International Journal of Rheumatology最新文献

{"title":"An Observational Study on the Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease Secondary to Dermatomyositis and Antisynthetase Syndrome.","authors":"Ling Lei, Zongbo Ma, Xuejia Ma, Dongmei Pan, Zhanrui Chen, Fang Qin, Fei Dong","doi":"10.1155/2024/9679944","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2024/9679944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objective:</b> Identify the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) combined with interstitial lung disease (ILD). <b>Methods:</b> IIM-ILD patients who were hospitalized at Guangxi Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and classified as having dermatomyositis (DM)-ILD or -ILD. Clinical and laboratory results were analyzed. <b>Results:</b> There were 39 males and 111 females, the mean age of disease onset was 50.4 ± 12.3 years, and the median disease duration was 3 months (range: 1-6). Ninety-seven patients had DM-ILD, and 53 had ASS-ILD. The DM-ILD group had 72% positivity for the anti-MDA5 antibody and 5.2% positivity for the anti-Mi-2 antibody; the ASS-ILD group had 67.9% positivity for the anti-Jo-1 antibody and 17% positivity for the anti-EJ antibody. Muscle symptoms, skin ulcers, rash, rapidly progressing interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD), and elevated levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen were more common in DM-ILD patients (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). However, pericardial effusion and pleural effusion, elevated creatinine kinase, and elevated C-reactive protein were more common in ASS-ILD patients. After a median follow-up of 15.5 months, there were more deaths in the DM-ILD group (42.3% vs. 13.2%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that RP-ILD, dyspnea, and the usual interstitial pneumonia type of ILD had negative associations with overall survival (OS), and arthralgia had a positive association with OS (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> DM-ILD patients were more prone to secondary RP-ILD and skin ulcers, had milder symptoms of myositis and less severe serositis, and had lower survival rates than the ASS-ILD patients. RP-ILD, dyspnea, and the usual interstitial pneumonia type of ILD had adverse effects on prognosis, but arthralgia was a protective factor.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2024 ","pages":"9679944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11449546/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142373492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of Baseline Serum Soluble Tumour Necrosis Factor Receptor Levels with the Response of Rheumatoid Arthritis to Janus Kinase Inhibitor Therapy.","authors":"Takahiro Yoshikawa, Tetsuya Furukawa, Teppei Hashimoto, Naoto Azuma, Kiyoshi Matsui","doi":"10.1155/2024/2898586","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2024/2898586","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate whether cytokines associated with tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-) <i>α</i> and interleukin- (IL-) 6 signalling could predict rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical remission (CR) with Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKinib) treatment using the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighty-nine patients with RA treated with JAKinibs were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected retrospectively. CR was defined as an SDAI ≤ 3.3 after 6 months of treatment with JAKinib. The serum samples of 89 patients were analysed for IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), soluble gp130 (spg130), and soluble TNF receptor- (sTNFR-) I and sTNFR-II titres.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were no significant differences in the baseline clinical parameters between the CR and non-CR groups. Serum levels of IL-6, sIL-6R, and sgp130 were not significantly different; whereas, the serum sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II levels were significantly lower in the CR group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the baseline log sTNFR II values (OR: 0.002; <i>p</i> = 0.034) were predictors of CR.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Patients with RA can be stratified prior to JAKinib administration using serum sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II levels but not serum IL-6 axis cytokine levels (IL-6, sIL-6R, and sgp130).</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2024 ","pages":"2898586"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11074879/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140877932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of Cytokine IL-17, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 Gene Polymorphisms in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh.","authors":"Taskin Jahan, Ahmed Abu Saleh, Shaheda Anwar","doi":"10.1155/2024/3728179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/3728179","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that involves cytokines in its pathogenesis. This study is aimed at investigating if gene polymorphisms in cytokines like IL-17, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 affect RA susceptibility and severity in the Bangladeshi population. This was a cross-sectional comparative study that included 40 diagnosed RA patients according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria 