Annals of the rheumatic diseases
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Editorial Comment
Gadolinium and systemic fibrosis: guilt by association.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of utility measures and their relationship with other health status measures in 1041 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
The aim of this study was to compare three health utility instruments (15D, EQ-5D, SF-6D) and a rating scale for health (EQ-Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)) and to investigate their relationship to clinical parameters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ Diverging scores were observed across utility instruments, especially in patients with high HAQ scores. The choice of utility instrument may have an impact on the results of cost-utility analyses, with large hypothetical differences in price per quality-adjusted life year.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Four-year follow-up of surgical versus non-surgical therapy for chronic low back pain.
To compare the long-term effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical treatment in patients with chronic low back pain. ⋯ Long-term improvement was not better after instrumented transpedicular fusion compared with cognitive intervention and exercises.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of etanercept in adults with refractory heel enthesitis in spondyloarthritis: the HEEL trial.
Inflammation at the entheses is a distinguishing feature of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Enthesitis at the heel is the most common location and is often chronic, refractory to standard treatment and may have socioeconomic consequences. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of etanercept in refractory heel enthesitis related to SpA. ⋯ This trial is the first randomised placebo-controlled study of an anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agent in refractory heel enthesitis in patients with SpA. It demonstrates that etanercept has a statistically significant and clinically relevant benefit in such patients. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00420303.