F Salaffi

..The objective of the MAPPING study was to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions in an Italian population sample...

..These results may have implications for the application of the health status and utility measures in clinical trials in patients with RA...

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..The aim of this study was to test the Recent-Onset Arthritis Disability (ROAD) questionnaire for validity, reliability and responsiveness in Italian patients with early RA...

..The objective of the MAPPING study was to assess the impact of musculoskeletal conditions on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in an Italian population sample...

..Our results support the use of separate subscores for upper limb function, lower limb function, and activities of daily living/work, and the appropriateness of reporting an overall score (i.e., the mean of the three subscales)...

..This paper aims to evaluate the internal and external responsiveness of the patient self-report questionnaires, comparatively to the traditional composite indices to assess the activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in everyday practice...

..This article reviews a selection of the instruments used to assess chronic musculoskeletal pain, including validated newly developed and well-established screening instruments, and discusses their advantages and limitations...

..On the basis of these results, a new patient-reported composite outcome index can be developed and used in clinical trials...

..This article reviews a selection of the instruments used to assess CWP patients, including validated newly developed and well-established screening instruments, and discusses their advantages and limitations...

..The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of a simplified US B-lines scoring system compared with both the US comprehensive assessment and the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of IPF in CTD patients...

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..To investigate the reliability and validity of the Italian version of ECOS-16 (Assessment of health related quality of life in osteoporosis) in comparison to other questionnaires in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis...

..Vertebral fractures are a common complication of osteoporosis and may have a negative effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We investigated the effect of prevalent vertebral fractures on HRQOL in patients with osteoporosis...

..This article reviews the normal ultrasound anatomy of the salivary glands along with lithiasic, inflammatory, tumoral, and autoimmune disease such as SS...

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..In conclusion, the Italian version of the CPG questionnaire has shown to be valid and reliable for evaluating the severity of chronic musculoskeletal pain, with metric properties in agreement with the original, widely used version...

..The aims of the present study were to assess the inter-observer agreement of standard joint count and to compare clinical examination with grey scale ultrasonography (US) findings in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..We also compared proposed categories of high, moderate, and low activity and remission according to both scores...

..To compare ultrasonography (US) of salivary glands with contrast sialography and scintigraphy, in order to evaluate the diagnostic value of this method in primary SS (pSS)...

..Moreover, these differences appear to be strongly dependent on both the social characteristics of the patients and the supply arrangement in their area...

..To compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients with that of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the general population, and investigate if the factors are associated with the greater impact of FM...

..This article discusses the advantages and limitations of a selection of both newly developed and well-established and validated distress screening instruments that underlines the continuing challenge of assessing FM...

..The aims of the present study were to investigate the clinical value of the provocative clinical tests and propose a composite index for the assessment of painful shoulder, using ultrasonography (US) as reference method...

..Use of the AIMS2 makes it easier and less costly to collect data and reduces the burden on RA patients...

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..The aim of the study was to develop a predictive rule combining clinical variables, serological biomarkers and power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) for the progression from an early-onset UA to RA in daily rheumatological practice...

..Electronic patient experience diaries (eDiary) facilitate Ecologic Momentary Assessment (EMA) study designs by allowing the researcher to administer flexible, programmable assessments and mark each record with a time and date stamp...

..To develop a self-administered questionnaire, the ROAD (Recent-Onset Arthritis Disability), to probe physical disability in Italian patients with early arthritis (EA) of less than one year's duration...

..Its use could facilitate the appropriate and more cost-effective use of bone densitometry in developing countries...

..This study also provides an estimate of the impact of OA of the hip and knee on HRQL...

..Studies comparing the performance of HRQOL instruments in osteoporosis are lacking...

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..We adapted the WOMAC for the Italian language and tested its metric properties in 304 patients with symptomatic OA of the knee...

..This paper reviews the literature and discusses the major issues regarding mainly measures of physical function (e.g., mobility or daily activities) and health status, including some so called HRQOL instruments...

..Here we report a patient in whom an urticaria-like rash was an uncommon presenting clinical feature of AOSD. To our knowledge, this association has only been reported once before...

