bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
School attendance and patterns, special services and special needs in pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases: Results of a multicenter study
Authors: Lovell Daniel J. , Athreya Balu , Emery Helen M. , Gibbas Donna L. , Levinson Joseph E. , Lindsley Carol B. , Spencer Charles H. , White Patience H. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThis study represents the first multicenter study of school attendance and service needs of children with rheumatic disease. Utilizing a standardized form in seven pediatric rheumatology centers, over 90% of 1135 patients were reported as attending school full time with an average of 3.9 days absent from school for health reasons during a 2‐month period (national average, 1.1 days). At least one‐third of the patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, spondyloarthropathy, scleroderma, and vasculitis exceeded 1.25 days absent in 2 months (national average, + 2 SEM). Less than one‐half of the eligible school‐aged patients with rheumatic disease are receiving school‐based physical or occupational therapy and adaptive physical education services more than a decade after the passage of P.L. 94–142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975). Only 8% of rheumatic disease patients at least 15 years of age are receiving services by vocational and rehabilitation workers. This study documents both the ongoing need for efforts to increase school services for children with rheumatic disease and the increased frequency of school absence in childhood rheumatic disease. Suggestions are made for improving habilitative and rehabilitative school services.
The efficacy of the back school: An analysis of the literature
Authors: Keijsers Jolanda F. E. M. , Steenbakkers Mieke W. H. L. , Gerards Frans M. , Meertens Ree M. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractOne of the possible treatments for patients suffering from low back pain is the so‐called back school, which is of Swedish origin. Back schools offer an education and skills program in a group setting, directed toward pain management and consisting of elements of education and/or training of skills. The contents and, briefly, the efficacy of all reported and evaluated back schools in a group setting are presented. Based on the different contents of back schools and the necessity of a multidimensional approach to treating low back pain, we designed the Maastricht Back School to be a combination of all those elements about which we consider a back school should give information and/or training.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy in children A physical therapy approach
Authors: Wesdock Kimberly A. , Stanton Robert P. , Singsen Bernhard H. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractChildren with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) almost always receive physical therapy as part of a multidisciplinary approach, but there is controversy about the efficacy of many alternative modalities. In a retrospective chart review of 24 females and 12 males with 49 episodes of RSD (mean age at onset, 13.4 years), the average time to correct diagnosis was 9.4 months (median, 4.2 months; range, 1–53 months). Sixteen ankles, 12 knees, eight wrists, two hips, and two shoulders were involved. Psychological assessments revealed significant abnormalities in 25 (83%) of 30 children evaluated. Thirty‐four (94%) of 36 children received physical therapy including a wide variety of nonstandardized approaches. Children with one to two episodes of RSD averaged 4.0 physical therapy modalities; unresolved cases had 8.9 modalities attempted. Time from the first RSD episode to resolution averaged 9.0 months in 69% of children. Incorrect diagnoses prolonged many initial episodes; following correct diagnosis, symptom resolution occurred in 3.1 months. Recurrences are common, and 25% of children still exhibited RSD symptoms at last follow‐up.
Combination of disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis A survey of alabama rheumatologists
Authors: Baum Susan K. , Tracy Irene C. , Henderson Ella H. , Alarcón Graciela S. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractCombinations of disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been recently advocated. Efficacy and toxicity data are scant. We conducted a survey of Alabama rheumatologists to determine actual practice patterns regarding combined DMARD treatment for their patients with RA. No differences were found between academic and nonacademic rheumatologists nor between users and nonusers of combination DMARDs in demographics or practice pattern profiles. The majority did report use of combination DMARD treatment, though only in a small proportion of their patients for whom the pyramid approach had failed. The combination most often employed was gold salts and antimalarials. Users, as compared to nonusers, did favor changing the classic pyramid approach for the treatment of RA, but the differences did not reach statistical significance.
A simple method to measure gait for use in arthritis clinical research
Authors: Falconer Judith , Hayes Ptkaren W. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThis report describes and discusses a simple, inexpensive method to quantify step length, stride width, cadence (steps per minute), and velocity (centimeters per second) for use as outcome measures in arthritis clinical trials. The method involves footprint recordings taken during gait on pressure‐sensitive paper. Data from 42 adults with osteoarthritis of the knee and a brief review of the literature suggest that gait measurements using this method are reliable, valid, and practical.
