Effect of single or multiple injection of platelet-rich plasma in comparison with hyaluronic acid on knee osteoarthritis

Aim: To compare the effect of administration of 2 different doses of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and a single dose of hyaluronic acid (HA) preparation on pain and daily life activities of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients. Method: In this nonrandomized comparative study, three groups of patients who received either a single dose of intraarticular (IA) PRP (PRP1 group), three doses of IA PRP (PRP3 group), or single dose IA HA (HA group) were included. Assessments were before treatment, and in the 3rd week and 6th week after treatment (after the final injection). The pain-visual analog scale (VAS), Euro-Qol (EQ)-5D-3L, EQVAS, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were used. Results: In the 3rd week, there were statistically significant differences between the PRP1-HA groups in all parameters except EQ5; between PRP3-HA groups in all parameters except EQ5 and WOMAC stiffness; and between PRP3-PRP1 groups in all parameters except EQVAS, WOMAC pain and WOMAC stiffness. In the 6th week, there were statistically significant differences between the PRP1-HA groups in all parameters except WOMAC stiffness; between PRP3-HA groups in all parameters; and between PRP3-PRP1 groups in all parameters except WOMAC pain. Conclusion: Intraarticular PRP injections (single or three doses) were found to be more beneficial in the short term in terms of pain and functional improvement than HA injection and administration of three consecutive doses of PRP may be more effective compared to single-dose PRP administration in KOA patients

High fatigue scores in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a multigroup comparative study from the COVAD e-survey

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) confer a significant risk of disability and poor quality of life, though fatigue, an important contributing factor, remains under-reported in these individuals. We aimed to compare and analyze differences in visual analog scale (VAS) scores (0-10 cm) for fatigue (VAS-F) in patients with IIMs, non-IIM systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs), and healthy controls (HCs). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data from the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) international patient self-reported e-survey. The COVAD survey was circulated from December 2020 to August 2021, and details including demographics, COVID-19 history, vaccination details, SAID details, global health, and functional status were collected from adult patients having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Fatigue experienced 1 week prior to survey completion was assessed using a single-item 10 cm VAS. Determinants of fatigue were analyzed in regression models. Six thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight respondents (mean age 43.8 years, 72% female; 55% White) were included in the analysis. The overall VAS-F score was 3 (IQR 1-6). Patients with IIMs had similar fatigue scores (5, IQR 3-7) to non-IIM SAIDs [5 (IQR 2-7)], but higher compared to HCs (2, IQR 1-5; P < 0.001), regardless of disease activity. In adjusted analysis, higher VAS-F scores were seen in females (reference female; coefficient -0.17; 95%CI -0.21 to -13; P < 0.001) and Caucasians (reference Caucasians; coefficient -0.22; 95%CI -0.30 to -0.14; P < 0.001 for Asians and coefficient -0.08; 95%CI -0.13 to 0.30; P = 0.003 for Hispanics) in our cohort. Our study found that patients with IIMs exhibit considerable fatigue, similar to other SAIDs and higher than healthy individuals. Women and Caucasians experience greater fatigue scores, allowing identification of stratified groups for optimized multidisciplinary care and improve outcomes such as quality of life

Systemic sclerosis and COVID-19 vaccine safety: short-term insights from the global COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD) survey.

The safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines is understudied in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). We compared short-term adverse events (AEs) 7 days following vaccination in patients with SSc vs other rheumatic (AIRDs), non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs), and healthy controls (HCs). The COVID-19 Vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) self-reporting e-survey was circulated by a group of > 110 collaborators in 94 countries from March to December 2021. AEs were analyzed between different groups using regression models. Of 10,679 complete respondents [73.8% females, mean age 43 years, 53% Caucasians], 478 had SSc. 83% had completed two vaccine doses, Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) (51%) was the most common. Minor and major AEs were reported by 81.2% and 3.3% SSc patients, respectively, and did not differ significantly with disease activity or different vaccine types, though with minor symptom differences. Frequencies of AEs were not affected by background immunosuppression, though SSc patients receiving hydroxychloroquine experienced fatigue less commonly (OR 0.4; 95% CI 0.2-0.8). Frequency of AEs and hospitalisations were similar to other AIRDs, nrAIDs, and HC except a higher risk of chills (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.0-1.7) and fatigue (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.0-1.6) compared to other AIRDs. COVID-19 vaccines were largely safe and well tolerated in SSc patients in the short term. Background immunosuppression and disease activity did not influence the vaccination-related short-term AEs

Pain in individuals with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and without rheumatic diseases: A report from the COVAD study

