To investigate whether manual therapy has particular benefit in subgroups of patients defined on the basis of hip function, range of joint motion, pain and radiological deterioration.

To study the effect of a combination of thalassotherapy, exercise and patient education in people with fibromyalgia.

To determine the effects of once-weekly oral alendronate on indices of bone size, density and resorption in children with chronic illness being treated with glucocorticoids.

To assess the effectiveness of intra-articular triamcinolone injection and physiotherapy singly or combined in the treatment of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) receptor fusion protein etanercept has shown efficacy in patients with active disease in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for limited periods. The objective of the study was to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of etanercept over 1 yr, including discontinuation and readministration.

To compare forefoot pain, pressure and function before and after normal and sham callus treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that the biological effect of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) is equivalent to that of triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH), if used at double the dosage. In this study we compared the efficacy of intra-articular TA at a dose twice that of TH in symmetrically involved joints, in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

In the past, treatment options for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have been limited, and the introduction of new treatments such as infliximab will have a noticeable impact on health-care budgets. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the current burden of the disease and estimate the cost-effectiveness of infliximab treatments.

The study aimed to compare the relative effectiveness of providing a home-based exercise programme versus home-based exercise supplemented with an 8-week class-based exercise programme in reducing pain and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

To test whether methotrexate prolongs the effect of intra-articular corticosteroid in suppressing knee synovitis.

Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have used patient- and physician-reported outcomes, ESR and/or CRP as components of ACR response criteria to assess efficacy.

To compare the efficacy and safety profile of two daily maintenance doses of leflunomide, 10 mg and 20 mg, for the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The primary objective was to demonstrate equivalence between a.m. and p.m. dosing of celecoxib 200 mg q.d. An equivalence assessment of q.d. vs b.i.d. dosing was a secondary objective.

To assess the efficacy of individualized classical homeopathy in the treatment of fibromyalgia.

The aggregated locomotor function (ALF) score, a simple measure of observed locomotor function, using timed walking, stairs and transfers, was developed and evaluated for intra-tester reliability, criterion-related validity and responsiveness in a sample of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Scoring poorly on the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) has recently been shown to be a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), while a good HAQ score is predictive of a better outcome. In patients presenting with early diffuse scleroderma prognosis is variable. Our goal was to determine possible baseline predictors of future good outcomes.

In contrast to economic models that provide probabilistic estimates of economic impact, data extracted from clinical trials may be used to evaluate and compare actual resource utilization and costs. Health-care resource utilization and the costs of these resources were compared from the perspective of the UK National Health Service using data obtained in a 6-month clinical trial of oral valdecoxib 20 mg once daily and diclofenac 75 mg twice daily for the symptomatic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, calculated health-care costs were exclusive of drug acquisition costs because the price of valdecoxib was not available at the time of analysis. While the efficacy of the two treatments was similar, use of valdecoxib was associated with a reduction in total health-care costs amounting to approximately 200 British pounds per patient. This lower cost was associated with reduced use of health-care resources for gastrointestinal serious adverse events (gastrointestinal SAEs). In particular, the incidence of hospitalization and number of hospital days for gastrointestinal SAEs was lower in the valdecoxib group. Analysis of cost per gastrointestinal SAE favoured valdecoxib (cost savings of 742 British pounds), suggesting that even when these events did occur they were less severe. When costs of gastrointestinal SAEs were averaged over the entire population, valdecoxib was suggested to have lower total costs per patient compared with diclofenac (cost savings of 115 British pounds per patient), mainly resulting from significant savings in hospitalization costs (76.49 British pounds per patient). These data are consistent with economic models and suggest that the favourable gastrointestinal profile of valdecoxib observed in clinical trials will be of economic benefit.

Using additional data from two previously reported studies, the aim was to determine the effects of immediate and short-term continuous (3 weeks) application of knee tape on quadriceps sensorimotor function in individuals with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA).

To determine if acupuncture is an effective, safe adjunctive treatment to standard therapy for chronic low back pain (LBP) in older patients.