Health status (arthritis impact) in children with chronic rheumatic diseases. Current measurement issues and an approach to instrument design
Authors: Singsen Bernhard H. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractArthritis outcome measures in adults have evolved from biologic “disease activity,” to observations of motor/movement based “functional status,” to assessment of “health status.” This monograph suggests a framework for developing a pediatric arthritis health status (impact) instrument in which measurable global outcome dimensions include psychological, social, ADL, pain, school, family, behavioral, and developmental variables. Physical and laboratory parameters of inflammation/disease activity are not part of either functional status or arthritis impact, but rather perhaps the most important predictor variable of outcome.Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a prototypic chronic disease for development of a health status instrument for children. Prior obstacles have been (a) that systemic, polyarticular, and pauciarticular JRA appear to have very different amounts of impact on health status; and (b) although juvenile arthritis has proven a useful term for medical and public education, its value as a study entry criterion for functional status instrument development is limited.Any new pediatric arthritis impact instrument must fulfill five criteria: enable quantification; demonstrate reliability, validity, and precision; and specify data collection procedures. Important design issues include (a) developing a self‐report format for children, (b) ensuring generalizability across age groups, and (c) the parent as proxy in most patient‐related dialogue and interventions. Instrument elements could come from 8–10 adult and pediatric health/functional status instruments already in use. By 10 years of age, children can provide much independent information. Whether global assessments by patient, parent, and physician should be included, or be a separate “gold standard,” is not yet clear. The creation of better health status measures is an important and formidable challenge for pediatric rheumatology.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis aquatic exercise and lower‐extremity function
Authors: Bacon Melanie C. , Nicholson Carol , Binder Helga , White Patience H. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThis pilot study investigates the effects of aquatic therapeutic exercise on lower‐extremity range of motion, gait, balance, and functional mobility in children with juvenile arthritis. Eleven patients, aged 4–13, with lower‐extremity joint involvement, diagnosed as functional class I–III, completed a 6‐week program of aquatic exercise aimed at increasing lower‐extremity range of motion and strength. Despite the small sample size and short duration of the study program, significant improvement was noted in external and internal hip rotation, bilaterally (p < 0.05). Improvement was noted in the median scores for most other parameters; however, these did not reach statistical significance. Aquatic exercises performed in a group setting can serve as an enjoyable and beneficial part of therapy for children with arthritis. Further investigation is recommended to determine fully the effects of aquatic therapeutic exercise on mobility and fitness in children with juvenile arthritis.
The effects of social support on the relationship of functional limitations and pain to depression
Authors: Roberts Beverly L. , Matecjyck Mary‐Blair , Anthony Mary 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. This study assessed the effects of social support on the relationship of functional impairments and pain to depression.Methods. Fifty‐nine persons with end‐stage joint disease (27 men and 32 women with an average age of 65 years) were interviewed. The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) was used to assess functional impairment and depression. The modified Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors was used to assess 4 types of social support (emotional, informational, tangible, and integrative).Results. Contrary to the moderator model of social support, only low tangible support attenuated the adverse effects of functional impairments on depression, while other levels of this type and 3 other types of support either had no effect or enhanced the deleterious effects of functional impairments. Social support did not attenuate the relationship between pain and depression.Discussion. The findings suggest that certain types and levels of social support may reduce the effects of functional limitation and pain on depression, while other types and levels may increase their adverse effects.
The relationship between socioeconomic status and recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Berkanovic Emil , Oster Pamela , Wong Weng Kee , Bulpitt Ken , Clements Philip , Sterz Millie , Paulus Harold 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To examine the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in physical functioning, pain, and depressive symptoms among newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with severe disease.Methods. Data are from 118 non‐Hispanic patients of European origin at baseline of a longitudinal study of early, severe RA. Outcome measures were the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) functional disability index, the HAQ visual analog pain scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using a health status block (disease activity and comorbidities), a non‐SES related social structure block (age, sex, and Lubben Social Network Scale), and indicators of SES (income and education).Results. Non‐SES related social structure and SES were important independent determinants of functional disability and depressive symptoms, but both they and the health status variables were unrelated to pain. Further, neither income nor education was related to disease activity or comorbidities.Conclusion. It cannot be argued from these data that poorer health status explains the link between SES and disability and depressive symptoms. Although, at baseline, the psychosocial effects of early RA are more severe for those with lower SES, the disease does not appear to be more severe. It may be that the biologic impact of status differentials will become clearer as the effects of treatment and the course of the disease unfold over time.
