scholarly journals The presence of effusions between the volar plate of the proximal interphalangeal joint and the flexor digitorum tendon is a common phenomenon: a single-center, cross sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leixi Xue ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Dong Yan ◽  
Jinxiang Fu ◽  
Zhichun Liu

Aim: In clinical practice, an anechoic signal was often exhibited between the volar plate (VP) of the proximal interphalan-geal joint (PIPJ) (PIPJVP) and the flexor digitorum tendon (FDT) on ultrasound, which suggests the presence of effusions (PIPJVP-FDT effusions). The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PIPJVP-FDT effusions and to explore the possible mechanism preliminarily. Material and methods: A single-center, cross sectional study in hand osteoarthritis (HOA) patients, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls was conducted. Ultrasound examination was per-formed by the same real-time scanner with 18-MHz linear array transducer. Bilateral interphalangeal joints (IPJs) of the thumb, 2ed, 3rd, 4th and 5th PIPJs were examined. The PIPJVP-FDT effusions was defined as an anechoic signal between the PIPJVP and FDT in two perpendicular ultrasound planes. Results: In total, 200 patients with HOA, 78 patients with RA and 101 healthy controls were eligible for the study. 37.6% of healthy controls and 35.0% of HOA patients showed PIPJVP-FDT effusions, while only 11.5% of RA patients had PIPJVP-FDT effusions (p<0.001). The 2ed, 3rdand 4th PIPJs showed more PIPJVP-FDT effusions, while the IPJs of the thumbs and 5th PIPJs showed less PIPJVP-FDT effusions (p<0.05). Furthermore, the prevalence of PIPJVP-FDT effusions in different age groups were similar in HOA patients and healthy controls. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to demonstrate that the presence of PIPJVP-FDT effusions is a very common phenomenon in HOA patients and healthy individuals, and may be unrelated to inflammation, degeneration and age.

2014 ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Van Tuan Nguyen ◽  
Tam Vo ◽  
Bui Bao Hoang

Elevated serum Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) levels have been linked to tissue fibrosis including chronic kidney disease. Objectives: (1) Investigate serum TGF-beta1 levels in healthy adult people and (2) Examined the relation between serum TGF-beta1 level and gender, age, body mass index (BMI). Method: A cross-sectional study. TGF-beta1 were quantified by ELISA. Results: Levels of serum TGF-beta1 in healthy people were 13,45 ± 7,17 ng/mL mL (0,59 - 33,10 ng/mL). There are no difference of serum TGF-beta1 levels between men and women, between the age groups (<40 years, 40 to < 60 years and ≥ 60 years), between BMI groups < 23 and BMI group ≥ 23. Key words: TGF-beta1, healthy people


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanda Chalela

BACKGROUND ABSTRACT Introduction a study on prevalence of ITN use was carried out in Buchi community Kitwe Zambia from August to October 2019 OBJECTIVE Prevalence of ITN in BUchi METHODS Methodology: This was a cross sectional study design. A structured questionnaire was used to ascertain ownership and utilization and oral interviews, 200 households were targeted 844 individual covered across the 200 households. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 23. RESULTS ABSTRACT Introduction a study on prevalence of ITN use was carried out in Buchi community Kitwe Zambia from August to October 2019 Methodology: This was a cross sectional study design. A structured questionnaire was used to ascertain ownership and utilization and oral interviews, 200 households were targeted 844 individual covered across the 200 households. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 23. Findings: household ownership of at least an ITN was 52% and individual utilization at 37.6%, with 0.825 ITN/households and 0.195ITN /individual. Malaria prevalence of 52.4% /household and a 12.4% of the population. With 47.6% malaria patient coming from households with ITN and 60% of households with ITN have insufficient coverage.61% of malaria patient were female and 31 % male. however there was no significant relation between Gender and malaria prevalence in study area (p value was >0.05). Malaria cases distribution with age groups, 0-15yrs old represented 49.5%, 16-30 yrs., was at 27.6% and the over 30 yrs. case were at 22.9% .use of other preventive measures 23% used mosquito repellent ,others methods 1% with those not using any other methods 76%. CONCLUSIONS Conclusion The study showed clearly that malaria still poses a problem .the prevalence rate of malaria was still high 12.4% of the population and 52.4% of households. With high prevalence of malaria of 49.5% for 0-15yrs.the difference between ownership 52% and Utilization 37.6% showed that even household with ITN, the ITN were not sufficient.60% of households with ITN, the ITN were not sufficient for all occupants


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 921.2-922
Author(s):  
E. M. H. Gravås ◽  
I. Kjeken ◽  
R. Nossum ◽  
R. E. Mehl Eide ◽  
Å. Klokkeide ◽  
...  

