The effect of preoperative exercise on total knee replacement outcomes.

This study compared the effects of preoperative physical therapy of general cardiovascular conditioning exercises with the routine procedure of no preoperative physical therapy on patients undergoing primary total knee replacement. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. Group 1 was the control group.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome.

There has been increasing interest in reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS) over the past decade. This trend has continued over the past 2 years with the publication of a number of reports and studies, many of which are reviewed here. Progress has been made in understanding RSDS, with the demonstration of increased alpha-adrenergic receptor activity in peripheral nerves following injury.

Factors affecting unprescribed remedy use among people with self-reported arthritis.

Objective: The purpose of the study is to determine the frequency and consequences of use of unprescribed remedies by people with self-reported osteoarthritis, and to find methods for predicting such use.

Methods: A random digit telephone survey was used to contact respondents. A 90-item questionnaire evaluated demographic characteristics, type of disorder, area affected, severity of problem, and symptoms encountered.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome: a review.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome is a serious and potentially disabling condition. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to control the disorder and restore the patient's quality of life. The cardinal clinical features, radiological changes, etiopathologic advances, and current approaches to proper diagnosis and treatment will be discussed.

Genetic analysis of self-associating immunoglobulin G rheumatoid factors from two rheumatoid synovia implicates an antigen-driven response.

Although much has been learned about the molecular basis of immunoglobulin M (IgM) rheumatoid factors (RFs) in healthy individuals and in patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia and rheumatoid arthritis, little is known about the genetic origins of the potentially pathogenic IgG RFs in the inflamed rheumatoid synovia of patients. Recently, we generated from unmanipulated synovium B cells several hybridomas that secreted self-associating IgG RFs. To delineate the genetic origins of such potentially pathogenic RFs, we adapted the anchored polymerase chain reaction to rapidly clone and characterize the expressed Ig V genes for the L1 and the D1 IgG RFs.