Education and Visual Information Improves Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Local Injections on Shoulder Pain and Associated Anxiety Level: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: Local injections are widely used in patients with a painful shoulder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible impact of patients' visual information on the effectiveness of ultrasound (US)-guided local injections on anxiety levels and shoulder pain.

Design: A total of 151 patients, scheduled for local injection owing to shoulder pain, were randomly assigned into two groups in a consecutive order.

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with TNF inhibitors does not have adverse effect on results of liver function tests: a longitudinal study.

Aim: To retrospectively investigate and compare the effects of tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (TNFi) on hepatic enzymes in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the records of 94 AS (66 male, 28 female) patients using TNFi was performed. Patients' clinical data, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity (BASDAI) scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were all examined.

Anti-TNF-α therapy may not improve arterial stiffness in patients with AS: a 24-week follow-up.

Objective: The availability of new-generation drugs has provided significant success reflected by disease activity markers and clinical status in AS, but controversial reports necessitate further assessment of associated increased risk of cardiovascular burden that might persist. Hence this prospective clinical study evaluated the effectiveness of a 24-week anti-TNF-α therapy on vascular stiffness [pulse wave velocity (PWV)] in AS.

Methods: A total of 28 active AS patients (21 males, 7 females) were enrolled before the start of biologic therapy.

Osteitis condensans ilii in differential diagnosis of patients with chronic low back pain: a review of the literature.

Osteitis condensans ilii (OCI) is a benign pathology causing chronic back and hip pain. Although the definitive cause is uncertain, mechanical stress is a significant factor in the development of the disease. Bilateral involvement of the sacroiliac joint is typical.

HLA-DRB1 allele distribution and its relation to rheumatoid arthritis in eastern Black Sea Turkish population.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA [MIM 180300]) is a complex, polygenic inflammatory autoimmune disease, resulting from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Some of the RA-associated HLA-DRB1 alleles have shared epitope, but their distribution varies among different racial/ethnic groups. This study was aimed at investigating the distribution of HLA-DRB1 alleles in patients with RA in eastern Black Sea region of Turkey.