Exercise intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness in rheumatoid arthritis patients with high cardiovascular disease risk: a single-arm pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with cardiovascular disease risk, it is unknown whether exercises are safe, improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce disease-related symptoms and cardiovascular-disease (CVD) risk factors. We aimed to investigate in RA patients with CVD risk: (1) safety of medium to high-intensity aerobic exercises, (2) potential changes of cardiorespiratory fitness and (3) disease activity and CVD risk factors in response to the exercises. METHODS: Single-arm pilot-exercise intervention study including 26 consecutive patients (21 women) with > 4% 10-year risk of CVD mortality according to the Dutch Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation. Aerobic exercises consisted of two supervised-sessions and five home-sessions per week for 12 weeks. Patients were required to exercise at intensities between 65 and 85% of their maximum heart rate. To assess safety, we recorded exercise related adverse events. Before and after the exercises, cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed with a graded maximal oxygen-uptake exercise test, while disease activity was evaluated via the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) using the erythrocyte segmentation rate (ESR). Resting blood pressure, ESR and total cholesterol were assessed as CVD risk factors. RESULTS: Twenty out of 26 patients performed the 12-week exercises without any adverse events. According to patients, withdrawals were unrelated to the exercises. Exercises increased cardiorespiratory fitness (pre: 15.91 vs. post: 18.15 ml.kg-1 min-1, p = 0.003) and decreased DAS28 (pre: 2.86 vs. post: 2.47, p = 0.04). No changes were detected in CVD risk factors. CONCLUSION: A 12-week exercise intervention seems to be safe and improves cardiorespiratory fitness and disease activity in patients with RA with a high risk for cardiovascular diseases. Key Points 1. Rheumatoid arthritis patients with high cardiovascular disease risk were able to perform a maximum exercise test and a 12-week aerobic-based medium-to-high intensity exercise intervention. 2. The exercise intervention improved cardiorespiratory fitness and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients with high cardiovascular disease risk. 3. Cardiorespiratory fitness levels were still low post-exercise intervention (i.e. 18.15 ml.kg-1min-1 compared to the 20.9 ml.kg-1min-1 baseline mean of the RA patients without CVD risk).

Determinants of pain and activity limitations in foot osteoarthritis: An exploratory cross-sectional study in the Amsterdam-foot cohort.

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the foot-ankle complex is understudied. Understanding determinants of pain and activity limitations is necessary to improve management of foot OA. The aim of the present study was to investigate demographic, foot-specific and comorbidity-related factors associated with pain and activity limitations in patients with foot OA. Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study included 75 patients with OA of the foot and/or ankle joints. Demographic and clinical data were collected with questionnaires and by clinical examination. The outcome variables of pain and activity limitations were measured using the Foot Function Index (FFI). Potential determinants were categorized into demographic factors (e.g., age, sex), foot-specific factors (e.g., plantar pressure and gait parameters), and comorbidity-related factors (e.g., type and amount of comorbid diseases). Multivariable regression analyses with backward selection (p-out≥0.05) were performed in two steps, leading to a final model. Results: Of all potential determinants, nine factors were selected in the first step. Five of these factors were retained in the second step (final model): female sex, pain located in the hindfoot, higher body mass index (BMI), neurological comorbidity, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score were positively associated with the FFI score. The explained variance (R 2 ) for the final model was 0.580 (adjusted R 2  â€‹= â€‹0.549). Conclusion: Female sex, pain located in the hindfoot, higher BMI, neurological comorbidity and greater psychological distress were independently associated with a higher level of foot-related pain and activity limitations. By addressing these factors in the management of foot OA, pain and activity limitations may be reduced.

Mid-Term and Long-Term Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of a Carbon I/F Stand-Alone Cage in Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: The current study was undertaken to determine the midterm and long-term radiological outcomes, complications and functional status of patients who underwent a single-level anterior interbody lumbar fusion (ALIF) procedure. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Low back pain affects 70%-90% of the general population at some point in their life, and in general, the majority are best treated by nonsurgical therapy. However, a lumbar fusion can be considered in selected cases. In previous decades, lumbar interbody fusion procedures have gained popularity. Despite the approach used, stand-alone interbody fusion is becoming less popular due to poor fusion rates. When studying ALIF procedures, the addition of instrumentation results in higher fusion rates. Nevertheless, long-term follow-up can give either unexpected or similar insights into certain procedures that should be available in the current literature. Therefore, the current study was undertaken to determine the midterm and long-term radiological outcomes, complications, and functional status of patients who underwent a single-level ALIF procedure. METHODS: A cohort of 50 patients was studied following stand-alone ALIF for midterm and long-term follow-up of 6.6 years and 19.7 years, respectively. Primary outcome measurements were disability using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score and pain scores using the visual analog scale, and the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate the quality of life. In addition, radiographic assessment was performed to indicate the number of solid fusions. RESULTS: After a mean of 19.7 years, we had a loss to follow-up of 34%. Functional measurements revealed an ODI of 41 for both time points and an SF-36 physical component score around 41.4 and 40.8 for the midterm and long-term follow-up, respectively. The mental component of the SF-36 was 48.7 and 49.9, respectively. The assessment of interbody fusion revealed only 66% and 70% solid fusion after 6.6 years and 19.7 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In concordance with previous studies, the outcome of midterm and long-term results in this study showed that the I/F cage in ALIF procedures is a safe treatment option for single-level interbody fusion. The radiological results corroborate literature regarding stand-alone interbody fusion, and additional instrumentation is likely to increase fusion rates. However, functional measurements reveal that the postsurgical situation remains likely worse than patients in a healthy Dutch population but possibly better that in a back pain population.

