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Biomedical subjects

V Wright

Publications and source records attributed to V Wright.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Gait analysis in ankylosing spondylitis.

A study was conducted to compare the gait pattern of 12 patients with ankylosing spondylitis with axial disease only with that of 11 healthy controls using a telemeterised electrogoniometer gait analysis system. The reproducibility of the gait variables was found to be acceptable. Angles for movement at the hip and knee were less in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, but hip/knee angle ratios did not differ between the two groups. The stride length was shorter in the patients with ankylosing spondylitis. These findings are due to the increased rigidity of the spine, which results in decreased shock absorption and consequently a more cautious gait pattern in the absence of clinically and radiologically detectable peripheral joint disease.

Adult↗

Endocrine disorders.

The effect of thyroxine replacement therapy on bone mass continues to attract attention. Although the advice of the American Thyroid Association to normalize serum thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations is recommended, even physiologic doses of thyroxine may have an adverse effect on bone mass. The diagnosis and treatment of osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot is aided by magnetic resonance imaging, and long-term review of cases of diabetic femoral neuropathy emphasizes the good prognosis. Adrenal insufficiency as a complication of antiphospholipid syndrome is reviewed, and a useful physical sign, the acromegalic rosary, rediscovered. The association of sex steroids, oral contraception, and parity with rheumatoid arthritis is discussed. The outcome of pregnancy in women with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is good, and quiescent disease does not appear to be permanently reactivated. Calcium deficiency, rather than vitamin D deficiency, is a cause of rickets in some Nigerian children.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗

From aspirin to biologics: therapeutic implications for rheumatoid arthritis.

As effective antiinflammatory agents have been added to our armamentarium, 2 major treatment strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis have developed. The traditional pyramid strategy is based on initial, conservative measures, followed by more aggressive therapy as the disease progresses. The step-down bridge approach is an alternative, more aggressive strategy that favors earlier use of more potent agents. The longterm effects of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) and combination second line therapy on disease progression remain unclear. Advances in the development of more specific DMARD and in human recombinant proteins offer promising future therapies.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Measuring quality of movement in cerebral palsy: a review of instruments.

There is a lack of appropriate evaluation instruments in the area of quality of movement in cerebral palsy. Ten measures of quality of movement, or gross motor performance, published between 1965 and 1990, were reviewed according to established criteria. These criteria include the purpose of the measure, validity, reliability, responsiveness, range of items, and description of qualitative components. These measures provide a foundation for further instrument development in the area of quality of movement. [Boyce WF, Gowland C, Rosenbaum PL, et al. Measuring quality of movement in cerebral palsy: a review of instruments.

Cerebral Palsy↗

The development and use of Patient Knowledge Questionnaire in rheumatoid arthritis.

A multi-choice Patient Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ) was developed for use with patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Test/re-test was used to test its stability (r = 0.81), and Kuder Richardson formula 20 (r = 0.72) for internal consistency. Seventy randomly selected RA patients then completed the PKQ in a rheumatology out-patient clinic of a large teaching hospital. There was a wide variation in total scores ranging from 3 to 28 out of 30. Total scores correlated with years of general education (P less than 0.05) but not with disease duration or age. Sixty-two per cent of patients knew that the cause of RA is, as yet, unknown but 27% thought it could be caused by injury and 11% by cold damp weather. Fifty-two per cent had no idea why they had blood tests. All but four patients were taking some form of medication but there was widespread confusion about disease-modifying drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Exercise was reasonably well understood but many patients were unable to differentiate between methods of energy conservation and joint protection. This study highlights the need for careful individual knowledge assessment by use of tools such as the PKQ and effective patient education programmes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

A re-evaluation of the osteoarticular manifestations of psoriasis.

A distinctive peripheral arthropathy associated with psoriasis is well recognized, the classical pattern describing an asymmetrical oligoarthritis with predominant distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) involvement. There is some dispute about the frequency of this classical pattern and of the pattern of symmetrical polyarthritis resembling rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the dispute may be a result of loose definitions. In this clinical and scintigraphic study of 50 patients with psoriatic arthritis we have used tighter definitions of disease pattern and have found that 68% of this group had a symmetrical polyarthritis similar to that found in rheumatoid arthritis. Yet, arthritis associated with psoriasis differs from rheumatoid arthritis in a number of ways including the pattern of joint involvement, extra-articular osseous features, and radiological changes. Scintigraphic changes in psoriatic arthritis suggest that subclinical involvement of the manubriosternal and sternoclavicular joints is common, suggesting an association between psoriasis vulgaris and arthro-osteitis. A modified classification of the osteoarticular manifestations of psoriasis is proposed.