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..This review focuses on the available scoring methods used for the sites most frequently involved in OA (hand, knee, hip) and their various advantages and disadvantages...

..The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate these instruments into the Italian language...

..The present review provides an update of the available data and discusses research issues of ultrasound imaging in early arthritis...

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..9% and 14.7% respectively). Availability of funding for this study provided an opportunity to organize a collaborative national network of rheumatology clinics to develop a large multicentre observational study...

..The aim of this study was to obtain information on several aspects of construct validity of these measures...

..Our study for the first time demonstrated that 3D US is a valid imaging modality for the assessment of Achilles tendon enthesitis...

..The best treatment should be individualised and combined with patient education and non-pharmacological therapy...

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..To investigate the acceptability, feasibility, reliability and score agreement of collecting rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient-reported outcome (PRO) data using an interactive touch-screen computer system...

..The aim of this paper was to present the principal findings in patients with crystal-related arthropathies...

..Ongoing follow-up will provide further information regarding the persistence of considerable reduction in PDS signal score and its correlation with DAS28...

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..This study is an initial step towards establishing a methodology necessary for developing multi-centre US studies which are aimed at assessing hand involvement in patients with RA...

..CONCLUSION: GSS and PDS appear to be a useful adjunctive tool for assessing short term soft tissue changes induced by intra-articular injection treatment with triamcinolone acetonide in small joints of patients with chronic arthritis...

..The present study was mainly aimed at investigating the interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility of ultrasound (US) results in the assessment of Achilles tendon enthesopathy in patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA)...

..The nature of FM suggests that an individualized, multimodal approach that includes both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies seems to be the most appropriate treatment strategy to date...

..To address the identification of core outcome domains, the Initiative on IMMPACT and OMERACT workshop convened a meeting to develop consensus recommendations for chronic pain clinical trials...

..The main objective of the present study was to test the interobserver reliability, truth, discrimination and feasibility of two scoring methods available in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) over a follow-up period of 3 years...

..To evaluate the presence of blood flow by colour Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) in the wrist and finger joints of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy subjects and to define a cut-off value of CDUS resistive index (RI)...

..To demonstrate the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasonography in depicting erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to compare sonographic and radiographic findings...

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..To estimate the prevalence of spondyloarthropathies (SpA) in an adult population in Marche, a region located in central Italy...

..To investigate the association between articular chondrocalcinosis and calcification of the atlantoaxial region on a cervical computed tomography (CT) scan and to explore the relation between such calcifications and neck pain...

..To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) of the salivary glands versus histologic examination in detection of salivary gland involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS)...

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..We assessed the effectiveness of this course by following the learning curve of one specialist trainee with no experience in capillaroscopy...

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..MTX-dose reduction was followed by rapid regression of the skin nodules. The Authors describe the typical features of AN and discuss on the pathogenetic mechanisms...

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..Understanding of pathogenetic pathways in FMS has advanced beyond observing patient responses to neurophysiologically targeted therapies and basic research...

..To assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with primary Raynaud phenomenon (RP)...

..An appropriate diagnostic programme for patients with regional musculoskeletal pain has to be focused on the strengths and weaknesses of various imaging techniques...

..g., occupational exposure. Differences with previous studies may be related to the current characteristics of the population surveyed...

..To evaluate the ability of high resolution ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of erosive osteoarthritis (OA)...

..To evaluate the interobserver reliability of ultrasonography (US) in the assessment of cartilage damage at metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint level in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..Our report illustrates the most relevant sonographic findings obtainable with the latest generation ultrasound equipment in patients with psoriatic arthritis...

..In 1999, the Italian Society of Rheumatology started a project to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (ARA)...

..To assess the prevalence of good clinical response and remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with longstanding disease treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) drugs at outpatient clinics...

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..Many technical aspects may affect the scanning process and a correct interpretation of sonographic images depends on several elements such as a deep knowledge of ultrasonography anatomy and pathology...

..The purpose of this study is to introduce the clinical and radiological aspects of the seronegative anterior chest wall diseases, particularly the contribution of the different imaging techniques...