Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity plays a central role in causing disability both directly and via indirect effects mediated through joint damage. Evaluation of RA disease activity is therefore important to predict the outcome and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions during follow-up. Clinical disease activity index (CDAI) is new simple tool for measurement of disease activity.
Objectives: To assess validity and reliability of CDAI in comparison to disease activity score-28 joints (DAS28) in Iraqi patients with active RA.
Patients and Methods: Sixty nine Iraqi RA patients were included in this study. All patients were fulfilling the ACR classification criteria and active. Full history was taken and complete clinical examination was done for all patients. Patients’ age, sex, duration of the disease, number of tender joints, number of swollen joints, patient’s and physician’s (evaluator) global assessment by visual analogue scale (VAS) (0–10 cm) were recorded. Laboratory analysis included erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). CDAI and DAS28 were measured to assess disease activity.
Results: Of 69 patients included in this study, there were 58 women and 11 men. Mean age of the patients was 45.65±12.26 years and mean duration of disease was 7.75±7.85 years. Mean DAS28 and CDAI were 5.86±1.24 and 30.07±14.07respectively.There was direct significant correlation between CDAI and DAS28 (r= 0.879, P< 0.001). Also we found good agreement between CDAI and DAS28 (Kappa = 0.795, P < 0.001). CDAI had sensitivity 90%, specificity 92%, Likelihood ratio (LR) 45.67, Area under the curve (AUC) 0.983 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.933-1.000] (P value < 0.001).
Conclusions: CDAI is a valid and reliable measure for assessment of Iraqi patients with active RA in comparison to DAS28.
The paper sheds light on the meanings of colours as a significant medium reflecting the world linguistic image which represents the culture of any country since language is closely related with culture. Language goes hand in hand with people's daily expressions, specifically those cultural ones. Language is a way to store historical and cultural information, and is a means of transferring the experience of a group to outside groups.
The world linguistic image identifies the standards of human behavior in dependence upon the human view of the surrounding world, along with the type of behavior with which the world interacts and to whose challenges and effects it responds. So, multi-cultural people perceive the sam
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... Show MoreIn this paper, split-plate airlift electrochemical reactor as an apparatus with new configuration for wastewater treatment was provided. Two aluminum plates were fixed inside the reactor and present two functions; first it works as split plates for internal loop generation of the airlift system (the zone between the two plates acts as riser while the other two zones act as downcomer) and second it works as two electrodes for electrocoagulation process. Simulated wastewater contaminated with zinc ions was used to test the performance of this apparatus for zinc removal by studying the effect of different experimental variables such as initial concentration of zinc (50-800 ppm), electrical current density (2.67-21.4 mA/cm2), init
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This work was divided into three stages; the 1st stage was delineation of the Al-Abiadh basin borders using a new approach that depends on three-dimensional modeling of the studied region and a drainage network pattern extraction using (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) data, the 2nd was the classification of the Al-Abiadh basin streams according to their shape and widenings, and the 3rd was ex
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