Environmental characteristics of older people attending physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinics.

Objective: A residential environment refers to the physical and social characteristics in a neighbourhood. The physical characteristics include interior housing qualities, exterior neighbourhood characteristics, and the accessibility of essential facilities and services outside the neighbourhood. Older adults especially may be vulnerable to the negative impacts of the residential environment.

Effects of Botulinum Toxin A Injection on Ambulation Capacity in Patients with Cerebral Palsy.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess the change in their ambulatory capacity and spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP) who received botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection and underwent rehabilitation therapy.

Methods: Thirty patients with CP, 3-13 years who had varied functional levels and lower extremity spasticity, were randomized in two groups. In Group 1(n = 15), BoNT-A was administered to the affected extremity and underwent rehabilitation.

A Multicenter Pilot Study of Burden Among Caregivers of Geriatric Rehabilitation Patients With Neuromusculoskeletal Diseases.

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers of patients in a geriatric unit and to clarify the relationship between caregiver burden and specific clinical variables in the patients and the characteristics of the caregivers.

Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study.

Methods: One hundred twenty-three patients and 123 caregiver dyads, with mean ages of 72.

Relapsing polychondritis: inflamed joints and ears.

Background: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is an episodic and progressive inflammatory disease of the cartilaginous structures, including elastic cartilage of the ear and nose, hyaline cartilage of the peripheral joints, fibrocartilage at axial sites, and cartilage of the tracheo-bronchial tree. The spectrum of its presentations may vary from intermittent mild episodes of chondritis to occasional organ involvement or even life-threatening manifestations.

Case Report: We presented a 64 year-old male patient with bilaterally knee arthritis and discoloration of pinna.

Non-response to colchicine in familial Mediterranean fever should be identified accurately.

Aim: Colchicine prophylaxis is the single most important factor in ameliorating familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) for the prevention of both attacks and secondary amyloidosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the exact proportion of those patients who do not respond to colchicine and to characterize their demographic, sociodemographic and clinical aspects.

Methods: One hundred and eight patients with FMF were included in our study.

Antioxidant profile in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type I.

Objective: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is one of the most important problems with regard to physical medicine and rehabilitation. CRPS may cause not only higher therapeutic costs but also greater work time loss. The mechanism and pathogenesis of CRPS still remains unknown.

Femoral cartilage thickness measurements in healthy individuals: learning, practicing and publishing with TURK-MUSCULUS.

Background And Objectives: Measurement of the femoral cartilage thickness by using in-vivo musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) has been previously shown to be a valid and reliable method in previous studies; however, to our best notice, normative data has not been provided before in the healthy population.The aim of our study was to provide normative data regarding femoral cartilage thicknesses of healthy individuals with collaborative use of MSUS.

Methods: This is across-sectional study run at Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Departments of 18 Secondary and Tertiary Centers in Turkey.

Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Introduction: The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in osteoporosis has not yet been clearly established. Vascular endothelial growth factor is an important part of bone formation. In the literature, although the effects of VEGF on bone metabolism were investigated by different studies, there are very rare studies analysing the association between osteoporosis and VEGF.

Efficacy of manual lymphatic drainage and intermittent pneumatic compression pump use in the treatment of lymphedema after mastectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: This study has two aims. The first was to investigate the efficacy and contribution of an intermittent pneumatic compression pump in the management of lymphedema, and the second was to evaluate the correlation of our measurement methods.

Methods: This study was designed as a controlled clinical trial at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine.

Spastic paraparesis and sensorineural hearing loss in a patient with neurobrucellosis.

Objective: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease and still a major public health problem in many geographic areas including Mediterranean basin and Middle East. Brucellosis causes multisystemic involvement and although rare central nervous system involvement causes serious manifestations. Neurobrucellosis occurs less than 5% of patients and presents with meningitis,encephalitis, myelitis, myelopathy, stroke, paraplegia, radiculoneuritis, intracerebral abscess, epidural abscess, demyelination and cranial nerve involvement or any combination of these manifestations.

Expert opinion and key recommendations for the physical therapy and rehabilitation of patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Aim:   Physiotherapy is an integral part of the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and there is a need for recommendations which focus on the rehabilitation of patients with AS. We aimed to develop recommendations for the physical therapy and rehabilitation of patients with AS based on the evidence and expertise.

Methods:   The Anatolian Group for the Assessment in Rheumatic Diseases (ANGARD) is a scientific group of Turkish academicians (physiatrists and rheumatologists) who are experts in the rehabilitation of patients with AS.

Prevalence of atopic disorders in rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the point prevalences of hay fever, asthma, and atopic dermatitis in OA, RA, and AS, and to compare with healthy controls.

Methods: A total of 935 patients and healthy controls were included. Demographic and clinical features were recorded, and a questionnaire assessing the existence of atopic disorders like asthma, hay fever, and atopic dermatitis in all groups was applied.