Background:Osteoarthritis (OA) in the thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) is a prevalent disease which may lead to structural damage, severe pain and functional limitations, but for which there is yet no cure. Evidence-based treatment recommendations state that all patients with hand OA should be offered patient education, hand exercises, and provision of assistive devices and orthoses. Pharmacological therapy is recommended as a symptom relieving supplement. The main indication for CMCJ surgery is pain and poor function, and such surgery should be considered only when other treatment has proven insufficient in relieving pain (1). Previous research has shown that high motivation is a significant predictor for deciding to undergo CMCJ surgery (2), but there is little knowledge regarding which factors that motivates patients for undergoing such surgery.Objectives:The objective of this study was to explore patient goals and motivation for surgery, and factors characterizing patients highly motivated for surgery.Methods:This cross-sectional study included 180 patients referred from their general practitioner for CMCJ surgical consultation. Goals for surgery were collected with an open-ended question and analysed by linking the content of each goal to domains in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health coding system. Motivation for surgery was rated with a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10, 0=no motivation). Activity limitations was self-reported using the Measure of Activity Performance of the Hand (MAP-Hand, score 1 to 4, 1=no activity problems) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH; score 0-100, 0=no disability). Factors that characterized patients highly motivated for surgery (NRS≥8) were explored with multivariate regression analyses.Results:Mean age of participants was 63 years (SD 7.6) and 142 (79%) were women. The most common goals for surgery were to reduce pain and improve arm and hand use. Fifty-six (31%) of the patients were characterized as highly motivated for surgery. High motivation for surgery was strongly associated with more activity limitations (MAP-Hand; (OR 4.00, p=0.008)), living alone (OR 3.18, p=0.007) and a young age (OR 0.94, p=0.002).Conclusion:Decisions on CMCJ OA surgery should be based on assessment and discussion of patients’ life situation, hand pain, activity limitations and motivation and goals for surgery. According to the EULAR recommendations, previously received conservative and pharmacological treatment should also be evaluated.References:[1] Kloppenburg, M., et al. (2018). “2018 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis.” Ann Rheum Dis. 0; 1-9[2] Gravas, E. M. H., et al. (2019). “Non-pharmacological treatment gap preceding surgical consultation in thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis - a cross-sectional study.” BMC Musculoskelet Disord 20(1): 180.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Rivel ◽  
Anat Achiron ◽  
Mark Dolev ◽  
Yael Stern ◽  
Gaby Zeilig ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective About a third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from chronic and excruciating central neuropathic pain (CNP). The mechanism underlying CNP in MS is not clear, since previous studies are scarce and their results are inconsistent. Our aim was to determine whether CNP in MS is associated with impairment of the spinothalamic-thalamocortical pathways (STTCs) and/or increased excitability of the pain system. Design Cross sectional study Setting General hospital Subjects 47 MS patients with CNP, 42 MS patients without CNP, and 32 healthy controls. Methods Sensory testing included the measurement of temperature, pain, and touch thresholds and the thermal grill illusion (TGI) for evaluating STTCs function, and hyperpathia and allodynia as indicators of hyperexcitability. CNP was characterized using interviews and questionnaires. Results The CNP group had higher cold and warm thresholds (p &lt; 0.01), as well as higher TGI perception thresholds (p &lt; 0.05), especially in painful body regions compared to controls, whereas touch and pain thresholds values were normal. The CNP group also had a significantly greater prevalence of hyperpathia and allodynia. Regression analysis revealed that whereas presence of CNP was associated with a higher cold threshold, CNP intensity, and the number of painful body regions were associated with allodynia and hyperpathia, respectively. Conclusions CNP in MS is characterized by a specific impairment of STTC function; the innocuous thermal pathways, and by pain hyperexcitability. Whereas CNP presence is associated with STTC impairment, its severity and extent are associated with pain hyperexcitability. Interventions that reduce excitability level may therefore mitigate CNP severity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Meier ◽  
C. Emch ◽  
C. Gross-Wolf ◽  
F. Pfeiffer ◽  
A. Meichtry ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders, causing significant personal and social burden. Current research is focused on the processes of the central nervous system (particularly the sensorimotor system) and body perception, with a view to developing new and more efficient ways to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP). Several clinical tests have been suggested that might have the ability to detect alterations in the sensorimotor system. These include back-photo assessment (BPA), two-point discrimination (TPD), and the movement control tests (MCT). The aim of this study was to determine whether the simple clinical tests of BPA, TPD or MCT are able to discriminate between nonspecific CLBP subjects with altered body perception and healthy controls. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. At one point in time, 30 subjects with CLBP and 30 healthy controls were investigated through using BPA, TPD and MCT on the lower back. Correlations among the main covariates and odds ratios for group differences were calculated. Results MCT showed an odds ratio for the presence of CLBP of 1.92, with a statistically significant p-value (0.049) and 95%CI. The TPD and BPA tests were unable to determine significant differences between the groups. Conclusions Of the three tests investigated, MCT was found to be the only suitable assessment to discriminate between nonspecific CLBP subjects and healthy controls. The MCT can be recommended as a simple clinical tool to detect alterations in the sensorimotor system of nonspecific CLBP subjects. This could facilitate the development of tailored management strategies for this challenging LBP subgroup. However, further research is necessary to elucidate the potential of all the tests to detect alterations in the sensorimotor system of CLBP subjects. Trial registration No trial registration was needed as the study contains no intervention. The study was approved by the Swiss Ethics Commission of Northwest and Central Switzerland (EKNZ) reference number 2015–243.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Wallensten ◽  
Anna Nager ◽  
Marie Åsberg ◽  
Kristian Borg ◽  
Aniella Beser ◽  
...  

