The long term military careers of soldiers who had completed an in-patient alcohol treatment programme in 1983 were examined. Compared to a matched control group, soldiers who had received treatment served for a significantly shorter time post-treatment. Only 40% of the treatment group were discharged from the service on normal grounds. It is suggested that post-treatment career provides a usef...

BACKGROUND The familial Mediterranean fever 50 score (FMF50) score was recently devised to define response to treatment and as an outcome measure for clinical trials of FMF. OBJECTIVES To examine the performance of the FMF50 score in a previously published trial of rilonacept for patients whose FMF was resistant or intolerant to colchicine. METHODS We re-analyzed the data from our controlle...

In combination with randomization, blinding or masking is an important factor in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), particularly in trials that assess therapeutic effects. Here an attempt is made to explain blindness and why it is important. In clinical trials, blinding is defined as the condition imposed on a study in which study participants, health care providers and assessors collecting o...

OBJECTIVE To test whether an ultramolecular dilution of homeopathic Thyroidinum has an effect over placebo on weight reduction of fasting patients in so-called 'fasting crisis'. DESIGN Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, monocentre study. SETTING/LOCATION Hospital for internal and complementary medicine in Munich, Germany. SUBJECTS Two hundred and eight fasting p...

Distal tibia fractures are frequently associated with an extensive soft tissue injury, leading to a higher risk of complications such as skin complications, infection, non-union, and eventually poor overall outcome. This study aims measure the outcome open/closed distal treated minimally invasive internal fixation. We aim propose algorithm for management by evaluating treatment options, outcome...

  Background: Articular cartilage injuries are a common clinical problem at the time of ACL reconstruction with an incidence rate of 16-46%. Good results of ACL reconstruction combined with the treatment of chondral lesions have been published in some studies. Method: After statistical analysis 30 patients were selected and divided in 2 groups. TheFfirst group consisted of 15 patients wite isol...

The usual outcome of pemphigus whitout treatment is death. The introduction of corticosteroids has greatly reduced the mortality of this condition, though a significant morbidity remains. The patients who are receiving high- dose steroids together with other immunosuppressive agents are at risk and may cause death through drug side effects and opportunitic infections. The descriptive study has ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to validate the well-recognized outcome measure instruments (Medical Outcome Study Short Form-SF-36, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index-WOMAC, McMaster Toronto Arthritis Patient Preference Disability Questionnaire-MACTAR) for patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty in Iran, with its cultural and ethnic differences and com...

BACKGROUND Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for spinal surgery in older adults. Previous studies have shown that surgery is effective for severe cases of stenosis, but many patients with mild to moderate symptoms are not surgical candidates. These patients and their providers are seeking effective non-surgical treatment methods to manage their symptoms; yet there is a paucity of...