus infection and viral infections in the development of acute rheumatic fever. Only EBV DNA positivity was found in all acute rheumatic fever cases but not in the control group may lead to further studies with larger series of patients.
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Clinical rheumatology · Dec 2010
Discovertebral (Andersson) lesions in severe ankylosing spondylitis: a study using MRI and conventional radiography.
The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of Andersson lesions (AL) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients who will start anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine were performed before therapy with anti-TNF. ALs were defined as discovertebral endplate destructions on MRI, associated with bone marrow edema and fat replacement or sclerosis, a decreased signal on T1, enhancement after contrast administration (gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA)), and increased signal on T2 and short tau inversion recovery (STIR). ⋯ No AL was detected in our AS patients, who were candidates for anti-TNF treatment. One patient showed a discovertebral abnormality on MRI, without a fracture line on conventional radiology. The relative small proportion of patients with a long-established disease might explain this finding for, particularly, an ankylosed spine is prone to develop an AL.