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J F Fries

Publications and source records attributed to J F Fries.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

A "state model" of renal function in systemic lupus erythematosus: its value in the prediction of outcome in 292 patients.

We defined a clinical staging of renal function in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which uses inexpensive outpatient measures to serially stage patient status and then analyzed the disease course of 292 patients followed since 1968. The 4 mutually exclusive states used were (1) normal (creatinine less than 1.2 mg/dl and protein less than 2+ on dipstick); (2) proteinuria alone (creatinine less than 1.2 mg/dl and protein greater than or equal to 2+ on dipstick); (3) moderate filtration dysfunction (creatinine greater than or equal to 1.2 mg/dl and less than 4.0 mg/dl); and (4) severe azotemia (creatinine greater than or equal to 4.0 mg/dl). Duration in each state and subsequent transitions were incorporated in an assessment of outcome. Prognostic variables were found which predicted different outcomes within each of the 4 states. This stratification, based on renal function over time, provides a useful analytical tool for comparing subsets of patients with lupus. We found that serum complement (C3) predicted progression in state 1 and 2 as well as potential responders to therapy in state 3. No improvement was noted for patients in state 4.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Toxic effects of azathioprine in rheumatoid arthritis. A national post-marketing perspective.

Concerns about the short-term and long-term toxic effects of azathioprine (AZA) have limited its use. Accordingly, we surveyed 393 AZA-treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, who were recruited and enrolled through a nationwide call to rheumatologists. Findings in these patients were compared with the findings, retrieved from the databank of the American Rheumatism Association Medical Information System, on 153 similarly treated RA patients. All 546 patients were surveyed prospectively, using the Health Assessment Questionnaire and information abstracted from hospital records. The 2 groups were closely similar in clinical characteristics. The most frequently reported side effects of AZA treatment were nausea, vomiting, and leukopenia. Gastrointestinal intolerance accounted for nearly 60% of therapy interruptions in 95 patients. Of 81 hospitalizations for all causes, only 8 may have been related in part to AZA, and no deaths were attributed to AZA therapy. No lymphomas or leukemias were encountered and the overall frequency of neoplasms was not significantly different from that seen in RA patients receiving conventional therapy. As used in the treatment of RA, AZA has a surprisingly benign profile with relatively few serious therapeutic mishaps.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1989

Osteoarthritis in the hand: a comparison of handedness and hand use.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand has been suggested to be the result of "wear" and "tear." If so, OA should develop more frequently in the dominant hand. We compared dominant with nondominant hands of 134 consecutive community subjects aged 53-75 by questionnaire, radiographs of hands, and rheumatologic evaluation. Mean age was 60 years, 93% were right handed, and 95% were in occupations classified as nonphysical. Subjects estimated dominant hand use of 2-10 times the amount of the nondominant hand. OA was found in 133 of 134 subjects. No radiologic or clinical differences were found between the dominant and nondominant hands. Twenty-six subjects who self-reported heavier lifetime hand use had somewhat greater clinical and hand radiographic OA scores than the 36 subjects reporting lighter hand use (43.5 vs 34.5) (p less than 0.01). In our study population, OA was not more prevalent in the dominant hand.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Weight-bearing exercise, overexercise, and lumbar bone density over age 50 years.

This cross-sectional study of 78 healthy subjects older than age 50 years was designed to examine the association between weight-bearing exercise and lumbar bone mineral content as assessed by quantitative computed tomography. In women, a strong correlation existed between bone density and the amount of exercise for up to 300 min/wk. However, 5 of 28 women exercising 300 min/wk or more had surprisingly low bone density, not explained by other factors. In 50 men, we also found a strong positive correlation between exercise and bone density for those up to age 65 years. Over age 65, 3 men had low bone density despite extremely vigorous exercise. We conclude that moderate weight-bearing exercise may increase lumbar bone density, but we raise the hypothesis that extremely vigorous exercise actually may be detrimental to bone density in individuals after age 50.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Predisposing factors in polymyositis-dermatomyositis: results of a nationwide survey.

Utilizing case-control methods, we surveyed 322 persons who experienced the onset of polymyositis-dermatomyositis (PM-DM) during calendar years 1985 and 1986, in an effort both to test specific hypotheses, and to generate new hypotheses regarding antecedent risk associations for the disease. Data obtained by recall of events during the 12 months before disease onset in cases, and an identical time period in sex matched sibling controls, suggest that important questions for further study include the roles of antecedent heavy muscular exertion and emotional stress as risk factors for PM-DM. Furthermore, it appears that vaccinations, toxic exposures and symptoms of allergic phenomena, throat infection, and upper respiratory infection are either neutral or are negatively associated with risk of PM-DM, findings which also raise important new etiologic questions, or perhaps lay old ones to rest. Malignancy was infrequently noted.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis.

The revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were formulated from a computerized analysis of 262 contemporary, consecutively studied patients with RA and 262 control subjects with rheumatic diseases other than RA (non-RA). The new criteria are as follows: 1) morning stiffness in and around joints lasting at least 1 hour before maximal improvement; 2) soft tissue swelling (arthritis) of 3 or more joint areas observed by a physician; 3) swelling (arthritis) of the proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, or wrist joints; 4) symmetric swelling (arthritis); 5) rheumatoid nodules; 6) the presence of rheumatoid factor; and 7) radiographic erosions and/or periarticular osteopenia in hand and/or wrist joints. Criteria 1 through 4 must have been present for at least 6 weeks. Rheumatoid arthritis is defined by the presence of 4 or more criteria, and no further qualifications (classic, definite, or probable) or list of exclusions are required. In addition, a "classification tree" schema is presented which performs equally as well as the traditional (4 of 7) format. The new criteria demonstrated 91-94% sensitivity and 89% specificity for RA when compared with non-RA rheumatic disease control subjects.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1988

Hierarchical time-oriented approaches to missing data inference.

In practice clinical data are nearly always incomplete. When confronted with such data, a physician or investigator must make inferences about missing information. Possible strategies for inference include (1) interpolation, (2) extrapolation, (3) repeating the nearest value, (4) repeating the previous value, (5) patient-specific mean values, (6) patient-specific linear regression over time, (7) disease-specific mean values, (8) normal values, and (9) linear regression of correlated co-recorded variables. This study analyzes these strategies in a time-oriented data bank of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, demonstrating that more accurate inferences of missing data are obtained when (1) strategies are tailored to the characteristics of the individual variable, (2) time-oriented strategies (e.g., interpolation) rather than non-time-oriented strategies (e.g., disease mean) are incorporated, (3) a ranked set of strategies is incorporated in a hierarchical stepwise fashion, and (4) the degree to which missing data are "nonrandomly" missing is assessed to allow estimation of bias. Interpolation is the best single technique with these data while linear regression of correlated co-recorded variables is a relatively weak technique. Inferences made by these hierarchical time-oriented approaches show significantly smaller mean differences from the actual values than do results from typical statistical package strategies.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed1988

The clinical value of the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire Functional Disability Index in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We administered the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire functional disability questionnaire to a cohort of 400 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) every 6 months during a mean followup of 3.1 years. Simple classification into 3 groups based on Functional Disability Index (FDI) scores (0-1, 1.1-2, 2.1-3) identified patients with increasingly more severe scores for clinical, psychological, and demographic variables; and FDI scores at entry predicted increased inpatient and outpatient utilization of services, and mortality. The FDI provided important and clinically useful current and predictive information regarding RA status, utilization of services, and mortality that was not available through conventional testing. Our data suggest that such information can be easily and inexpensively obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Postmarketing surveillance in rheumatology: analysis of purpura and upper abdominal pain.

A system of postmarketing surveillance of antirheumatic drugs employing prospective protocol based consecutive patient cohorts is described, together with use of recursive partitioning techniques for statistical adjustment for potentially confounding variables. An analysis of 2 side effects (purpura and upper abdominal pain) is presented. Purpura was found to be associated with age, sex, disease duration, and amount of disability. The combination of aspirin and prednisone was associated with the highest prevalence of purpura. Upper abdominal pain also varied across drug classes. Within the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug category, there were clinically important differences in the relative prevalence of upper gastrointestinal pain between specific drugs.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1987

Radiographic assessment of progression in osteoarthritis.

We evaluated methods of grading radiologic progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Sets of radiographs were assessed separately by 8 readers who were blinded to the time sequence. Included were radiographs of patients with OA of the hands (24 pairs), hips (40 pairs), and knees (32 pairs). Most films were taken 12-60 months apart. The relative contribution of individual joints (such as particular interphalangeal joints), of observations (such as narrowing or spurs), and of a single joint compartment (such as the medial or lateral compartment of the knee) toward evidence of OA progression was evaluated, as well as the reliability and concordance of scoring, and the sensitivity in detecting change. In assessing OA of the hand, the greatest sensitivity was achieved by reading a single posteroanterior bilateral hand radiograph for narrowing, spurs, and erosions, and scoring 10 joints (second and third distal interphalangeal, second and third proximal interphalangeal, and trapeziometacarpal joints, bilaterally), using a scale of 0-3. In OA of the hip, a single anteroposterior radiograph assessed for joint space narrowing and cyst formation yielded the greatest sensitivity. In OA of the knee, an anteroposterior radiograph, with weight-bearing, assessed for narrowing, spurs, and sclerosis in both the medial and lateral compartments yielded the greatest sensitivity. These techniques will be useful to the investigator in designing experimental studies and to the clinician in determining the rate of disease progression in an individual patient.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

ARAMIS today: moving toward internationally distributed databank systems for follow-up studies.