Quality‐adjusted life years lost to arthritis: Effects of gender, race, and social class
Authors: Kaplan Robert M. , Alcaraz John E. , Anderson John P. , Weisman Michael 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To estimate the public health impact of self‐reported arthritis in terms of Quality‐Adjusted Life Years.Method. The Quality of Well‐Being Scale (QWB) is a general measure of health‐related quality of life that scores levels of wellness on a continuum between death (0.0) and optimum functioning (1.0). Values for the QWB were imputed for the National Health Interview Survey. These estimates were adjusted for mortality based on the life tables. Age‐specific estimates were obtained for those reporting arthritis and compared to estimators for the population not reporting arthritis. These estimates were broken down by race (white versus nonwhite), gender, and socioeconomic status.Results. The expected life years lost because of arthritis were 1.86 (95% confidence interval 1.40–2.32 years). Arthritis was reported more often among those of lower income, those living in rural areas, those of lower educational attainment, and older respondents. Men and women did not differ in rates of reporting arthritis, but men with arthritis had lower QWB scores than women with arthritis.Conclusion. Arthritis has a significant public health impact.
Health care costs for volunteers and non‐volunteers in an intervention for people with osteoarthritis
Authors: Cronan Terry A. , Durkin Kathleen A. , Groessl Erik , Tomita Mitsuo 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine whether older people who volunteered for a health intervention study used the health care system differently from a randomly selected group of eligible non‐volunteers.Methods. Three hundred sixty‐three volunteers and 92 non‐volunteers were compared; both groups were members of a large health maintenance organization (HMO).Results. Volunteers were more educated and had been members of the HMO longer. Volunteers used the health care system significantly more at all time periods, but their cost per contact was significantly lower than that for non‐volunteers. Non‐volunteers were more likely to have a comorbid condition and had fewer arthritis‐related health care contacts.Conclusions. There will always be problems in generalizing results of studies with volunteers, but volunteers are, nevertheless, the most appropriate controls if the experimental participants are also volunteers. Designs should ideally include both volunteer and non‐volunteer controls.
Do people with rheumatoid arthritis develop illness‐related schemas?
Authors: Devellis Robert F. , Patterson Carol Carswell , Blalock Susan J. , Renner Barbara R. , Devellis Brenda M. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To assess, using both qualitative/inductive and quantitative data, whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (FLA) have schemas related to arthritis.Methods. Themes identified from interview and focus group transcripts were used to develop 1) questionnaire items, and 2) statements participants were asked to recall during home interviews. Two hundred one people with FLA completed questionnaires and recall tasks of the type used in cognitive research, followed 10 days later by another recall assessment by telephone.Results. Qualitative methods, item‐level questionnaire data, and category‐level recall data yielded convergent results supporting 4 final categories: mastery, support, loss of independence, and depression. Regression analyses indicated that category of earlier recollections predicted subsequent recollections assessed via phone.Conclusions. Results from widely different methods offer at least partial support for arthritis schemas and suggest that the concepts identified are meaningful to patients as well as to researchers.
Satisfaction of patients attending an arthritis clinic in a county teaching hospital
Authors: Sole Timothy J. , Lipsky Peter E. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To gather information about the satisfaction of medically indigent arthritis patients with their health care.Methods. Patients attending a university‐affiliated county hospital arthritis clinic were surveyed using a questionnaire about their satisfaction with various aspects of the clinic.Results. Two hundred thirty‐two out of 283 questionnaires were completed. Patients were most satisfied with the care given by doctors, and least satisfied with the waiting times; accessibility, environment, and information received intermediate responses. Although most patients said that they were satisfied with their overall care, only 53% would continue to attend the clinic if they had full insurance.Conclusion. A number of aspects of health care delivery were sources of dissatisfaction for medically indigent arthritis patients. Attention to these concerns could increase overall satisfaction and perhaps improve compliance in this group of patients.
Rating satisfaction research: Is it poor, fair, good, very good, or excellent?
Authors: di Palo Michele T. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractSatisfaction is one of the core outcome measures for health care. It is intuitively more appealing than measures of health care effectiveness or efficiency that are more difficult to understand. Satisfaction with health care is a measure with a long history in the social sciences. Most current research is less interested in correlations between patient characteristics and satisfaction and more focused on improving the quality of care and service delivered to patients and health plan members. While this article provides a brief overview of historical satisfaction literature, the primary focus is on current trends in measuring satisfaction, including efforts by the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Foundation for Accountability. Limitations of current satisfaction measures are discussed; alternatives to using satisfaction to understand the experience of the health care system are suggested.