Adult↗

Endocrine disorders.

Recent studies emphasize the adverse effects of endocrine disorders on bone mass. Successful surgery for hyperparathyroidism results in an increase in bone mass, although impact on future fracture rates in these patients is unknown. The etiology of reduced bone mass in diabetes is still unclear, and the adverse effects of thyroxine replacement treatment on bone mass need to be carefully balanced against beneficial effects on hypercholesterolemia. Musculoskeletal problems in chronic renal failure are common, but investigations into their pathogenesis are complicated by the coexistence of renal endocrine failure and beta 2-microglobulin-related amyloid deposition in long-term dialysis patients. An improved definition of dialysis arthropathy is needed. The type of dialysis membrane does not appear to be important in the pathogenesis of this condition.

Bone Diseases↗

A study of adjunctive copper sulphate treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have relapsed while taking D-penicillamine.

Formation of a D-penicillamine-copper complex may be necessary for the anti-rheumatic effect of D-penicillamine. Thus, depletion of copper stores by D-penicillamine may eventually lead to relapse in D-penicillamine treated patients. Twenty-one patients who relapsed on D-penicillamine were randomised to copper sulphate 20 mg daily (n = 13) or matched placebo (n = 8) in addition to penicillamine daily for 16 weeks. Urinary copper was increased in the copper treated patients but no statistically significant or clinically important improvement occurred in either group.

Adult↗

The role of aggression in peer relations: an analysis of aggression episodes in boys' play groups.

Although aggression is frequently cited as a major cause of peer social rejection, no more than half of all aggressive children are rejected. Aggressive episode data from experimental play groups of 7- and 9-year-old black males were coded to examine whether qualitative aspects of aggressive behavior, as well as frequency of aggression, determine the relation between aggressiveness and peer rejection. Reactive aggression and bullying were related to peer status among 9-year-olds, but not 7-year-olds, whereas instrumental aggression was characteristic of highly aggressive, rejected boys at both ages. Qualitative features of aggressive interaction suggested a greater level of hostility toward peers and a tendency to violate norms for aggressive exchange among rejected, aggressive boys at both ages in contrast to other groups of boys. The descriptive data provide a distinctive picture of reactive, instrumental, and bullying aggression as well as differing social norms for target and aggressor behavior in each of these 3 types of aggression.

Age Factors↗

Cytidine deaminase activity, C reactive protein, histidine, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate as measures of disease activity in psoriatic arthritis.

Cytidine deaminase activity, C reactive protein, histidine, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were measured in 36 subjects with psoriatic arthritis of varying disease duration and severity. Although cytidine deaminase activity may provide an integrated measure of synovial inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, neutrophil accumulation in psoriatic plaques compromises this measure in psoriatic arthritis. Low histidine concentrations confirm that this amino acid provides a non-specific index of synovial inflammation. In psoriatic arthritis high C reactive protein concentrations seem to be associated with extensive joint destruction. In this study the erythrocyte sedimentation rate was found to be the best laboratory guide to clinical disease activity in psoriatic arthritis.

Adult↗

Polymyalgia rheumatica and rheumatoid arthritis of the elderly: a clinical, laboratory, and scintigraphic comparison.

Clinical, laboratory, and scintigraphic features of 16 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and 23 patients matched for age presenting with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis (American Rheumatism Association 1958 criteria) of the elderly were compared in order to define features that might distinguish between these two syndromes. The sensitivity of proposed diagnostic criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica was always higher in the group with polymyalgia rheumatica, though only significantly so for morning stiffness. A comparison of 27 different laboratory features showed few significant differences between the diseases, though correlation between laboratory variables within each of the disease groups differed, perhaps suggesting a fundamental pathogenetic difference between them. Scintigraphy of the shoulder joint proved of no value in differential diagnosis. It was concluded that polymyalgia rheumatica and rheumatoid arthritis of the elderly are probably discrete clinical entities. Bilateral upper arm tenderness, lack of positive rheumatoid factor, and a normal caeruloplasmin are the most valuable features for distinguishing polymyalgia rheumatica from rheumatoid arthritis of the elderly.

Aged↗