Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe internet-based arthritis self-management program: a one-year randomized trial for patients with arthritis or fibromyalgia.
To determine the efficacy of an Internet-based Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP) as a resource for arthritis patients unable or unwilling to attend small-group ASMPs, which have proven effective in changing health-related behaviors and improving health status measures. ⋯ The Internet-based ASMP proved effective in improving health status measures at 1 year and is a viable alternative to the small-group ASMP.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialDoes knee malalignment mediate the effects of quadriceps strengthening on knee adduction moment, pain, and function in medial knee osteoarthritis? A randomized controlled trial.
To examine whether the effects of 12 weeks of quadriceps strengthening on the knee adduction moment, pain, and function in people with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) differ in those with and without varus malalignment. ⋯ Quadriceps strengthening did not have any significant effect on the knee adduction moment in participants with either more varus or more neutral alignment. The benefits of quadriceps strengthening on pain were more evident in those with more neutral alignment. Knee alignment thus represents a local mechanical factor that can mediate symptomatic outcome from exercise interventions in knee OA.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2008
Sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia syndrome: relationship to pain and depression.
This study is an examination of sleep, pain, depression, and physical functioning at baseline and 1-year followup among patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Although it is clear that these symptoms are prevalent among FMS patients and that they are related, the direction of the relationship is unclear. We sought to identify and report sleep problems in this population and to examine their relationship to pain, depression, and physical functioning. ⋯ These findings highlight the high prevalence of sleep problems in this population and suggest that they play a critical role in exacerbating FMS symptoms. Furthermore, they support limited existing findings that sleep predicts subsequent pain in this population, but also extend the literature, suggesting that sleep may be related to depression through pain and physical functioning.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jul 2008
Meta AnalysisThe PTPN22 620W allele confers susceptibility to systemic sclerosis: findings of a large case-control study of European Caucasians and a meta-analysis.
To determine whether genetic variants of the PTPN22 gene, including the R620W (1858C>T) missense single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), are associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Since PTPN22 is involved in multiple autoimmune diseases, we also examined the occurrence of a concomitant autoimmune disease. We then conducted a meta-analysis of the most recent studies of SSc in order to verify the association or lack of association between the PTPN22 1858C>T variant and SSc. ⋯ Our results indicate that PTPN22, a shared genetic factor of multiple autoimmune diseases, also contributes to the genetic background of SSc.