Rheumatology
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Multicenter Study
Generic measures of health-related quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis: reliability, validity and responsiveness.
To assess the acceptability and measurement properties of two generic measures of health-related quality of life (HRQL): the EuroQol and the Short Form 12-item Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). ⋯ The instruments have undergone a comprehensive comparative evaluation to assess the measurement properties required for patient-assessed measures of health outcome in AS. Adequate levels of acceptability, reliability and validity were found for both instruments. Although evidence supporting instrument responsiveness was strong for the EQ-VAS and SF-12 PCS, it was very weak for the EQ-5D and SF-12 Mental Component Summary Scale (MCS). The EQ-VAS and SF-12 PCS can both be recommended for use in group evaluation, and the SF-12 PCS is recommended in routine practice or research. However, the lower reliability of the SF-12 MCS and the limited ability of both the EQ-5D and SF-12 MCS to detect change in health may restrict these roles.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of two hyaluronan drugs and placebo in patients with knee osteoarthritis. A controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-design multicentre study.
To compare the efficacy and safety of intra-articular injections of two different hyaluronan preparations and placebo in patients with knee osteoarthritis. ⋯ Patients with knee osteoarthritis who were treated by injection into the knee of either of two hyaluronan preparations or placebo showed clinical improvement during the first 26 weeks of treatment, though neither hyaluronan preparation gave a longer duration of clinical benefit than placebo. However, when data for the two hyaluronan treatments were pooled, there was a significantly longer duration of clinical benefit for hyaluronan treatment than for placebo.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Results of a randomized, dose-ranging trial of etoricoxib in patients with osteoarthritis.
To evaluate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of etoricoxib in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and define the clinically active dose range for further clinical trials. ⋯ Etoricoxib 60 mg once daily showed maximal efficacy in treating OA in this study. Etoricoxib 5-90 mg once daily was generally well tolerated in OA patients for up to 14 weeks.
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To analyse the association of autoantibodies against cardiolipin (CL) and oxidized low density lipoproteins [copper-oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL), malondialdehyde-modified LDL (MDA-LDL)] with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular complications. ⋯ RA patients had increased levels and prevalence of autoantibodies against CL, oxLDL and MDA-LDL, with associations to severity of disease and cardiovascular complications.