Higher body mass index is associated with lower foot health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: baseline results of the Amsterdam-Foot cohort.

Objective: Obesity is highly prevalent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with likely impact on weight-bearing foot joints. We explored the associations between body mass index (BMI) and measures of foot health in patients with RA and foot complaints.Method: We examined patients with RA presenting for their first custom-made therapeutic footwear or foot orthoses. Domains of foot health comprised: foot pain, foot-related activity limitations, forefoot plantar pressure, foot synovitis, and foot deformity. In regression analyses, BMI was the independent variable and foot health domains were the dependent variables.Results: The cohort at baseline comprised 230 patients [mean ± sd age 58 ± 13 years, 80% female, mean ± sd disease duration 10 ± 9 years, and median (interquartile range) BMI 26.7 (23.5-30.1) kg/m2]. Small to modest statistically significant associations were found in the majority of the measures studied between a higher BMI and more foot pain, more foot-related activity limitations, higher in-shoe measured forefoot plantar pressure, and the presence of foot synovitis. No relationships were found between BMI and barefoot measured forefoot plantar pressure or foot deformity.Conclusion: BMI is negatively associated with foot health in patients with RA. Although the clinical relevance of our findings for an individual patient is not immediately obvious, future research should consider BMI as a potential therapeutic target to improve foot health.

Forefoot pathology in relation to plantar pressure distribution in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study in the Amsterdam Foot cohort.

BACKGROUND: In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), both high and low forefoot plantar pressures have been reported. Better understanding of pathology in the forefoot associated with altered pressure distribution in patients with RA could help to better formulate and specify goals for treatment with foot orthoses or therapeutic footwear. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of plantar pressure with disease activity and deformity in the forefoot in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and forefoot symptoms. METHODS: A cross sectional study, using data of 172 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and forefoot symptoms, was conducted. Peak pressure (PP) and pressure time integral (PTI) in the forefoot were measured with a pressure platform. Forefoot deformity was assessed using the Platto score. Forefoot disease activity was defined as swelling and/or pain assessed by palpation of the metatarsophalangeal joints. The forefoot was divided in a medial, central and lateral region, in which the following conditions could be present: 1) no pathology, 2) disease activity, 3) deformity or 4) disease activity and deformity. A multilevel analysis was performed using condition per forefoot region as independent variable and PP or PTI in the corresponding region as dependent variable. RESULTS: Statistically significant higher plantar pressures were found in forefoot regions with deformities (RR 1.2, CI 1.1-1.3, P<0.0001), compared to forefoot regions without forefoot pathology. No significant differences in plantar pressures were found when solely forefoot disease activity was present in forefoot regions. SIGNIFICANCE: Forefoot deformities are related to higher plantar pressures measured in the corresponding forefoot regions. The absence of an association between local disease activity and plantar pressure might be explained by the low prevalence of metatarsophalangeal joint pain or swelling. Future research with sensitive imaging measures to detect disease activity is recommended to reveal the effect of forefoot disease activity on plantar pressure.

The Accuracy of Imaging Techniques in the Assessment of Periprosthetic Hip Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Various imaging techniques are used for excluding or confirming periprosthetic hip infection, but there is no consensus regarding the most accurate technique. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of current imaging modalities in diagnosing periprosthetic hip infection. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was conducted with a comprehensive search of MEDLINE and Embase to identify clinical studies in which periprosthetic hip infection was investigated with different imaging modalities. The sensitivity and specificity of each imaging technique were determined and compared with the results of microbiological and histological analysis, intraoperative findings, and clinical follow-up of >6 months. RESULTS: A total of 31 studies, published between 1988 and 2014, were included for meta-analysis, representing 1,753 hip prostheses. Quality assessment of the included studies identified low concerns with regard to external validity but more concerns with regard to internal validity including risk of bias (>50% of studies had insufficient information). No meta-analysis was performed for radiography, ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging because of insufficient available clinical data. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 88% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81% to 94%) and 92% (95% CI, 88% to 96%), respectively, for leukocyte scintigraphy; 86% (95% CI, 80% to 90%) and 93% (95% CI, 90% to 95%) for fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET); 69% (95% CI, 58% to 79%) and 96% (95% CI, 93% to 98%) for combined leukocyte and bone marrow scintigraphy; 84% (95% CI, 70% to 93%) and 75% (95% CI, 66% to 82%) for antigranulocyte scintigraphy; and 80% (95% CI, 72% to 86%) and 69% (95% CI, 64% to 73%) for bone scintigraphy. CONCLUSIONS: Of the currently used imaging techniques, leukocyte scintigraphy has satisfactory accuracy in confirming or excluding periprosthetic hip infection. Although not significantly different, combined leukocyte and bone marrow scintigraphy was the most specific imaging technique. FDG PET has an appropriate accuracy in confirming or excluding periprosthetic hip infection, but may not yet be the preferred imaging modality because of limited availability and relatively higher cost. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.