Children With Chronic Physical Disorders: Maternal Reports of Their Psychological Adjustment

Advances in biomedical science have resulted in dramatic improvementsin the medical care of chronically ill and handicapped children.Past measurement problems have resulted in a lack of clarityregarding the psychological adjustment of these children. Themothers of 270 chronically ill and handicapped children wereadministered the Child Behavior Checklist in an attempt to identifypatterns of behavioral functioning across six pediatric chronicdisorders: juvenile diabetes, spina bifida, hemophilia, chronicobesity, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and cerebral palsy.In general, it was found that children in all chronic disordergroups were perceived by their mothers as evidencing on theaverage more behavioral and social competence problems thanexpected based on norms for children in general. However, theirbehavioral and social adjustment was reported as better thanthat of a normative sample of children referred to mental healthclinics. There were essentially no differences between childrenwith different chronic disorders in terms of behavior problemsand social competence. The results were taken to support theview that these children were as a group at risk for adjustmentproblems. They were also discussed in terms of the noncategorialapproach, which suggests that similar psychosocial challengesare faced across pediatric chronic physical disorders.     

Oral tuberculosis associated with a treatment with anti-rheumatic drugs

BACKGROUND: The use of immunosuppressive medication is a dominant risk factor for infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Adalimumab [a human anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) monoclonal antibody] represent an important advance in the treatment of RA and has been recently come in use. TNF-alpha plays a role in the host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and notably in granuloma formation. Infections occur at a high rate among those who use one or the combination of the two medications. METHOD: We examined a female patient that was referred to our department for evaluation and treatment of a granular lesion on the soft palate and uvula, complaining of mild dysphagia. The patient was treated for 4 months with MTX and adalimumab for RA before the oral lesion appeared. RESULTS: The histopathological examination of a specimen of the oral lesion, taken by biopsy, showed a chronic inflammation characterized by tuberculous granulomas. Polymerase chain reaction test and culture of a new specimen was positive for M. tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic use of MTX or/and adalimumab for the treatment of RA or few others diseases, can cause oral tuberculosis.     

Serum levels of interleukin-6 and tumour-necrosis-factor-alpha are not correlated to disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after treatment with low-dose methotrexate

Abstract. Cytokines are major mediators of inflammatory responses in rheumatoid arthritis. Some of them have been shown to correlate with the disease activity and thus are proposed to be used for monitoring patients. Therefore the effects of a low-dose therapy with methotrexate on serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-α) were examined in eight patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly elevated in patients compared to healthy controls. Before the onset of MTX treatment IL-6 concentrations were correlated to the c-reactive protein ( P < 0·05) but the correlation was abolished after treatment. For TNF-α no correlations neither before nor after treatment were observed. Both cytokines remained substantially elevated after MTX treatment despite a clear reduction in disease activity. Thus we suggest that one of the effects of MTX might be the inhibition of some of the actions of IL-6 and TNF-α.     

Monospecific but not polyreactive human hybridoma rheumatoid factors exhibit preferential binding specificities for IgG3 and IgG4

Summary Among 38 human hybridoma-derived monoclonal rheumatoid factors (RFs) generated from patients with either rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), two groups of RFs can be identified. Monospecific RFs were derived primarily from patients with RA and are characterized by a binding specificity for IgG3 and/or IgG4. Polyreactive RFs were derived largely from patients with SLE and show a broader pattern of reactivity to all four isotypes of IgG. Neither population of RFs was exclusive to either disease. The binding specificities identified appear to be different from the RFs isolated from patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia and may reflect a different antigen selection mechanism.     

类风湿性关节炎的肺部表现

本文对30例类风湿性关节炎患者中合并肺部损害的6例患者进行报道。其肺部的主要临床表现为胸痛、咳嗽、气短、长期低热及呼吸困难。体征主要为肺部干湿性罗音及胸膜摩擦音。胸部X线检查可见胸腔积液、胸膜肥厚粘连，弥漫性间质性肺纤维化、间质性肺炎。实验室检查可有嗜酸性粒细胞增高、类风湿因子阳性、血沉增快、免疫球蛋白增高等。本文并对类风湿性关节炎合并肺部病变的发生机理进行了初步探讨。     