2010, who were free from other rheumatological diseases, and 40 healthy subjects for comparison. The study used PCR-RFLP to determine the IL-17, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 cytokine gene polymorphisms. Patients had a mean age of 37.22 ± 6.70 years. Among the patients, 31 were female and 9 were male. The mean disease duration was 18.11 ± 7.39 months. The study found that rheumatoid arthritis patients with the IL-17F (7488 A/G) polymorphism with GG genotype (<i>P</i> = 0.006, OR = 8.56, 95% CI = 1.77 - 41.33) and IL-12B (1188 A/C) polymorphism with AC (<i>P</i> = 0.012, OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 1.43 - 9.53) and CC (<i>P</i> = 0.013, OR = 7.58, 95% CI = 1.56 - 36.88) genotypes were significantly associated with disease risk. Furthermore, patients with the IL-17F (7488) GG genotype and IL-12B (1188) AC and CC genotypes had higher rheumatoid arthritis disease severity and activity parameters. The study found no significant association between polymorphisms involving IL-4 (590 C/T) and IL-6 (174 G/C) genes and rheumatoid arthritis disease risk in the Bangladeshi population. Gene polymorphisms in cytokines IL-17F (7488 A/G) and IL-12B (1188 A/C) can predict disease susceptibility and severity in Bangladeshi rheumatoid arthritis patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2024 ","pages":"3728179"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10857881/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139724935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Pain, Fatigue, and Health Quality of Life of Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Crossover Clinical Trial.","authors":"Rafael Giovani Missé, Alexandre Moura Dos Santos, Isabela Bruna Pires Borges, Marcus Vinicius Grecco, Marlise Sítima Mendes Simões Faria, Lorenza Rosa Silvério da Silva, Bruna Lindoso Correia, Ana Woo Sook Kim, Clarice Tanaka, Júlia Maria D'Andrea Greve, Abrahão Fontes Baptista, Samuel Katsuyuki Shinjo","doi":"10.1155/2024/1583506","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2024/1583506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for pain, fatigue, physical function, and health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover clinical trial enrolled IIM patients with fatigue and pain who received tDCS (20 min, 2 mA) or sham stimulation for 10 daily sessions. Electrodes were placed according to the 10/20 EEG system. Both the groups underwent aerobic exercise training during the intervention period. The patients were evaluated for disease perception, pain, and fatigue using uni-multidimensional questionnaires and physical tests in the periods before and after the first and second interventions and after 12 weeks of follow-up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After the tDCS intervention, a reduction in the general score of multidimensional pain of 32.0 (1.5-38.0) <i>vs.</i> 0.0 (0.0-13.4) with effect size (ES) of -0.78 was noted, and after sham intervention, a reduction of 26.0 (0.0-37.0) <i>vs</i>. 5.0 (0.0-19.2) with ES of -0.54 (<i>P</i> = 0.047) was also noted. Similar results were evidenced with fatigue (22.5 (15.4-33.2) <i>vs.</i> 5.5 (0.0-14.6) with ES of -0.82) and sham intervention (21.0 (15.8-29.5) <i>vs.</i> 4.0 (4.0-17.5) with ES of -0.80 (<i>P</i> = 0.012)). There were no differences in the domains of the fatigue and pain questionnaires. Adherence was observed in 88.8% of the patients without adverse events.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The association of tDCS with aerobic training promoted additional effects in relation to the group subjected to placebo stimulation on general pain and fatigue scores, as well as on pain intensity, without changes in the subdomains of the pain and fatigue questionnaire. This trial is registered with NCT04678635.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2024 ","pages":"1583506"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10853024/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139708482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana.","authors":"Tonnies Abeku Buckman, Samuel Asamoah Sakyi, Kwame Yeboah-Mensah, Maxwell Hubert Antwi, Isaac Darban, Lawrence Owusu-Brenya, Joseph Yorke, Andy Opoku Boateng, Ebenezer Senu, Albert Dompreh, Akwasi Minnah Addei, Richard Boateng, Ortis Yankey, Samuel Tandoh","doi":"10.1155/2024/6639079","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2024/6639079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease's severity and related variables. This study sought to characterize the clinical presentation and determine disease severity and associated risk factors with disease severity among RA patients in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and August 2021. This study included 56 consecutively consenting RA patients from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital orthopaedic unit. Diagnosis of RA was based on the updated American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2022 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria by a rheumatologist. A study questionnaire was used to gather participant demographics and clinical features, and results from the laboratory were taken from the patients' charts and medical records. The patients' disease severity was evaluated based on the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity score, which is based on a 28-joint count (DAS28), and their functioning