Introduction: Effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires suppression of the underlying inflammation. Measurement of such inflammation, the disease activity, is mandatory to target treatment and maximize outcomes. However, this is not as straightforward as it may seem.
Areas covered: The many tools developed to measure disease activity in RA, from composite scores and patient-reported outcomes, to laboratory markers and imaging are discussed, with a focus on their utility in guiding therapy and assessing response. The complex issues in measuring disease activity in RA, whether in clinical trials or normal clinical practice, and in the context of national guidelines and recommendations, available time, and resources are considered.
Expert commentary: The key to effective management of RA is the rapid suppression of inflammation, ideally to remission, with maintenance of such remission. The aim is to prevent disability and maximize quality of life. Central to this is the ability to determine disease activity (potentially open to suppression) as opposed to damage (irreversible). A variety of measures are currently available, allowing better assessment of response to treatment. In the future, the development of predictive biomarkers allowing targeting of drugs may revolutionize this field and render the tools of today redundant. 相似文献
BackgroundAssessing patients’ functional outcomes following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with traditional scoring systems is limited by their ceiling effects. Patient’s Joint Perception (PJP) question of the reconstructed joint is also of significant interest. Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) was created as a more discriminating option. The actual score constituting a “forgotten joint” has not yet been defined. The primary objective of this study is to compare the PJP and the FJS in TKA patients to determine the FJS score that corresponds to the patient’s perception of a natural joint.MethodsOne hundred TKAs were assessed at a mean of 40.6 months of follow-up using the PJP question, FJS, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Correlation between the 3 scores and their ceiling effects were analyzed.ResultsWith PJP question, 39% of the patients perceived a natural joint (FJS: 92.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 89.4-96.4), 12% an artificial joint with no restriction (FJS: 79.5; 95% CI, 65.7-93.3), 36% an artificial joint with minor restrictions (FJS: 70.0; 95% CI, 63.2-76.9), and 13% had major restrictions (FJS: 47.3; 95% CI. 32.8-61.7). PJP has a high correlation with FJS and WOMAC (Spearman’s rho, −0.705 and −0.680, respectively). FJS and WOMAC had a significant ceiling effect with both reaching the best possible score in >15%.ConclusionPatients perceiving their TKA as a natural knee based on PJP have a FJS ≥89. PJP has a good correlation with FJS and may be a shorter, simple, and acceptable alternative. 相似文献
An inverse relationship between workplace status and morbidity is well established; higher job status has been associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, and injury. Most research on job status, however, has focused on salaried populations, and it remains unclear whether job status operates similarly among hourly workers. Our objectives were to examine whether hourly status itself influences risk of hypertension after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders, and to explore the role of fine-scale job grade on hypertension incidence within hourly and salaried groups. We examined data for 14,999 aluminum manufacturing employees in 11 plants across the U.S., using logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity and other individual characteristics. Propensity score restriction was used to identify comparable groups of hourly and salaried employees, reducing confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Job grade (coded 1 through 30, within hourly and salaried groups) was examined as a more refined measure of job status. Hourly status was associated with an increased risk of hypertension, after propensity restriction and adjustment for confounders. The observed effect of hourly status was stronger among women, although the propensity-restricted cohort was disproportionately male (96%). Among salaried workers, higher job grade was not consistently associated with decreased risk; among hourly employees, however, there was a significant trend, with higher job grades more protective against hypertension. Increasing the stringency of hypertension case criteria also increased the risk of severe or persistent hypertension for hourly employees. 相似文献
Flavocoxid (Limbrel), a proprietary mixture of flavonoid molecules (baicalin and catechin), was tested against a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen, for the management of the signs and symptoms of moderate osteoarthritis (OA) in humans. Discomfort and global disease activity were used as the primary end points, and safety assessments were also taken for both treatments as a secondary endpoint. In this double-blind study, 103 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either flavocoxid [500 mg twice daily (BID)] or naproxen (500 mg BID) in a 1-month onset of action trial. Outcome measures included the short Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, subject Visual Analogue Scale for discomfort and global response, and investigator Visual Analogue Scale for global response and fecal occult blood. Both flavocoxid and naproxen showed significant reduction in the signs and symptoms of knee OA (P ≤ .001). There were no statistically detectable differences between the flavocoxid and naproxen groups with respect to any of the outcome variables. Similarly, there were no statistically detectable differences between the groups with respect to any adverse event, although there was a trend toward a higher incidence of edema and nonspecific musculoskeletal discomfort in the naproxen group. In this short-term pilot study, flavocoxid was as effective as naproxen in controlling the signs and symptoms of OA of the knee and would present a safe and effective option for those individuals on traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. A low incidence of adverse events was reported for both groups. 相似文献
目的:研究肿瘤坏死因子α(TNFα)基因多态性与多发性硬化(MS)的相关性。方法:①采用聚合酶链式反应-限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)技术对58例MS患者和79名健康人进行TNFα基因多态性分析。②对MS组患者分别进行扩展病残状态评分(expanded disability status scale,EDSS)、首次发病年龄、病程、发病次数临床资料收集。结果:①MS组TNFα基因型分布及等位基因频率与正常对照组比较均无明显差异(χ2=0.466,P=0.495;χ2=0.229,P=0.632)。②基因型为TNFα1/1、TNFα1/2、TNFα2/2的EDSS评分、首次发病年龄、病程及发病次数各组间比较差异均无统计学意义(F=0.53,P=0.5914;F=1.34,P=0.2699;F=0.37,P=0.6914;F=0.49,P=0.6182)。结论:TNFα等位基因多态性与MS的易患性、EDSS评分、首次发病年龄、病程及发病次数均无显著相关性。 相似文献
In order to assess the accuracy of electroencephalography (EEG), in children who have undergone cardiac surgery under simple
deep hypothermia, the relation between IQ or schoolwork achievement and the duration of circulatory arrest was investigated
in 75 such children. Abnormal preoperative EEG's were found in 16 per cent of the children while abnormal postoperative EEG's
were found in 17 per cent. The children were divided into 4 groups, according to pre- and postoperative EEG results. Schoolwork
achievement scores ranged between 3.0 and 3.2, the difference among the groups being insignificant. Moreover, no significant
shift in IQ was found among the groups. Finally, regarding the number of children who were able to go on to a higher level
of education, including high school the college or university, again no significant differences were found among the 4 groups.
In a comparison with the number of such children in neighboring Nagasaki prefecture able to continue on to a higher level
of education, no significant differences were seen either. The findings and statistics of this investigation therefore indicate
that pre- and postoperative EEG's are not always a reliable reference for assessing the prognosis of cerebral activity. 相似文献