类风湿关节炎致自发性手指肌腱断裂的临床分析

目的探讨类风湿关节炎致自发性手指肌腱断裂的临床特点和治疗效果。方法对8例自发性手指肌腱断裂的患者（均有3～8年类风湿关节炎的病史），其中2例拇长伸肌腱断裂，采用示指固有伸肌腱转位修复；3例环、小指指伸肌腱断裂，采用环指指伸肌腱与中指指伸肌腱端侧编织缝合，示指固有伸肌腱移位修复小指固有伸肌腱；2例中、环、小指指伸肌腱断裂，采用冷冻异体指伸肌腱移植修复。1例拇长屈肌腱断裂，采用环指指浅屈肌腱转位修复。结果术后局部滑膜和肌腱组织送病理检查均显示为慢性炎症伴局灶性坏死。术后随访6个月～7年，未见肌腱再次断裂，优良率为100％。结论多根肌腱同时断裂是类风湿关节炎致自发性手指肌腱断裂的常见特点，手术采用肌腱转位或异体肌腱移植术，疗效确切。     

弹拨手法治疗腰椎间盘突出症臀后部肌痉挛患者的疗效观察

患者,男,22岁。主因双手近端指间关节对称性肿胀1年于2006年10月20日至我科门诊就诊。患者1年前开始出现双手多个近端指间关节肿胀,无关节痛,无关节活动受限。曾至我院骨科门诊,怀疑为“类风湿性关节炎”,口服滑膜炎冲剂、非甾体类消炎止痛药物,症状持续不缓解。现仍有双手食、中、无名指近端指间关节扁梭形肿胀,中指、无名指明显。肿胀局部无压痛,各关节活动度正常。患者无晨僵,无发热及咽痛。既往患者有下意识掰动手指弄出声响的习惯。查体:一般情况良好。双手食、中、无名指近端指间关节梭形肿胀,关节两侧皮肤增厚,未见苔藓样变(图1 a)。…     

Lateral unicompartimental knee arthroplasty: indications,technique and short-medium term results

Lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is a valid alternative treatment in the event of arthritis confined to the lateral compartment. This paper examines its indications, technique and short to medium-term results. A total of 159 Miller–Galante cemented UKA prostheses (Zimmer, Warsaw, Indiana) were implanted consecutively (131 medial and 28 lateral) by the same surgeon. This study investigates 28 lateral UKAs in 27 patients. Twenty-five implants in 24 patients (including a subject operated bilaterally) were followed up for 12–60 months. Three patients were discarded on account of to short a follow-up period. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score was used to compare the pre- and post-operative results of the lateral UKA patients. The HSS score improved from a pre-op mean of 59.92 (range 48–68) to 88.04 (range 71–95) at the last follow-up. There was a positive increase in the pain, function and ROM components of the score. The lateral UKA prosthesis can be regarded as a sound alternative to total knee replacement. Correct patient selection on the basis of optimum surgical indications, however, is essential. No benefits of funds were received in support of the study.     

153Sm-citrate-HA滑膜切除术治疗类风湿关节炎患者57例近期疗效分析

目的观察^153 Sm-柠檬酸-羟基磷灰石（citrate—HA）滑膜切除术治疗类风湿关节炎（RA）所致膝关节滑膜增生的近期疗效。方法对57例RA患者103个有明显滑膜增生的膝关节行关节腔内注射^153 Sm—citrate．HA5×37MBq（0．5～1m1），比较治疗前后关节症状（疼痛、肿胀、积液、功能活动度、上下楼及蹲站受限）变化情况，按优效、良效、微效、无效4级标准评判疗效，并对不同X线分期患者的疗效进行分析。结果治疗后1周开始起效，在半年内疗效逐渐明显，患者关节症状逐渐减轻甚至消失；总有效率为98．1％，其中Ⅰ、Ⅱ期患者的优效率分别为100％和91．3％。结论^153 Sm-citrate—HA滑膜切除术对RA滑膜增生性变是一项简单、安全、有效的治疗方法。     

全膝置换术治疗膝关节创伤性关节炎

目的探讨全膝置换术(TKA)在膝关节创伤性关节炎治疗中的特点。方法对8例膝关节严重创伤后形成的骨性关节炎施行了TKA手术,术中采用植骨、加装金属垫片的方法修复塌陷的胫骨平台,对内、外翻不稳的膝关节选择了CCK假体代偿由侧副韧带损伤引起的不完全功能缺失,严重者甚至使用旋转型铰链膝,其他还有通过后方的软组织松解等技术来增加关节活动度。结果采用HSS膝关节评分系统,8例由术前的平均42分上升至术后的平均88分(P<0.05),关节活动度由术前的平均76°升至术后的平均106°(P<0.05)。所有患者随访至少1年以上,平均2.1年,随访结束时膝关节评分平均82分(P<0.05),关节活动度平均93°(P<0.05)。结论根据膝关节创伤性关节炎的损伤特点因人而异地选择合适的TKA手术方案可以获得满意的结果,术中注意防止因骨折畸形愈合所导致的技术上的失误。