Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2009
Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase-mediated tryptophan catabolism regulates accumulation of Th1/Th17 cells in the joint in collagen-induced arthritis.
Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) is a catabolic enzyme that initiates the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation and has immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulation of collagen-induced arthritis by tryptophan catabolism mediated by IDO. ⋯ Our data indicate that the induction of IDO controls the accumulation of Th1 and Th17 pathogenic T cells at the site of inflammation during collagen-induced arthritis. Therefore, manipulation of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation provides the potential for therapeutic intervention in rheumatoid arthritis.
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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.