Musculoskeletal Disorders

Osteoporosis is a common problem in thalassemics. As the most affected bone is spinal vertebrae, theoretically, it should have the greatest risk of fracture. However, vertebral fracture (VF) in thalassemics was rarely reported. Screening for asympt

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease of your secretory glands, including the glands that make mucus and sweat.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways.

Raloxifene and alendronate are anti-resorptive therapies approved for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Raloxifene is also indicated to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and in postmenopausal women at high risk of invasive breast cancer. A definitive study comparing the fracture effectiveness and rate of breast cancer for raloxifene and alendronate has not been published. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to eval

This paper draws attention to the relationship between the clinical and biological picture of SLE and the immune mechanisms of this disease. The presence, in the same patient, of erythema multiforme-like skin lesions and erythemato-squamous lesions specific for SLE together with a characteristic immune picture (speckled antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), positive anti-Ro antibodies, positive rheumatoid factor) raise the question of a relationship between the immune mechanisms in SLE and the clinical picture. A case of Rowell's syndrome is discussed: systemic lupus erythematosus diagnosed on the occasion of an erythema multiforme-like rash. Starting from this case, we analyse if the clinical and biological picture in SLE is an expression of the immune mechanisms involved in this disease. Our patient presented with speckled antinuclear antibodies, positive rheumatoid factor, anti-Ro antibodies, suggestive of Rowell's syndrome. The patient manifested rheumatoid-like articular pain and high

Determination of bone mineral density in patients with psoriatic arthritis and its correlation with the development of the disease.|Three groups of patients were recruited: group 1--patients with psoriasis arthritis; group 2--patients with rheumatoid arthritis, group 3--control group. Group 1 was divided into: group 1A--patients with disease duration < 5 years and group 1B--patients with disease duration > 5 years. Bone mineral density was determined for total hip by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).|In the group 1A BMD values of total femur were between -1.32 and -1.68 DS; in the group 1B BMD values of total femur were between 1B -1.58 and - 1.77DS; in the group 2 BMD values of total femur were between -2.51 and -3.41 DS and in the control group BMD values of total femur were between 0.29 and 1.3 DS. In patients with psoriatic arthritis, the duration of arthritis was negatively correlated with BMD values of total femur. In conclusion, psoriatic patients with longer duration of disease

Verrucous (Hypertrophic) lupus erythematosus (LE) represents a rare but distinct, variant of chronic discoid lupus erythematosus. We report a case of LE with verrucous lesions for its rarity and peculiar location posing a diagnostic dilemma.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease with abnormal T cell immune responses. We hypothesized that aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in T cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE. First, we analysed the expression profiles of 270 human miRNAs in T cells from five SLE patients and five healthy controls and then validated those potentially aberrant-expressed miRNAs using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Then, the expression of mRNAs regulated by these aberrant-expressed miRNAs was detected using real-time PCR. Finally, miRNA transfection into Jurkat T cells was conducted for confirming further the biological functions of these miRNAs. The initial analysis indicated that seven miRNAs, including miR-145, miR-224, miR-513-5p, miR-150, miR-516a-5p, miR-483-5p and miR-629, were found to be potentially abnormally expressed in SLE T cells. After validation, under-expressed miR-145 and over-expressed miR-224 were noted. We further found that

The amino-bisphosphonates are first-line therapy for the treatment of most patients with osteoporosis, with proven efficacy to reduce fracture risk at the spine, hip, and other nonvertebral skeletal sites. Further, bisphosphonates have been associated with a significant decrease in morbidity and increase in survival. Following the use of bisphosphonates in millions of patients in clinical practice, some unexpected possible adverse effects have been reported, including osteonecrosis of the jaw, atypical femur fractures, atrial fibrillation, and esophageal cancer. Because bisphosphonates are incorporated into the skeleton and continue to exert an antiresorptive effect for a period of time after dosing is discontinued, the concept of a drug holiday has emerged, whereby the risk of adverse effects might be decreased while the patient still benefits from antifracture efficacy. Patients receiving bisphosphonates who are not at high risk for fracture are potential candidates for a drug

The Royal College of Radiologists Musculoskeletal Radiology Subspecialty Module Name: . NTN: . RCR July 2004 Page 1 of 2

Final FRCR Examination Clinical Radiology The Royal College of Radiologists 1 A 1: Cardiothoracic and Vascular 2: Musculoskeletal and Trauma 3: Gastro-intestinal 4: Genito-urinary, Adrenal, Obstetrics &Gynaecology and Breast

Mark Anderson, Churchill Hospital, Oxford The radiology of paediatric infectious diseases Chest infections Dr Alistair Calder, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London Intra-abdominal infections Dr Graham Wilkinson, Edinburgh Childrens