AbstractPatients with stress-induced exhaustion disorder (SED) demonstrate cognitive dysfunction similar to patients with minor traumatic brain injury (TBI). We have previously detected elevated concentrations of astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in patients with TBI. As such, we hypothesized that astrocyte-derived EVs could be higher in patients with SED than in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls. Patients with SED (n = 31), MDD (n = 31), and healthy matched controls (n = 61) were included. Astrocyte-derived EVs (previously known as microparticles) were measured in plasma with flow cytometry and labeled against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4). In addition, platelet EVs and their CD40 ligand expression were measured. Patients with SED had significantly higher concentrations of AQP4 and GFAP-positive EVs and EVs co-expressing AQP4/GFAP than patients with MDD and healthy controls. Patients with MDD had significantly higher concentrations of GFAP-positive EVs and EVs co-expressing AQP4/GFAP than healthy controls. Platelet EVs did not differ between groups. CD40 ligand expression was significantly higher in patients with SED and MDD than in controls. In conclusion, the present study suggests that patients with SED, and to some extent, patients with MDD, have increased leakage of astrocyte-derived EVs through the blood–brain barrier.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Kleynhans ◽  
Stefano Tempia ◽  
Meredith L. McMorrow ◽  
Anne von Gottberg ◽  
Neil A. Martinson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Describing contact patterns is crucial to understanding infectious disease transmission dynamics and guiding targeted transmission mitigation interventions. Data on contact patterns in Africa, especially South Africa, are limited. We measured and compared contact patterns in a rural and urban community, South Africa. We assessed participant and contact characteristics associated with differences in contact rates. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study nested in a prospective household cohort study. We interviewed participants to collect information on persons in contact with for one day. We described self-reported contact rates as median number people contacted per day, assessed differences in contact rates based on participant characteristics using quantile regression, and used a Poisson model to assess differences in contact rates based on contact characteristics within age groups. We also calculated cumulative person hours in contact within age groups at different locations. Results We conducted 535 interviews (269 rural, 266 urban), with 17,252 contacts reported. The overall contact rate was 14 (interquartile range (IQR) 9–33) contacts per day. Those ≤18 years had higher contact rates at the rural site (coefficient 17, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 10–23) compared to the urban site, for those aged 14–18 years (13, 95%CI 3–23) compared to < 7 years. No differences were observed for adults. There was a strong age-based mixing, with age groups interacting more with similar age groups, but also interaction of participants of all ages with adults. Children aged 14–18 years had the highest cumulative person hours in contact (116.3 rural and 76.4 urban). Conclusions Age played an important role in the number and duration of contact events, with children at the rural site having almost double the contact rate compared to the urban site. These contact rates can be utilized in mathematical models to assess transmission dynamics of infectious diseases in similar communities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Landon ◽  
Isabelle Denjoy ◽  
Enora Clero ◽  
Aleksandr Silenok ◽  
Irina Kurnosova ◽  
...  

AbstractBetween 2009 and 2013, a large cross-sectional study on the health consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident was performed in the contaminated and uncontaminated territories of the Bryansk Oblast (Russian Federation). The objective of this work was to confirm or refute a possible association between childhood cardiac arrhythmia and a chronic exposure to caesium-137. As part of this study, a large number of electrocardiographic and cardiac ultrasound parameters were collected from 18,152 children aged 2–18 years including 12,512 healthy ones not contaminated with caesium-137. It seemed therefore relevant for us to share in a second publication these medical data based on healthy and uncontaminated children with the scientific community because of the large quantities and the limited availability of such kind of data. In the present study, relating to electrocardiographic parameters, the measurements performed fully reflect the expected evolution of the paediatric electrocardiogram between 5 and 18 years of age. Thus, the median values were generally quite close to those available in the literature. In contrast, differences in the 2nd and 98th percentiles were notable and could be explained in particular by the type of equipment used, the number of subjects included in the study and racial disparities. As for echocardiographic parameters, the evolution of the measured values in age groups is consistent with what was expected considering factors such as growth. In comparison with other scientific studies that have investigated these echocardiographic parameters, some differences by age groups have been identified. The ethnic factor truly appears to be a relevant feature to consider. In view of the results, it appeared essential to the authors to approach the methodological conditions of the scientific studies already published on the topic to be truly comparable and thus to provide a reliable answer on a topic for which real expectations in terms of medical care are required.


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