The American Rheumatism Association Medical Information System (ARAMIS) is a consortium of North American rheumatic disease data banks. Founded in 1974, it has grown to include more than 16 centers, 22,000 patients, 140,000 patient encounters, and 80,000,000 observations. Traditionally, data storage and computer programs have resided on the IBM "2"-370 system at Stanford University. Distant peripheral centers have entered and retrieved data and performed analyses using proprietary long distance telephone networks. With growth, ARAMIS has placed strong emphasis on data quality and epidemiological soundness. "Core" groups at Stanford specifically address issues of quality control, biostatistics, health care economics, outcome assessment, study design, and administration. Advances in microcomputers and software has led ARAMIS to begin a migration from mainframe computing to distributed systems using IBM PC/XT/AT type computers and the Medlog software system. Substantial cost savings have been noted with distributed processing. The ability to easily transfer data and software forms a groundwork for international data banks and data exchange, but common vocabulary and common quality control procedures are essential for effective international cooperation and exchange.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1987

The present and future of comprehensive outcome measures for rheumatic diseases.

In recent years, outcome, or health status, measurement has received wide attention in rheumatology. These measures are based on the concept of maintaining or improving health as the goal of medical care, the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health, and measurement of those factors that directly impact the patient rather than the traditional measures of disease process. Within this framework, outcomes important to the patient with rheumatic diseases have been identified. They have been conceptualized in general terms of physical, psychological and social functioning or specifically by dimensions of death, disability, discomfort, side effects and economic costs. Two widely used outcome measures, the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and the arthritis impact measurement scales (AIMS), are described. Outcomes are measured by patient self-reported questionnaires which have been rigorously tested to establish the measurement properties of reliability and validity. Results show that patient self-report is valid, outcomes are accurately measured, correlate with traditional endpoints, and are sensitive to change over time. These measures are particularly suited for use in follow-up studies because of their simplicity, ease of administration, and cost. Future directions include additional study to define clinically meaningful change, extension of validations to many of the rheumatic diseases, the design of special purpose questionnaires and the development of the cumulative outcome concept.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

Aging, long-distance running, and the development of musculoskeletal disability. A controlled study.

Four hundred ninety-eight long-distance runners aged 50 to 72 years were compared with 365 community control subjects to examine associations of repetitive, long-term physical impact (running) with musculoskeletal disability and medical service utilization in a cross-section study. Runners had less physical disability than age-matched control subjects (p less than 0.01) and maintained more functional capacity (p less than 0.001) as measured by a modified Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index. Runners sought medical services less often, but one third of the visits that they did make were for running-related injuries. No differences were found between groups in conditions thought to predispose to osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal disability. Ligamentous laxity and family history of arthritis were similar in both groups. Runners demonstrated better cardiovascular fitness and weighed less. Differences persisted after adjustment for age, occupation, and sex, and after inclusion or exclusion of subjects with major medical problems. Musculoskeletal disability appeared to develop with age at a lower rate in runners (0.003 units per year versus 0.028) than in community control subjects, and the decreased rate was observed with both lower extremity and upper extremity functions. These data suggest positive effects of systematic aerobic running activity upon functional aspects of musculoskeletal aging.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Methodology of validation of criteria for SLE.

The 1971 preliminary criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were revised and updated to incorporate new immunological knowledge and improve disease classification. The 1982 revised criteria include fluorescence antinuclear antibody (FANA) and antibody to native DNA and Sm antigen. Some criteria involving the same organ systems were aggregated into single criteria. Raynaud's phenomenon and alopecia were not included because of low sensitivity and specificity. The new criteria were 96% sensitive and 96% specific when tested with SLE and control patient data gathered from 18 participating clinics. When compared with the 1971 criteria, the 1982 revised criteria showed gains in sensitivity and specificity. Development of criteria sets is inherently circular, since the standard of evaluation must consist of the clinical diagnosis. Validation of the diagnosis over time can reduce but not eliminate the circularity. Selection of controls also influences sensitivity and specificity and, ideally, criteria should be developed with controls who represent particularly difficult problems of discrimination. Because the low "prior probability" of the diagnosis in many populations will result in a large number of false positives, preference in general should be for specificity over sensitivity. The 1982 criteria were developed from 177 patients with SLE and 162 control patients from 18 institutions using the next age-, race- and sex-matched patient seen as the control whenever possible. Results of a training sample were validated against a test sample of patients and against 500 patients from other databanks.

Humans↗