A Bridge Too Far? Real-World Practice Patterns of Early Glucocorticoid Use in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort.

Objective: To describe patterns of glucocorticoid use in a large real-world cohort with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and assess the impact on disease activity and treatment.

Methods: Data are from adults with new RA (≤1 year) recruited to the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH) and are stratified on the basis of whether a person was prescribed oral glucocorticoids within 3 months of study entry. Disease activity was compared over 24 months.

Palindromic Rheumatism Frequently Precedes Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From an Incident Cohort.

Background: This multicenter incident cohort aimed to characterize how often early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients self-report episodic joint inflammation (palindromic rheumatism) preceding ERA diagnosis and which characteristics differentiate these patients from those without prior episodic symptoms.

Methods: Data were from patients with early confirmed or suspected RA (more than 6 weeks and less than 12 months) enrolled in the Canadian Early ArThritis CoHort (CATCH) between April 2017 to March 2018 who completed study case report forms assessing joint pain and swelling prior to ERA diagnosis. Chi-square and tests were used to compare characteristics of patients with and without self-reported episodic joint inflammation prior to ERA diagnosis.

Presentation and Disease Course of Childhood-Onset Versus Adult-Onset Takayasu Arteritis.

Objective: To compare the clinical features, efficacy and safety of treatment regimens, and outcomes of childhood- and adult-onset Takayasu arteritis (TAK).

Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study comparing patients with childhood-onset TAK (from 1986 onward) to patients with adult-onset TAK (from 1988 onward) who were followed up until 2014 or 2015 at 4 centers in Ontario, Canada. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic features, treatment regimens, and outcomes were recorded throughout the course of the disease.

Association of severe inflammatory polyarthritis in primary Sjögren's syndrome: clinical, serologic, and HLA analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical, serologic, and MHC class II antigen characteristics of a group of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and severe arthritis.

Methods: A case-control study comparing 35 patients with primary SS: 17 with inflammatory arthritis, 18 without arthritis.

Results: All patients fulfilled criteria for primary SS.

Gait retraining post stroke.

A major component of stroke rehabilitation focuses on gait restoration. The purpose of this review is to examine the efficacy of a variety of gait retraining techniques currently in clinical use, including strength training, functional electrical stimulation, treadmill training, partial body-weight support, EMG biofeedback, and splinting of the lower extremity. Forty-eight studies evaluating six gait enhancement techniques were reviewed.

Early supported discharge in stroke rehabilitation.

A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials published from 1970-2002 was conducted to assess the effectiveness of early supported discharge programs in the context of stroke rehabilitation. Ten studies, including 1,286 patients, were selected for detailed review. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro Scale.

Research gaps in stroke rehabilitation.

The Stroke Rehabilitation Evidence-Based Review was designed to be a comprehensive review of the stroke rehabilitation literature. Despite a wealth of research, which included 272 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), many research questions remained unanswered. In the absence of strong evidence (at least two RCTs confirming the efficacy of a treatment), a research gap was identified.

An evidence-based review of stroke rehabilitation.

A comprehensive evidence-based review of stroke rehabilitation was created to be an up-to-date review of the current evidence in stroke rehabilitation and to provide specific conclusions based on evidence that could be used to help direct stroke care at the bedside and at home. A literature search using multiple data-bases was used to identify all trials from 1968 to 2001. Methodological quality of the individual randomized controlled trials was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) quality assessment scale.