Epidemiology of primary Sjögren's syndrome in north-west Greece, 1982-2003

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence and prevalence, as well as the mortality and survival rates, of primary Sj?gren's syndrome (pSS) in a defined area of north-west Greece with a population of about 500 000 inhabitants. METHODS: Cases were recorded from the following sources: (i) in- and out-patients referred to the rheumatology clinics of the Ioannina University Hospital and the Ioannina General Hospital; and (ii) patients referred to private rheumatologists practising in the study area. All patients diagnosed between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 2003 who were resident in the study area were included as incident cases. Diagnosis was based on the American-European consensus criteria for SS. Incidence and prevalence rates were calculated as numbers of cases per 10(5) inhabitants. Population data were based on the National Censuses of 1981, 1991 and 2001. RESULTS: A total of 422 incident cases were identified for the study period 1982-2003. Age-adjusted mean annual incidence rate for this period was 5.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.5-6.1) cases per 10(5) adult inhabitants. The female/male ratio of incident cases was about 20/1. The age-adjusted prevalence rate for the adult population was 92.8 (95% CI 83.7-101.9) cases per 10(5) inhabitants on 31 December 2003. The 5-yr survival rate in the incidence cohort was 96.6% and the 10-yr survival rate 92.8%. The standardized mortality ratio in comparison with the general population of the study area was 1.02 (95% CI 0.4-2.0). The main causes of death were cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The occurrence of the disease shows a slightly decreasing, but not statistically significant, trend with time. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated incidence and prevalence of pSS in this study were slightly higher in comparison with data from other studies based on physician-diagnosed cases. The prevalence was significantly lower when compared with the findings of studies based on the examination of a sample of the general population. Mortality rates did not differ significantly between pSS patients and the general population.     

Short- versus long-course antibacterial therapy for community-acquired pneumonia : a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The evidence for traditionally recommended 7- to 14-day duration of antibacterial therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is not well established. OBJECTIVES: We endeavoured to assess the effectiveness and safety of shorter than traditionally recommended antibacterial therapy for CAP. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing short- (/=2 days difference) course therapy for CAP with the same antibacterial regimens, in the same daily dosages. RESULTS: Five RCTs involving adults (including outpatients and inpatients who did not require intensive care) and two RCTs involving children (aged 2-59 months, residing in developing countries) were included. All RCTs were double-blind and assessed patients with CAP of mild to moderate severity. No differences were found between short- (adults 3-7 days; children 3 days) and long- (adults 7-10 days; children 5 days) course regimens (adults - amoxicillin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, telithromycin and gemifloxacin; children - amoxicillin) regarding clinical success at end-of-therapy (six RCTs; 5107 patients [1095 adults, 4012 children]; fixed-effect model [FEM]; odds ratio [OR] = 0.89; 95% CI 0.74, 1.07), clinical success at late follow-up, microbiological success, relapses, mortality (seven RCTs; 5438 patients; FEM; OR = 0.57; 95% CI 0.23, 1.43), adverse events (five RCTs; 3214 patients; FEM; OR = 0. 90; 95% CI 0.72, 1.13) or withdrawals as a result of adverse events. No differences were found in subset analyses of adults or children, and of patients treated with no more than 5-day short-course regimens versus at least 7-day long-course regimens. CONCLUSION: No difference was found in the effectiveness and safety of short- versus long-course antimicrobial treatment of adult and paediatric patients with CAP of mild to moderate severity.     

Persistent post-surgical pain and neuropathic pain after total knee replacement

AIM: To study the prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) and neuropathic pain (NP) after total knee replacement (TKR).METHODS: MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched for articles published until December 2014 in English language. Published articles were included if they referred to pain that lasts at least 3 mo after primary TKR for knee osteoarthritis, and measured pain with pain specific instruments. Studies that referred to pain caused by septic reasons and implant malalignment were excluded. Both prospective and retrospective studies were included and only 14 studies that match the inclusion criteria were selected for this review.RESULTS: The included studies were characterized by the heterogeneity on the scales used to measure pain and pre-operative factors related to PPSP and NP. The reported prevalence of PPSP and NP seems to be relatively high, but it varies among different studies. There is also evidence that the prevalence of post-surgical pain is related to the scale used for pain measurement. The prevalence of PPSP is ranging at 6 mo from 16% to 39% and at 12 mo from 13.1% to 23% and even 38% of the patients. The prevalence of NP at 6 mo post-operatively is ranging from 5.2% to 13%. Pre-operative factors related to the development of PPSP also differ, including emotional functioning, such as depression and pain catastrophizing, number of comorbidities, pain problems elsewhere and operations in knees with early grade of osteoarthritis.CONCLUSION: No firm conclusions can be reached regarding the prevalence of PPSP and NP and the related factors due to the heterogeneity of the studies.     

Use of demineralized bone matrix in the extremities

Autologous bone graft is considered as the gold standard for all indications for bone grafting procedures but the limited availability and complications in donor site resulted in seeking other options like allografts and bone graft substitutes. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is an allograft product with no quantity limitation. It is an osteoconductive material with osteoinductive capabilities, which vary among different products, depending on donor characteristics and differences in processing of the bone. The purpose of the present review is to provide a critical review of the existing literature concerning the use of DBM products in various procedures in the extremities. Clinical studies describing the use of DBM alone or in combination with other grafting material are available for only a few commercial products. The Level of Evidence of these studies and the resulting Grades of Recommendation are very low. In conclusion, further clinical studies of higher quality are required in order to improve the Recommendation Grades for or against the use of DBM products in bone grafting procedures.