Cervical And Vaginal/Vulvar Malignancies Risk In Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Objective: Given recent concerns about cervical dysplasia with RA medications, we performed a literature review and a pooled analysis to examine the relative risk of cervical and vaginal cancers in RA.Methods: We conducted a literature search covering 2007- 2014. A pooled analysis was conducted: the total numbers of cancers expected and observed across all studies were respectively summed for different cancer types (cervical and vaginal/vulvar cancers). As some studies pooled vaginal and vulvar cancers together, we did not discern between the two for the purpose of this study. Using these pooled estimates, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated, demonstrating the relative risk of the cancers in RA, versus the general population.Results: Our search strategy retrieved 13 papers. Our pooled SIR estimates were 0.82, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.73-0.92 for cervical cancer in RA and 1.04, 95% CI 0.80-1.34 for vaginal/vulvar cancer in RA.Conclusion: Our simple pooled analysis was consistent with a relatively lower cervical cancer risk in RA versus the general population, while the data did not establish if the risk of vaginal/vulvar cancer was different from the general population. Cervical cancer screening in RA will continue to be important, particularly as evolving treatment strategies may affect future risk

The incidence of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Quebec: a population data-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To determine the population incidence of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in Quebec.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We obtained data from Quebec's physician claims database. Incident cases were defined as having a visit for JRA in 2000, no visit in the previous 3 years, a confirmed diagnosis by an arthritis specialist, or having ≥ 2 visits to any physician for JRA, ≥ 2 months apart but within 2 years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cumulative incidence of JRA was 17.8/100,000. Mean age at diagnosis was 9.8 ± 4.6 years, 68% were female and more persons were diagnosed in winter. Subjects had a median of 10 medical visits over the first year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our population based incidence estimate was similar to others. Children and adolescents with JRA are heavy users of medical care. Additional study of environmental or climate- related triggers may be warranted.</p

To the Mathematical Theory of the Temkin Adsorption Model

This study expands the mathematical theory of the Temkin adsorption model and demonstrates the way experimental data are to be additionally treated. A functional complement property of the Temkin isotherm has been studied as a particular case of the common theory of asymptotic complement. This property is shown to give rise to various analytical strategies to be employed for processing or interpretation of the experimental results, e.g. to perform mapping of data obtained in experiments onto a conjugated part of the true isotherm, to judge if presupposed energetic heterogeneity type of the surface really takes place, etc. Experimental data for adsorption of carbon monoxide on gold and of sodium oleate on steel with and without a magnetite coating have been extensively analysed

Review of: Cooper, D.B. (ed.) (2017) Ethics in Mental Health-Substance Use

N/

Impact of Symptoms on Daily Life in People at Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objectives: To explore the impact on daily life of symptoms experienced by those with systemic autoimmunity associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Fifteen people took part in focus groups to explore the impact of symptoms on daily life. Results: Core themes included: 1) physical impact of limited hand function and mobility; 2) psychological distress experienced included a fear of symptoms progressing into RA, uncertainty about the future, feelings of despair, shame and frustration. Conclusion: People with arthralgia at risk of developing RA experienced considerable physical and psychological impact of symptoms. Greater consideration should be given to the needs of people at risk of developing RA

Effect of menopause on the modified Rodnan skin score in systemic sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to evaluate the effect of menopause on skin thickening, as measured by the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: We identified women with either limited or diffuse SSc, aged ≥ 18 years, enrolled within the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG) cohort, between 2004 and 2011. As part of the CSRG cohort, subjects undergo annual assessments with standardized questionnaires and physical examinations. We performed multivariate regression analyses using generalized estimating equation (GEE) to determine the effect of menopause on the mRSS, adjusting for relevant covariates including notably age, follow-up time, and disease duration. RESULTS: We identified 1070 women with SSc, contributing a total of 3546 observations over the study period. Of these women, at baseline, 65% had limited disease and 35% diffuse disease. In multivariate analyses, we observed a substantial effect of postmenopausal status on the mean mRSS in women with diffuse disease subtype [−2.62 units, 95% confidence interval (CI) -4.44, −0.80] and significant interaction between menopausal status and disease subtype (2.04 units, 95% CI 0.20, 3.88). The effect of postmenopausal status on the mean mRSS was smaller in women with limited SSc (−0.58, 95% CI −1.50, 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that menopause has a substantial effect on skin thickening in diffuse SSc, with postmenopausal status being associated with a lower mean mRSS compared to premenopausal status