Promotion of health-enhancing physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparative study on healthcare providers in Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden.

The objectives of this study were to compare attitudes, practice of advice, perceived competencies and educational needs related to health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among Dutch, Italian and Swedish healthcare providers (HCP) and to explore associations between these factors and age, gender and HEPA levels of HCP. Questionnaires were sent to 2939 HCP, members of their national rheumatology organizations. HEPA was assessed with the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-Enhancing Physical Activity or the International Physical Activity Questionnaire; attitudes, practice of advice, perceived competencies and educational needs with a 23-item questionnaire.

Intraoperative brachial plexus injury during emergence following movement with arms restrained: a preventable complication?

Background: Despite considerable analysis and preventive strategies, brachial plexus injuries remain fairly common in the perioperative setting. These injuries range from brief periods of numbness or discomfort in the immediate postoperative period to, in rare cases, profound, prolonged losses of sensation and function. We present a case of an orthopedic surgery patient who suffered a brachial plexus injury while under anesthesia after trying to sit upright with his arms restrained.

Flexor carpi radialis tendon rupture as a complication of a closed distal radius fracture: a case report.

Although extensor pollicis longus tendon ruptures have been noted as a complication of distal radius fractures, flexor tendon ruptures in association with acute fractures of the distal radius are rare. We report a rupture of the flexor carpi radialis tendon as a complication of an acute distal radius fracture that was discovered during operative management of the fracture.

Difference between the epicondylar and cylindrical axis of the knee.

Locating the true flexion-extension axis of the knee can play an important role in component placement in a total knee arthroplasty, especially using contemporary computer-assisted surgical navigation. We determined if the commonly used transepicondylar axis is an accurate and reproducible substitute for the flexion-extension axis. Twenty-three fresh-frozen cadaveric distal femurs with intact soft tissue were imaged with computed tomography and reconstructed in three-dimensional virtual space.

The relationship between the clinical features of pharyngitis and the sensitivity of a rapid antigen test: evidence of spectrum bias.

Study Objective: We evaluate the test characteristics and test for spectrum bias of a rapid antigen test for group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) pharyngitis among adults.

Methods: Medical record and laboratory results of consecutive adult patients receiving a rapid antigen test for GABHS in the emergency department or urgent care clinic of an urban teaching hospital between August 1999 and December 1999 were analyzed. Patients were stratified according to the number of clinical features present using the following modified Centor criteria: history of fever, absence of cough, presence of pharyngeal exudate, and cervical lymphadenopathy.