was evaluated using the modified health assessment questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The participants' mean age was 51.25 ± 13.22 years. Out of the total participants, 46 were females, and 10 were males (female-to-male ratio 4.6 : 1). Moreover, 37.50% had arthritis of the hand; 5.30% had severe disease, and 94.60% were not severe. A majority (76.80%) were on methotrexate medication. The most frequently involved joints were the knee (42.90%), wrist (32.10%), and elbow (12.50%). There was no statistically significant association with disease severity and a functional status score of >0.5 (cOR: 10.60, 95% CI (0.52-217.30); <i>p</i> = 0.124). In addition, marital status (<i>p</i> = 0.04), disease duration (<i>p</i> = 0.04), family complaints (<i>p</i> = 0.02), and ESR (<i>p</i> = 0.03) were significantly associated with disease severity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>RA is predominant among elder populations and females. Disease duration, family complaints, and ESR are associated with disease severity. The findings of this study call for interventions towards ensuring early diagnosis of RA among high-risk populations to enhance good management practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2024 ","pages":"6639079"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10798837/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139513352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinically Recognized Depression and Mental Health Treatment in a Single Center Cohort of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis","authors":"Marissa B. Savoie, Alexandra Poeschla, Na Lu, Yuqing Zhang, M. Bolster, Sara Schoenfeld, F. Castelino","doi":"10.1155/2023/6141790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6141790","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of depression, depression treatment, and symptom burden in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and examined their associations with the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale revised (CESD-R) scores. Methods. The Prospective Registry in Scleroderma at Massachusetts General Hospital (PRISM) is a longitudinal registry of patients with SSc. Among participants with CESD-R \u0000 \u0000 score\u0000 ≥\u0000 16\u0000 \u0000 , indicating possible depression, a chart review was performed for mental health diagnoses and treatments. We examined the relation of demographic and clinical factors to the presence of mental health diagnoses or treatment using logistic regression. We evaluated the association of SSc symptoms and the COVID-19 pandemic with a CESD-R score using quantile regression. Results. Of 214 patients enrolled in PRISM, 129 participants (38% diffuse and 59% limited) completed at least one CESD-R questionnaire. In the first survey, 29% had possible depression (\u0000 \u0000 CESD\u0000 −\u0000 R\u0000 ≥\u0000 16\u0000 \u0000 ) and 16% had probable depression (\u0000 \u0000 CESD\u0000 −\u0000 R\u0000 ≥\u0000 23\u0000 \u0000 ). Of 20 participants with probable depression, 90% received treatment for a mood disorder. In a multivariable logistic regression model among participants with \u0000 \u0000 CESD\u0000 −\u0000 R\u0000 ≥\u0000 16\u0000 \u0000 , none of the evaluated variables (CESD-R score, age, gender, employment status, race, and ethnicity) was associated with mental health diagnosis or treatment. Higher baseline dyspnea index, modified Rodnan skin score, and the University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal total score and subscores were associated with higher CESD-R score. Conclusion. In this single-center cross-sectional study, 16% of participants had significant depressive symptoms. Dyspnea, extent of skin involvement, and gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with depression symptoms.","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":" 52","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138961055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glucocorticoid Withdrawal Symptoms and Quality of Life in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus","authors":"Matee Karoonkatima, Pongthorn Narongroeknawin, Sumapa Chaiamnuay, Paijit Asavatanabodee, Rattapol Pakchotanon","doi":"10.1155/2023/5750791","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5750791","url":null,"abstract":"Background/Objective. Chronic glucocorticoid (GCS) therapy is associated with increased risk of organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, discontinuation of low-dose GCS might cause withdrawal symptoms. This study is aimed at identifying GCS withdrawal symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among SLE patients. Methods. SLE patients whose prednisolone had been previously withdrawn or taken &lt;5 mg/day were enrolled. Serum morning cortisol levels were collected after 72-hour GCS discontinuation, and low-dose ACTH stimulation test (LDST) was performed. Patient report outcomes (PROs) included SLE-specific quality of life questionnaire (SLEQoL), functional assessment of chronic illness therapy (FACIT), patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Pittsburgh’s sleep quality index (PSQI). Results. Serum morning cortisol of 100 SLE patients was tested. Most patients were female (88%). Seventy-four patients showed remission. The &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M1\"&gt; &lt;mtext&gt;mean&lt;/mtext&gt; &lt;mo&gt;±&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mtext&gt;SD&lt;/mtext&gt; &lt;/math&gt; of