Post-stroke rehabilitation in the peri-pandemic COVID-19 era
AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which arose in late 2019, caused extensive destruction, impacting a substantial proportion of the worldwide population and leading to millions of deaths. Although COVID-19 is mainly linked to respiratory and pulmonary complications, it has the potential to affect neurologic structures as well. Neurological in volvement may manifest as minimal and reversible; however, a notable proportion of cases have exhibited pronounced neurological consequences, such as strokes. Endothelial inflammation, hypercoagulation, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system alterations, and cardiog...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Coexistence of IgG4-related disease and ANCA-associated vasculitis: case report and review of the literature
AbstractIgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibroinflammatory condition that is characterized by storiform fibrosis, infiltration of IgG4-positive lymphocytes, obliterative phlebitis, and high IgG4 levels. Since IgG4-RD affects a wide variety of organs, a differential diagnosis must include multiple conditions. IgG4-RD is also believed to coexist with certain diseases. In recent years, case reports and case series describing the co-occurrence of IgG4-RD and ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have been published. We intended to evaluate patients with IgG4-RD and AAV overlap in the literature using a case similar to one that w...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Prevalence and outcomes of end-stage kidney disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematous: a population-based study
This study aims to examine the prevalence and outcomes of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. SLE patients identified from the national administrative datasets were linked to the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) to identify the ESKD cases. Period prevalence of ESKD among SLE patients was calculated. The risk of developing ESKD by ethnicity was explored with Cox Proportional Hazards model. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality for M āori, Pacific, Asian compared to European/others was estimated. Of the 2837 SLE patients, 210 ...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Increased risk of incident gout in patients with hyperthyroidism: a nationwide retrospective cohort study
AbstractPrevious studies have reported that thyroid dysfunction is associated with increased serum uric acid levels; however, the relationship between hyperthyroidism and incidence of clinical manifestations of gout has not been fully investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to longitudinally investigate the risk of gout in patients with hyperthyroidism. This nationwide retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Claims Database. We included 76,494 patients with hyperthyroidism and 76,542 age- and sex-matched controls. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to adjust for potential con...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
A lower frequency of inflammatory back pain in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis compared with female patients
AbstractIn routine rheumatology practice, we noticed that a significant number of male ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients did not experience inflammatory back pain (IBP). Based on this observation, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of IBP in male AS patients and compare it to that in female patients. Patients with AS who fulfilled the modified New York criteria were subjected to a face-to-face interview with a standardized questionnaire that addressed the IBP components based on the Berlin criteria. The study also included 63 patients with chronic mechanical back pain (MBP). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and ...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Predictors of treatment failure of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with axial spondyloarthritis with focus on haptoglobin, haptoglobin polymorphism and zonulin
AbstractAccording to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society-European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (ASAS-EULAR) recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), patients should undergo at least two courses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) therapy. In our study, we enrolled axSpA patients both at onset and in a flare who had already been treated with NSAIDs ineffectively. Subsequently, according to the recommendations, they received modified NSAID treatment as another attempt to the first-line drug therapy and were monitored from there. We aimed to identi...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Celebrities influence on rheumatic diseases interest: a Google Trends analysis
AbstractCelebrity-related events have influenced public interest in diseases like cancer, but their impact on rheumatic diseases is poorly investigated. We aimed to investigate whether celebrity-related events may account for atypical interest among Google users in rheumatic diseases. We used Google Trends to generate the relative search volume of 24 adult rheumatic diseases. We visually analyzed global time trends and recorded all dates with unusual spikes of interest. Finally, we used the Google search engine to detect media news related to rheumatic disease that may explain the spikes. The majority of atypical spikes in...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Franz Liszt ’s hand osteoarthritis
(Source: Rheumatology International)
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Advancing AI in rheumatology: critical reflections and proposals for future research using large language models
(Source: Rheumatology International)
Source: Rheumatology International - February 18, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Exercise programs for scoliosis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a randomized-controlled study
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of structured 3D exercises with that of a conventional exercise program specially planned for children with JIA who have scoliosis. This was a prospective, randomized-controlled study. Structured 3D scoliosis exercises for Group 1 (n: 25) and conventional exercises for the Group 2 (n: 25) were applied for 24 weeks. The angle of trunk rotation (ATR) by scoliometer, scoliosis angle by Cobb angle, pain by a numerical rating scale (NRS), respiratory functions by spirometry, and perception of cosmetic deformity by The Walter Reed visual assessment scale (WRVAS) were evaluated. ATR...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Predicting comorbid mental health difficulties in people with autoimmune arthritis
This study investigates whether, age of onset, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and ‘illness invisibility’ predict comorbid mental health difficulties in people with autoimmune arthritis. Participants with autoimmune arthritis (N = 209) were recruited via social media platforms. Age of onset of arthritis and the temporal order of mental health difficulties (if applicable) were collected alongside a measure of personality and ACEs. A novel measure of illness invisibility was developed for this study. A cross-sectional mi xed-subject design was utilised. 53.5% of the sample endorsed lifetime mental health diffic...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
The relationship between pain and depression and anxiety in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review protocol
AbstractPain is a major challenge for patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA). Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities in IA, associating with worse outcomes. How they relate to pain is uncertain, with existing systematic reviews (a) mainly considering cross-sectional studies, (b) focusing on the relationship between pain and mental health in the context of disease activity/quality of life, and (c) not specifically considering the impact of treating depression/anxiety on pain. This PROSPERO-registered (CRD42023411823) systematic review will address this knowledge-gap by synthesizing evidence to summarise the asso...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Miliarial-type gout in association with chronic use of glucocorticoids
AbstractA 59-year-old male patient with long-standing tophaceous gout (more than 30 years) characterized by polyarticular involvement and recurrent disseminated tophi formation; his past medical history is relevant for poor adherence to urate-lowering medications, as well as persistent use of self-prescribed systemic glucocorticoids. Despite achieving therapeutic goals for serum uric acid levels, new tophi formation with an intradermal location in the form of “miliarial-type gout” was documented. Due to functional limitations, the patient underwent surgical resection of the olecranon bursa. This case illustrates a wide...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Assessing the accuracy and completeness of artificial intelligence language models in providing information on methotrexate use
AbstractWe aimed to assess Large Language Models (LLMs) —ChatGPT 3.5–4, BARD, and Bing—in their accuracy and completeness when answering Methotrexate (MTX) related questions for treating rheumatoid arthritis. We employed 23 questions from an earlier study related to MTX concerns. These questions were entered into the LLMs, and the responses generat ed by each model were evaluated by two reviewers using Likert scales to assess accuracy and completeness. The GPT models achieved a 100% correct answer rate, while BARD and Bing scored 73.91%. In terms of accuracy of the outputs (completely correct responses), GPT-4 achiev...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
Post-stroke rehabilitation in the peri-pandemic COVID-19 era
AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which arose in late 2019, caused extensive destruction, impacting a substantial proportion of the worldwide population and leading to millions of deaths. Although COVID-19 is mainly linked to respiratory and pulmonary complications, it has the potential to affect neurologic structures as well. Neurological in volvement may manifest as minimal and reversible; however, a notable proportion of cases have exhibited pronounced neurological consequences, such as strokes. Endothelial inflammation, hypercoagulation, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system alterations, and cardiog...
Source: Rheumatology International - February 14, 2024 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research
