Clin Exp Rheumatol
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To report 4 cases of refractory panuveitis due to Behçet's disease treated with a novel therapy: infliximab. ⋯ Infliximab may be efficient in refractory uveitis due to Behçet's disease. The optimal dose, rhythm and duration of infliximab infusions need to be standardized.
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An unsolved problem in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is to identify patients at special risk for relapse. It is important to adjust anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapy to the children's actual disease activity especially in times of remission. Our aim was to analyze if the serum levels of MRP8/MRP14 are reliable predictive markers for the risk of relapse in clinically inactive juvenile idiopathic arthritis. ⋯ MRP8/MRP14 correlate with individual disease activity in patients with JIA. Our data suggest that local disease activity may be present even months before flares become clinically apparent. Serum levels of MRP8/MRP14 can give a hint as to clinically occult disease activity, in this way helping to adjust therapy in times of low disease activity.
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Comparative Study
The contribution of underlying systemic rheumatic diseases to the mortality in patients admitted for intensive care: a matched cohort study.
The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases admitted to our medical-intensive care unit (ICU) in comparison to the outcome of patients with non-rheumatic diseases in the same ICU. ⋯ The presence of a systemic rheumatic disease seems to negatively affect the outcome in patients under intensive care.
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The WHO-ILAR Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) primarily aims to estimate the burden of musculoskeletal symptoms/disorders. We investigated data on musculoskeletal pain, disability and health-seeking behavior in the first community-based COPCORD study in Kuwait. ⋯ Musculoskeletal pain is a major health problem among Kuwaitis and deserves intense government attention.
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Analgesic therapy that combines individual agents with different mechanisms of action has potential advantages for the management of mild-to-moderate pain in the outpatient setting. Theoretically, this approach can lead to greater efficacy and fewer adverse events. ⋯ Several controlled clinical studies among patients with musculoskeletal conditions, dental pain, or postoperative pain have shown that combinations of acetaminophen and NSAIDs provide additive pain-relieving activity, thereby leading to dose-sparing effects and improved safety. Further studies are warranted to determine the clinical utility and safety of acetaminophen/NSAID combinations as analgesic therapy for common conditions associated with mild-to-moderate pain.