Ultrasonographic Assessment of the Distal Femoral Cartilage Thickness in Patients with Homozygous Sickle Cell Disease.

Objective: To compare the distal femoral cartilage thickness of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) with those of healthy subjects using ultrasonography.

Methods: The study comprised 30 patients with SCD (16 male, 14 female; mean age, 30.1 years) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Isokinetic Assessment of the Wrist Muscles in Females With Fibromyalgia.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate wrist muscle strength and muscle fatigue in females with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and compare the results with those of healthy controls.

Patients And Methods: Thirty consecutive female FMS patients (mean age 39.8±6.

Thymoquinone attenuates trauma induced spinal cord damage in an animal model.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating conditions leading to neurological impairment and disabilities. The aim of the study was to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of thymoquinone (TQ) histopathologically in an experimental model of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group; SCI group; SCI-induced and 10 mg/kg/day TQ administered group; SCI-induced and 30 mg/kg/day TQ administered group.

Left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with ankylosing spondylitis without clinically overt cardiovascular disease by speckle tracking echocardiography.

The aim of this study was to evaluate left ventricular systolic and diastolic function using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in order to detect subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Twenty-six AS patients (age 43.7 ± 11.

Efficacy of EMLA cream phonophoresis comparison with ultrasound therapy on myofascial pain syndrome of the trapezius: a single-blind, randomized clinical study.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream phonophoresis superior to conventional US over the trigger points (TPs) in terms of improvements of pain, range of motion and disability in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Fifty patients (42 female, 8 male) diagnosed with MPS were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned into two treatment groups including phonophoresis (PH) group (n = 25) and ultrasound (US) group (n = 25).

Ultrasound-guided vs. blind steroid injections in carpal tunnel syndrome: A single-blind randomized prospective study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and the safety of ultrasound (US)-guided vs. blind steroid injections in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Design: This prospective randomized single-blind clinical trial included 46 patients with CTS (46 affected median nerves).

The evaluation of efficacy and tolerability of Hylan G-F 20 in bilateral thumb base osteoarthritis: 6 months follow-up.

The aims of this randomized controlled trial were to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular Hylan G-F 20 on the pain, pinch strength, and functional status in patients with thumb base osteoarthritis (OA). Sixty-six hands of 33 female patients (mean age, 62.6 +/- 6.

Evaluation of pulmonary function and bicycle ergometry tests in patients with Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) has well-defined pulmonary complications, but cardiopulmonary exercise testing and the strength of the respiratory muscles have not been studied in detail. We aimed to investigate the pulmonary functions tests, inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength and endurance, cardiopulmonary exercise test response, and the relationship of these parameters in patients with BD. Forty BD patients and 20 healthy control subjects were recruited for this study.

Pulmonary involvement in lifelong non-smoking patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis without respiratory symptoms.

Pulmonary involvement seen in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been detected increasingly by using highly sensitive diagnostic techniques such as high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). However, HRCT findings in healthy controls and the effects of smoking and drugs have not been well studied. The aim of this controlled study was to evaluate the relationships between disease-specific clinical, laboratory, HRCT and pulmonary function test (PFT) findings in 20 RA patients using methotrexate (MTX) and 20 AS patients using sulphasalazine who were non-smokers and exhibited asymptomatic respiratory signs.