Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Apr 2009
Rasch analysis provides new insights into the measurement properties of the neck disability index.
The most widely used neck-specific measure in intervention trials is the 10-item Neck Disability Index (NDI), which is assumed to be a unidimensional interval scale, as shown by how NDI data are scored, analyzed, and interpreted. Our objective was to use modern measurement methods to test this assumption (and thereby to also test the validity of calculating summed scores and parametric statistics on NDI data) through Rasch analysis. ⋯ As originally proposed and conventionally used, the NDI is not a unidimensional scale, and has only ordinal scaling. This raises fundamental doubts about the practice of calculating change scores and other parametric statistics on NDI data. A revised 8-item version provides unidimensional interval-level measurement of neck pain disability.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Apr 2009
Multicenter StudyHealth-related quality of life of patients with juvenile dermatomyositis: results from the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation multinational quality of life cohort study.
To investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) change over time, as measured by the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), and its determinants in patients with active juvenile dermatomyositis (DM). ⋯ We found that patients with juvenile DM have a significant impairment in their HRQOL compared with healthy peers, particularly in the physical domain. Physical well-being was mostly affected by the level of functional impairment.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Apr 2009
The association of quadriceps strength with the knee adduction moment in medial knee osteoarthritis.
To investigate the relationship between quadriceps strength and the peak knee adduction moment during walking in medial tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (OA), and whether varus malalignment influences this relationship. ⋯ No significant association was observed between quadriceps strength and the peak knee adduction moment, and the severity of varus malalignment did not influence the relationship. Results suggest that clinicians should not be concerned that patients with knee OA and stronger quadriceps are more likely to demonstrate a higher knee adduction moment.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Apr 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyGolimumab, a new human tumor necrosis factor alpha antibody, administered every four weeks as a subcutaneous injection in psoriatic arthritis: Twenty-four-week efficacy and safety results of a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Apr 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of fluvastatin on cardiac outcomes in kidney transplant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomized placebo-controlled study.
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with or without end-stage renal failure, are at increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease. Although statin therapy has been found to reduce cardiovascular risk in the general population, its effectiveness in kidney transplant recipients with SLE has not been examined. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of fluvastatin on cardiac end points in a randomized controlled trial of renal transplant patients with SLE. ⋯ Our results indicate that the effect of fluvastatin on cardiac events in renal transplant recipients with SLE is similar to that observed with statin therapy in the renal transplant population as a whole.