Modern rheumatology
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Modern rheumatology · Sep 2013
Dynamics of serum angiopoietin-2 levels correlate with efficacy of intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide therapy for interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis.
Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) regulates the transition between vascular quiescence and angiogenesis in a context-dependent manner. In systemic sclerosis (SSc), serum Ang2 levels correlate with its disease activity. Therefore, we investigated the clinical significance of monitoring serum Ang2 levels during intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy in SSc patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). ⋯ Monitoring Ang2 levels during IVCY treatment may be useful to evaluate and predict the efficacy of this treatment for SSc-ILD.
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Modern rheumatology · Sep 2013
The influence of locomotive syndrome on health-related quality of life in a community-living population.
The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) has proposed the term "locomotive syndrome" (LS) to designate a condition in individuals with musculoskeletal disease in high-risk groups who are highly likely to require nursing care. The present study investigated the influence of LS on the quality of life (QOL) of a community-living population. ⋯ We found that LS strongly impacted QOL and the scores from the VASs. LS appears to be a useful concept for screening subjects who are experiencing a lowered QOL due to musculoskeletal diseases, especially degenerative lumbar diseases and knee osteoarthritis.