Modern rheumatology
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Modern rheumatology · Mar 2015
Construct validity, reliability, response rate, and association with disease activity of the quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire in the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis.
First objective is to validate the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and Quick DASH (QuickDASH) questionnaire in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with functional upper extremity impairment. Next is to clarify which clinical factor is associating with QuickDASH using a large cohort of RA. ⋯ QuickDASH seems suitable for evaluating upper extremity impairment, disability index, and disease control in a large cohort of RA patients including elderly patients.
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Modern rheumatology · Mar 2015
Drug retention rates of second biologic agents after switching from tumor necrosis factor inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis in Japanese patients on low-dose methotrexate or without methotrexate.
The purpose of this study was to explore drug retention rates of second biologic agents after switching from tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in clinical practice in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on low-dose methotrexate (MTX) or without MTX. ⋯ Drug retention rates of IFX and ADA after switching from the first TNFi were significantly lower compared to those of ETN and TCZ in patients on low-dose MTX or without MTX.
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Modern rheumatology · Mar 2015
Clinicopathologic characteristics of IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis among patients initially diagnosed as having idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.
Abstract Objective. The purpose of our study was to determine the number of IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) cases that were initially diagnosed as idiopathic RPF and to investigate clinical characteristics of IgG4-related RPF. Methods. ⋯ Conclusions. We found that 47% of the patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic RPF showed IgG4-related RPF evidence according to the pathology and IgG4-related RPF patients showed higher recurrence rate than idiopathic RPF patients. We suggest that maintenance immunosuppressive therapy is required in IgG4-related RPF patients.
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Modern rheumatology · Jan 2015
Ultrasonographic assessment of pes anserinus tendon and pes anserinus tendinitis bursitis syndrome in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
The aim of this study was to assess the ultrasonographic (US) findings of pes anserinus tendon and bursa in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) with or without clinical pes anserinus tendinitis bursitis syndrome (PATBS). ⋯ It is concluded that the mean thickness of PA in knees with OA with/without PATBS was significantly greater than the controls. The mean thickness of PA in knees with OA, KL graded 3 and 4 with/without PATBS, was greater than in knees with OA KL graded 1 and 2 with/without PATBS. The knee OA with PATBS had significantly more PAB, less loss of normal fibrillar echotexture of PA, and higher VAS scores compared to the knees with OA without PATBS. US can serve as a useful diagnostic tool for detection of PATBS in knee OA.
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Modern rheumatology · Jan 2015
Observational StudyComparison of efficacy and safety of tacrolimus and methotrexate in combination with abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; a retrospective observational study in the TBC Registry.
Tacrolimus (TAC) and abatacept (ABT) inhibit T-cells via different mechanisms and, in combination, may be effective against rheumatoid arthritis. However, they may also disrupt normal immune functions. We compared the efficacy and safety of ABT administered to patients in combination with TAC, methotrexate (MTX), or other drugs. ⋯ Although the sample size was small, the results of this retrospective study suggest that the ABT+ TAC combination therapy has at least comparable safety and efficacy to those of the ABT+ MTX combination, and that it can thus be a useful option for patients who cannot take MTX.