Assessment of daily variation in pelvic anatomy in women with and without pelvic organ prolapse.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) can affect quality of life and are reported to progress during the day, although this was never objectified. The aim of this study is to determine whether the pelvic anatomy changes during the day using upright magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in POP patients and asymptomatic women.

Methods: In this prospective study 15 POP patients and 45 asymptomatic women were included.

Core components of Communication Skills Training in oncology: A synthesis of the literature contrasted with consensual recommendations.

This systematic review synthesises the literature on Communication Skills Training (CST) programmes for oncology professionals to identify their core components and compare them with the recommendations formulated in a position paper based on a European expert consensus meeting. A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE (OVID and PUBMED), CINAHL, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The analytic approach relied on an a priori framework based on the position paper's recommendations, generating several themes.

Tuberculosis Risk in Ankylosing Spondylitis, Other Spondyloarthritis, and Psoriatic Arthritis in Sweden: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), particularly following treatment with biologic agents. Since these therapies are increasingly used in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), other types of spondyloarthritis (SpA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), we investigated the corresponding TB risks in these patients.

Methods: We identified individuals with AS/SpA/PsA, and non-AS/SpA/PsA comparators by linking Swedish national patient, population, TB, and rheumatology registers, and followed them for TB occurrence.

Psychotherapy in the Oncology Setting.

A person who faces the diagnosis of cancer is subjected to changes within his body, but also with regard to his view of himself and his social relationships. Cancer related psychological distress occurs frequently and has a different prevalence according to-among other factors-cancer type and stage of disease. The main psychiatric disturbances observed in patients with cancer are adjustment disorders and affective disorders (anxiety and depression), which in the majority of patients are due to stressors related to the occurrence and threat of the disease and pre-existing psychological vulnerabilities; however, they might also be a direct consequence of biological causes either resulting from bodily modifications induced by the cancer or from treatment side effects.

C-reactive protein polymorphisms influence serum CRP-levels independent of disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis.

Objectives: C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are frequently used to determine disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but these levels may not reflect disease activity. We therefore investigated the influence of common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene on CRP levels in AS patients. Additionally, the relation between CRP levels and BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index) was examined.

Psycho-oncological interventions and psychotherapy in the oncology setting.

A person who faces the diagnosis of cancer is subjected to changes within his body, but also with regard to his view of himself and his social relationships. Cancer-related psychological distress occurs frequently and has been reported to have different prevalence according to cancer type and stage of disease. Psychological disorders are known to be underdiagnosed and thus undertreated in the oncology setting, since clinicians might miss the symptoms of psychological distress, misinterpret them, or lack the time and resources to respond adequately.

pANCA, ASCA, and OmpC antibodies in patients with ankylosing spondylitis without inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can suffer concurrently from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). Serological markers have been described to diagnose IBD. We investigated IBD serological markers in AS patients without IBD and whether these antibodies enable differentiating patients with AS and IBD from those without IBD.

Discovertebral (Andersson) lesions in severe ankylosing spondylitis: a study using MRI and conventional radiography.

The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of Andersson lesions (AL) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients who will start anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine were performed before therapy with anti-TNF. ALs were defined as discovertebral endplate destructions on MRI, associated with bone marrow edema and fat replacement or sclerosis, a decreased signal on T1, enhancement after contrast administration (gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA)), and increased signal on T2 and short tau inversion recovery (STIR).

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein level, and serum amyloid a protein for patient selection and monitoring of anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment in ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: To study the usefulness of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid A (SAA) for response prediction and monitoring of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.

Methods: Patients were included consecutively before starting etanercept or infliximab treatment. ASsessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) response, defined as a 50% improvement or an absolute improvement of 2 points of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI; 0-10 scale), was assessed at 3 months.

Discovertebral (Andersson) lesions of the spine in ankylosing spondylitis revisited.

A well-known complication in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the development of localised vertebral or discovertebral lesions of the spine, which was first described by Andersson in 1937. Since then, many different terms are used in literature to refer to these localised lesions of the spine, including the eponym 'Andersson lesion' (AL). The use of different terms reflects an ongoing debate on the exact aetiology of the AL.

Decreased clinical response to infliximab in ankylosing spondylitis is correlated with anti-infliximab formation.

Objectives: Correlation of serum trough infliximab levels and antibodies to infliximab (anti-infliximab) with clinical response in ankylosing spondylitis.

Methods: In accordance with the international ASsessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) consensus statement, patients were treated with infliximab (5 mg/kg) every 6 weeks after a starting regimen. Preinfusion sera were collected at baseline, 24 and 54 weeks.

Treatment of acute posttraumatic stress disorder with brief cognitive behavioral therapy: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from various types of psychological trauma.

Method: The authors randomly assigned 143 patients with acute PTSD (irrespective of the time criterion), within 3 months after experiencing a traumatic incident, to either brief cognitive behavioral therapy (N=79) or a waiting list comparison group (N=64). Cognitive behavioral therapy consisted of four weekly sessions containing education, relaxation exercises, imaginal exposure, in vivo exposure, and cognitive restructuring.