Psychosocial contributors to mental and physical health in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dobkin Patricia L. , Fortin Paul R. , Joseph Lawrence , Esdaile John M. , Danoff Deborah S. , Clarke Ann E. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To delineate psychosocial and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)‐related medical factors that contribute to the mental and physical health of SLE patients.Methods. In a cross‐sectional study, 44 women completed standardized instruments assessing daily hassles, social support, psychologic distress, and quality of life and underwent a physician examination to assess disease activity and disease damage. Four multiple linear regression analyses were computed to identify factors associated with the following outcomes: patient‐perceived psychologic distress and global physical health and physician‐assessed disease activity and damage. Variables entered into the regression analyses were: hassles severity, types of social support, SLE disease activity and damage, age, disease duration, education, ethnicity, and global psychologic distress (for the outcomes of self‐perceived global physical health and disease activity and damage).Results. The best model explaining global psychologic distress included hassles severity and self‐esteem social support. The best model explaining patients' perceptions of their global physical health included hassles severity and tangible social support. Psychologic distress accounted for a significant proportion of variance in both disease activity and damage.Conclusion. High stress (assessed by hassles severity), poor social support, and psychologic distress—potentially modifiable variables—are associated with the mental and physical health of SLE patients.
Protocol for verifying expertise in locating fibromyalgia tender points
Authors: McIntosh Matthew J. , Hewett John E. , Buckelew Susan P. , Conway Robert R. , Rossy Lynn A. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To develop a protocol for determining when an individual is adequately trained to locate the tender points relative to fibromyalgia in an exam.Methods. The error distance for each tender point was established by polling individuals with experience in conducting tender point exams. Bayesian statistical methods were employed to form a protocol for determining an individual's proficiency in locating the tender points. A predictive distribution was utilized to find the probability of remaining trained at locating tender points. Also, the probability of classifying at least 11 tender points as tender (mild) under different “locating” criteria and different number of points that are truly tender was computed.Results. Critical values indicating the number of tender points needed in the qualification process for various standards of reliability—80%, 85%, and 90%—are presented. To be certified after 3 subjects have been examined in the 80%, 85%, and 90% criteria, one has to correctly identify 48, 50, and 52, respectively, out of the 54 possible tender points.Conclusion. We believe that at least 3 subjects should be examined before certification is granted using any of the 3 criteria—80%, 85%, and 90%. In our example, when using the 85% criterion, the qualification process required 7 subjects to certify an individual.
Psychological factors in the prediction of Lyme disease course
Authors: Solomon Sanford P. , Hilton Eileen , Weinschel Barbara S. , Pollack Simcha , Grolnick Elizabeth 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine whether history of severe, long‐term, premorbid, psychological stress is associated with increased incidence of chronic physical symptoms in presumed Lyme disease patients.Methods. Fifty‐seven patients presenting at Lyme Disease Clinic of Long Island Jewish‐Hillside Medical Center were studied for presenting symptoms, presence or absence of Lyme disease, and past history of psychological trauma. They were restudied 1 to 1.5 years later for presence or absence of physical symptoms. Statistical analyses compared symptom course for patients with and without Lyme disease, antibiotic and nonantibiotic treatments, and past history of psychological trauma.Results. There was correlation between history of past traumatic psychological events and chronicity of physical symptoms whether or not the patient had presumed Lyme disease or had received antibiotic treatment.Conclusion. Traumatic psychological experiences predating onset of Lyme disease symptoms may play an important etiologic role in the chronicity of these symptoms.
L‐glutamine and palmitate catabolism in pancreatic islets from rats depleted in long‐chain polyunsaturated ω3 fatty acids
Authors: Zhang Ying , Louchami Karim , Carpentier Yvon A. , Malaisse Willy J. , Sener Abdullah 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThe catabolism of D‐glucose was recently found to be impaired in pancreatic islets from rats depleted in long‐chain polyunsaturated ω3 fatty acids. The specificity of this alteration was now investigated by characterizing the oxidative fate of endogenous nutrients in islets preincubated with either L‐[U‐14C]glutamine or [U‐14C]palmitate and then incubated variously in the absence of D‐glucose, presence of the hexose or presence of metabolic poisons. Relative to their radioactive content after preincubation, the production of 14CO2 by islets prelabelled with [U‐14C]glutamine was higher in ω3‐depleted rats than control animals. The enhancing action of D‐glucose upon such production was impaired, however, in the ω3‐depleted rats. The net uptake of 14C‐palmitate and absolute value for 14CO2 output were both increased in ω3‐depleted rats, whilst the ratio between 14CO2 output and islet radioactive content was decreased in the same animals. The inhibition of 14CO2 production by metabolic poisons was comparable in all cases. These results are consistent with recent findings on such items as the availability of endogenous amino acids and uptake of unesterified fatty acids in extrapancreatic sites of the ω3‐depleted rats. They also support the view that the alteration of D‐glucose metabolism in the islets of the latter animals may be attributable, in part at least, to alteration of glucokinase kinetics by high intracellular acyl‐CoA levels. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.