Functional and psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatic patients’ quality of life in Saudi Arabia

Quality of Life Research - The COVID-19 pandemic might add to the stressors experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases. This study aimed to examine rheumatic patients’ functional...     

Self-image, adolescence, and disability.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the self-image of a group of young persons with cerebral palsy. The respondents (3 girls and 4 boys, ages 12 to 17 years) were interviewed and asked to complete a personality inventory. The results from the personality inventory revealed that the respondents viewed themselves in a very positive manner and rated markedly higher than norm groups. This positive view corresponded well with the findings of the interview. The following conclusions are made: Further studies on self-image and the psychosocial development of adolescents with disabilities should (a) focus on the social interaction outside their immediate families, and (b) continue to use and develop methods where these adolescents can give voice to their own experiences and opinions.     

Effects of Metal Exposures on Juvenile Clams,Mercenaria mercenaria

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Elevated metal concentrations occur throughout the coastal zone due to urbanization and various anthropogenic activities. The lethal...     

A randomized,double‐blind,placebo controlled,multi‐center study of intravenous iron sucrose and placebo in the treatment of restless legs syndrome

Iron deficiency may exacerbate symptoms in the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). We investigated the effect of intravenous iron sucrose or placebo on symptoms in patients with RLS and mild to moderate iron deficit. Sixty patients with primary RLS (seven males, age 46 (9) years, S‐ferritin ≤45 μg/L) recruited from a cohort of 231 patients were randomly assigned in a 12‐months double‐blind, multi‐centre study of iron sucrose 1000 mg (n = 29) or saline (n = 31). The primary efficacy variable was the RLS severity scale (IRLS) score at week 11. Median IRLS score decreased from 24 to 7 (week 11) after iron sucrose and from 26 to 17 after placebo (P = 0.123, N.S. for between treatment comparison). The corresponding scores at week 7 were 12 and 20 in the two groups (P = 0.017). Drop out rate because of lack of efficacy at 12 months was 19/31 after placebo and 5/29 patients after iron sucrose (Kaplan–Meier estimate, log rank test P = 0.0006) suggesting an iron induced superior long term RLS symptom control. Iron sucrose was well tolerated. This study showed a lack of superiority of iron sucrose at 11 weeks but found evidence that iron sucrose reduced RLS symptoms both in the acute phase (7 weeks) and during long‐term follow up in patients with variable degree of iron deficiency. Further studies on target patient groups, dosing and dosing intervals are warranted before iron sucrose could be considered for treatment of iron deficient patients with RLS. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society     

Rehabilitation in spinal cord injury

Caring for the new quadriplegic is an immense undertaking involving multiple health care professionals who must function as a team. The physician in charge must understand rehabilitation principles and be able to communicate with all members of the team caring for the patient. Rehabilitation principles, if considered early, can greatly decrease the length of stay of the patient and allow him to maximize his potential for recovery. A basic knowledge of physicial and occupational therapy in paraplegia and quadriplegia in the acute stage as well as functional expectations in the long term have been presented.