prednisolone was &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M2\"&gt; &lt;mn&gt;0.73&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;mo&gt;±&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;1.08&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; mg/day. Total SLEQoL and FACIT ( &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M3\"&gt; &lt;mtext&gt;mean&lt;/mtext&gt; &lt;mo&gt;±&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mtext&gt;SD&lt;/mtext&gt; &lt;/math&gt; ) of all patients were &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M4\"&gt; &lt;mn&gt;67.05&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;mo&gt;±&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;26.15&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; and &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M5\"&gt; &lt;mn&gt;13.7&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;mo&gt;±&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;8.87&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; , respectively. Eighteen percent of patients had moderate-severe depressive symptoms, and 49% were poor sleepers. Adrenal function was determined by LDST in only 39 patients; 5 patients (12.8%) were adrenal insufficiency (AI), and 34 patients were normal adrenal function. Compared to normal adrenal function patients, SLE patients with AI had higher proportion of moderate-severe depressive symptom ( &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M6\"&gt; &lt;mtext&gt;PHQ&lt;/mtext&gt; &lt;mo&gt;−&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;9&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;mo&gt;&gt;&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;9&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; ), but not statistically significant (40% vs. 20.6%, &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M7\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;p&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;mo&gt;=&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;0.34&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; ). PROs were comparable between groups. Independent factors associated with SLEQoL were FACIT (adjusted &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M8\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;β&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;/math&gt; 1.31, 95% CI 0.76, 1.86, &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M9\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;p&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;mo&gt;&lt;&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;0.001&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; ), PHQ-9 (adjusted &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M10\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;β&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;/math&gt; 5.21, 95% CI 4.32, 6.09, &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M11\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;p&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;mo&gt;&lt;&lt;/mo&gt; &lt;mn&gt;0.001&lt;/mn&gt; &lt;/math&gt; ), and PSQI (adjusted &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M12\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;β&lt;/mi&gt; &lt;/math&gt; 4.23, 95% CI 3.01, 5.45, &lt;math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\" id=\"M13\"&gt; &lt;mi&gt;p&lt;/","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"79 8","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135093232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Use of Bone Density Scan in Monitoring Treatment Response in Patients Diagnosed with Osteoporosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Mohammed O Ibrahim,&nbsp;Ahmad Kolleri,&nbsp;Amel Ginawi","doi":"10.1155/2023/2160346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/2160346","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteoporosis is characterized as a metabolic bone disease defined by low bone mineral density (BMD) and bone tissue degeneration, particularly a reduction in the number of trabeculae and a drop in cortical bone thickness, and a rise in porosity, which is mainly due to an imbalance between bone resorption and formation. As a result, it increases bone fragility, and the susceptibility to fracture increases, especially among the elderly. The objective is to assess the effectiveness of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan in monitoring the response to osteoporosis treatment and compare the scan's response to different osteoporosis treatments. This retrospective cohort study included 51 adults selected from 300 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis based on World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria of a <i>T</i>-score of -2.5. Data were acquired from the electronic medical records between 2016 and 2019 from a private hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study included sociodemographic characteristics, biomedical parameters, comorbidities, history of fracture, medications, laboratory, and DXA scan results. Ninety-four percent of the patients were females; the mean (±SD) age was 58.1 ± 11.5 years. Most patients were expatriates (84.3%), of which Asian ethnicity was 66.7%. The mean (±SD) duration of osteoporosis was 2.82 ± 1.8 years. Eleven (21.6%) patients had a history of fragility fracture. Ninety-six percent of the patients had vitamin D deficiency. One-third (29.4%) of the patients had hyperparathyroidism. Alendronate/cholecalciferol, received by nine patients (17.6%), showed a significant improvement (<i>p</i> = 0.018) in the BMD of the femoral neck among the study group. In conclusion, the DXA scan as a monitoring tool has shown a significant improvement in the BMD of the femoral neck among patients taking alendronate/cholecalciferol treatment compared to other medications.