Agreement of Turkish physiatrists with the assessment in spondyloarthritis international society and the European league against rheumatism recommendations for the management of ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: New developments in the field of targeted therapies or biologic agents led more effective management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recommendations for the management of rheumatic diseases propose to reduce inappropriate use of medications, minimize variations among countries, and enable cost-effective use of health care resources.

Objective: The aim this study was to evaluate conceptual agreement of ASsessment in SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) and the EUropean League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of AS and EULAR recommendations for RA and to assess the rate of application among Turkish physiatrists in daily clinical practice.

Melatonin levels in premenopausal women with fibromyalgia syndrome.

The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic, widespread pain disorder of unknown etiology. It has been suggest that familial component, environmental factors, endocrine and neurotransmitter alterations, and psychological factors may contribute to the development of FMS. The role of melatonin in FMS is unclear.

Psychological status is associated with health related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and disabling disease frequently effects physical and psychological well being. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of psychological status on health related quality of life in patients with RA and also to assess which quality of life (QoL) instrument - disease specific and generic - is more prone to this effect.

Methods: A total of 421 patients with RA recruited from joint database of five tertiary centers.

Discrimination ability of ASDAS estimating disease activity status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objectives: To investigate discrimination ability of the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) endorsed disease activity score (ASDAS) versions evaluating low and high disease activity in an unselected group of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: Patients consecutively included into the joint database of five university hospitals were analyzed for low or high disease activity according to different criteria. Standardized mean differences (SMD) for two ASDAS versions were evaluated.

Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome in familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal, recessively inherited multisystem disease that affects various groups of people originating from the Mediterranean Sea region, most specifically those of Jewish, Turkish, Armenian, and Arabic ethnicity. Recurrent attacks of fever and sterile polyserositis of the peritoneum, synovial membranes, and pleura are the main clinical features, although the clinical features of FMF have been expanded in recent years to also include severe myalgia, scrotal swelling, cardiac involvement, and protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS). PFMS is seen in only a small percentage of FMF patients and is characterized by severe debilitating myalgia of the upper and lower extremities and high fever, occasionally accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea, arthritis/arthralgia, and transient vasculitic purpura mimicking Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP).

Relationship between psychological status and disease activity and quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis.

Our aim in this study was to compare the depression and anxiety risk in patients with AS and healthy controls and also to determine the relationship between disease activity, quality of life and psychological well-being. Two hundred and forty-three patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 118 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls were enroled into the study. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), and Functional Index, and Metrology Index, Health Assessment Questionnaire for Spondyloarthropathies (HAQ-S), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) including depression subscale (HADS-D) and anxiety subscale (HADS-A), Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) Scale, duration of morning stiffness, pain-visual analogue scale (VAS), patient and physician's global assessment of disease activity (100 mm VAS) were used to assess clinical and psychological status.

Determination of spondylolisthesis in low back pain by clinical evaluation.

Aim: Current guides recommend to evaluate the patients with low back pain complaints with initial clinical assessment and history, and to utilize radiological or other imaging technics, in case of possible diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare the findings of radiological and clinical assessment, and validate the reliability of spondylolisthesis diagnosed with clinical assessment. This study is conducted on 100 patients with, and 30 patients without (control group) radiological diagnosis of spondylolisthesis, who had applied to Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Haydarpasa Numune Hospital with low back pain complaints in one and a half year.

Gabapentin monotherapy in patients with chronic radiculopathy: the efficacy and impact on life quality.

Objective: The purpose of this, open-label, non-comparative study, was to evaluate the efficacy on quality of life and the efficacy of gabapentin monotherapy in patients with chronic radiculopathy.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with radicular pain and diagnosed as L4, L5 or S1 radiculopathy were treated with oral gabapentin from a total of 300 mg per day once up to a total of 1800 mg per day divided in 3 doses for eight-week trial period. Quality of life, functional disability and psychological mood of the patients were assessed using the Nottingham Healthy Profile (NHP), Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ODQ) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Pattern of disease onset, diagnostic delay, and clinical features in juvenile onset and adult onset ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: To assess the frequency of juvenile onset ankylosing spondylitis (JOAS) in Turkish patients with AS and to compare with adult onset AS (AOAS) in a cross-sectional study design.

Methods: A total of 322 patients were recruited from the joint database of 5 university hospitals in eastern Turkey.

Results: Patients with JOAS (n = 43, 13.

Serum melatonin levels in ankylosing spondilitis: correlation with disease activity.

This study was carried out to determine the serum levels of melatonin (MLT) in patients with ankylosing spondilitis (AS) and to evaluate its correlation with disease activity. We assessed clinical characteristics and labaratory parameters. Serum samples from 36 patients (25 males, 11 females) with active AS and 25 healthy subjects (18 males, 7 females) were collected.