OBJECTIVES: To compare pain intensity among individuals with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs), and without rheumatic disease (wAIDs). METHODS: Data were collected from the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) study, an international cross-sectional online survey, from December 2020 to August 2021. Pain experienced in the preceding week was assessed using numeral rating scale (NRS). We performed a negative binomial regression analysis to assess pain in IIMs subtypes and whether demographics, disease activity, general health status, and physical function had an impact on pain scores. RESULTS: Of 6988 participants included, 15.1% had IIMs, 27.9% had other AIRDs, and 57.0% were wAIDs. The median pain NRS in patients with IIMs, other AIRDs, and wAIDs were 2.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 1.0-5.0), 3.0 (IQR = 1.0-6.0), and 1.0 (IQR = 0-2.0), respectively (P < 0.001). Regression analysis adjusted for gender, age, and ethnicity revealed that overlap myositis and antisynthetase syndrome had the highest pain (NRS = 4.0, 95% CI = 3.5-4.5, and NRS = 3.6, 95% CI = 3.1-4.1, respectively). An additional association between pain and poor functional status was observed in all groups. Female gender was associated with higher pain scores in almost all scenarios. Increasing age was associated with higher pain NRS scores in some scenarios of disease activity, and Asian and Hispanic ethnicities had reduced pain scores in some functional status scenarios. CONCLUSION: Patients with IIMs reported higher pain levels than wAIDs, but less than patients with other AIRDs. Pain is a disabling manifestation of IIMs and is associated with a poor functional status

COVID-19 Vaccination In Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) Study : Vaccine Safety In Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies

In this study we investigated COVID-19 vaccination-related adverse events (ADEs) 7 days postvaccination in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and other systemic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (SAIDs). Seven-day vaccine ADEs were collected in an international patient self-reported e-survey. Descriptive statistics were obtained and multivariable regression was performed. Ten thousand nine hundred respondents were analyzed (1227 IIM cases, 4640 SAID cases, and 5033 healthy controls [HCs]; median age, 42 [interquartile range, 30-455] years; 74% female; 45% Caucasian; 69% completely vaccinated). Major ADEs were reported by 76.3% of the IIM patients and 4.6% reported major ADEs. Patients with active IIMs reported more frequent major (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; interquartile range [IQR], 1.04-7.3) and minor (OR, 1.5; IQR, 1.1-2.2) ADEs than patients with inactive IIMs. Rashes were more frequent in IIMs (OR, 2.3; IQR, 1.2-4.2) than HCs. ADEs were not impacted by steroid dose, although hydroxychloroquine and intravenous/subcutaneous immunoglobulins were associated with a higher risk of minor ADEs (OR, 1.9; IQR, 1.1-3.3; and OR, 2.2; IQR, 1.1-4.3, respectively). Overall, ADEs were less frequent in inclusion-body myositis (IBM) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer) vaccine recipients. Seven-day postvaccination ADEs were comparable in patients with IIMs, SAIDs, and HCs, except for a higher risk of rash in IIMs. Patients with dermatomyositis with active disease may be at higher risk, and IBM patients may be at lower risk of specific ADEs. Overall, the benefit of preventing severe COVID-19 through vaccination likely outweighs the risk of vaccine-related ADEs. Our results may inform future guidelines regarding COVID-19 vaccination in patients with SAIDs, specifically in those with IIMs. Studies to evaluate long-term outcomes and disease flares are needed to shed more light on developing future COVID-19 vaccination guidelines

Google searches for bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose Whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has an impact on bruxism represents an important gap of knowledge. This study evaluated the trends in Google searches, as an indication of public interest and demand, for bruxism and its symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Google Trends was queried for bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching both worldwide and in the United States. Two periods in 2020 (March 15-May 9 and May 10-October 17) were compared to similar periods of 2016-2019 to investigate both initial and short-term interest. Results The relative search volume of bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching was not significantly different between 2020 and 2016-2019 worldwide or in the United States in the March 15-May 9 period. Only the search for teeth grinding showed an increase worldwide. In the May 10-October 17 period, the relative search volume of bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching all was significantly higher in 2020 compared to 2016-2019 both worldwide and in the United States. Conclusion The study showed that the relative search volume for bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching, as an indication of public interest and demand, was increased both worldwide and in the United States during the May-October 2020 period compared to similar periods of the previous 4 years. Dentists should address this increased public interest and demand for information seeking for bruxism. Follow-up studies monitoring long-term interest as a real-time surveillance and evaluating whether increased internet searches are linked to an actual increase or worsening of bruxism and its symptoms in the clinic are required

Seasonal variation in the internet searches for psoriasis

Some researches with different designs investigated the seasonal pattern of psoriasis; however, the seasonal variation in public interest in psoriasis has not yet been examined. The monitoring of internet search activity has increasingly been used to gain insights into public interest in health-related topics. The aim of the investigation is to employ the Google Trends datasets to evaluate whether a seasonal trend exists in the internet searches of psoriasis by the general public. In the observational investigation, the Google Trends was queried for the [psoriasis] in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand between January 2004 and December 2018. The cosinor analysis demonstrated a statistically significant seasonal pattern of searches for [psoriasis] in the United Kingdom (p<0.001), Canada (p=0.002), Ireland (p<0.001), Australia (p<0.001), and New Zealand (p<0.001), and a trend towards a seasonal variation in searches in the United States (p=0.079), with the zenith in late winter/early spring and through in late summer/early fall. A zenith in late winter/early spring and valley in late summer/early fall presented an approximately 6-month difference between hemispheres. Public interest in seeking psoriasis information through internet searches displayed a seasonal pattern, with the highest interest in the late winter/early spring. If a more comprehensive study validated the association of psoriasis flares with patterns in online searches, beyond investigating only seasonality in public interest, the internet data could be used to guide public health interventions and to manage the care of patients with psoriasis