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2023 ","pages":"2160346"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10615580/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71428994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rheumatic Heart Disease in East Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Guesh Mebrahtom,&nbsp;Abrha Hailay,&nbsp;Woldu Aberhe,&nbsp;Kidane Zereabruk,&nbsp;Teklehaimanot Haile","doi":"10.1155/2023/8834443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8834443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite being a grave problem, there is little information on rheumatic heart disease's prevalence in East Africa. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A computerized systematic search of using multiple database searching engines was performed in search of relevant English articles from the inception of the databases to December 2019. It was done in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) standard. The funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. R and RStudio for Windows were used for all statistical analysis. The random-effect model was used for calculating the pooled estimate of the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The database search retrieved 1073 papers, and 80 articles (78 cross-sectional and two cohort study designs) with a total of 184575 individuals were found to be appropriate for the review. In East Africa, the overall prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was 14.67% (95% CI: 13.99% to 15.35%). In Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sudan, respectively, the subgroup analysis of rheumatic heart disease pooled prevalence was 22% (95% CI: 13% to 36%), 11% (95%t CI: 5% to 20%), 9% (95%t CI: 5% to 16%), and 3% (95%t CI: 1% to 10%), while the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in adults was 20% (95% CI: 12% to 30%), and in children, it was 4% (95% CI: 2% to 8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>From this report, the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa is very high, affecting about one in seven people. Therefore, future strategies should emphasize preventive measures at appropriate times to minimize the burden of this type of preventable heart disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2023 ","pages":"8834443"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10522432/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41158136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depression-, Pain-, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus","authors":"N. Chalhoub, M. Luggen","doi":"10.1155/2022/6290736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6290736","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives A significant number of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have depression, and many are untreated. We aim to assess the frequency of moderate to severe depression (MSD) in a multiethnic group of SLE patients with different sociodemographic backgrounds, identify modifiable factors associated with depression, and determine the impact of depression, disease activity, damage, cognitive function, and pain severity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods Ninety-nine patients with SLE were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic data, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II), SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI-2K), SLICC Damage Index (SLICC-DI), pain severity (10 cm visual analogue scale), cognitive function (Automated Neuropsychologic Assessment Metrics (ANAM)), and the physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were recorded. Bivariate analysis identified potential associations of relevant variables with BDI II and SF-36. Regression analysis determined independent correlates with MSD, PCS, and MCS. Results Over 50% of subjects (50.5%) were African-American, 37.1% had a family income of ≤$20,000, and 31.3% had MSD. In the bivariate analysis, family income, SLEDAI-2K, cognitive function, and pain severity were associated with MSD. Using binary logistic regression, SLEDAI-2K and pain severity remained independently correlated with MSD (p = 0.004). In the multiple linear regression analysis, pain severity was the only independent correlate of PCS (p < 0.0001), while cognitive function and BDI II were the main factors associated with MCS (p = 0.020 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion Pain severity and disease activity are associated with MSD in our unique population, are potentially modifiable, and deserve further attention in the clinic. Depression and pain significantly affect HRQoL and should be aggressively managed.","PeriodicalId":51715,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Rheumatology","volume":"2022 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43037442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}