Varicella Zoster and Cutaneous Candida Infection in a Patient With Ankylosing Spondylitis Under Treatment With Secukinumab

The effect of electronic moxibustion combined with rehabilitation nursing on the lumbar pain and stiffness of ankylosing spondylitis patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of electronic moxibustion combined with rehabilitation nursing on the lumbar pain and stiffness of ankylosing spondylitis patients.

METHODS

Ninety-four ankylosing spondylitis patients were recruited as the study cohort and randomly assigned into a control group, which underwent rehabilitation nursing, and a research group, which underwent electronic moxibustion combined with rehabilitation nursing. The clinical effects in the two groups were compared, and the occipital-wall distances, finger-floor distances, spine mobility, morning stiffness durations, overall morning stiffness levels, lower back pain, motor performance of the upper and lower limbs, and the quality of life were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

The effective rate in the research group was significantly higher than it was in the control group (91.49% vs. 74.47%, P < 0.001). The research group patients had significantly greater occipital-wall distances, better spine mobility and shorter finger-floor distances than the control group after the intervention (all P < 0.05). The research group patients also showed significantly shorter morning stiffness durations, lower overall morning stiffness levels, and the lower visual analogue scale (VAS) lower back scores than the control group (all P < 0.05). The motor performance of the upper and lower limbs in the research group was significantly better than it was in the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). The research group had significantly higher quality of life scores than the control group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Electronic moxibustion combined with rehabilitation nursing in ankylosing spondylitis patients shows significant advantages compared with rehabilitation nursing alone. The combination, which can improve the quality of life, and the motor performance of the upper and lower limbs, and relieve patients' lumbar pain and stiffness, is worthy of further promotion and application.

Altered expression of apoptosis-related, circulating cell-free miRNAs in children with familial Mediterranean fever: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most common hereditary autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent fever and serositis episodes. Identification of low penetrant or heterozygous MEFV mutations in clinically diagnosed FMF patients did raise a concern on whether epigenetic or environmental factors play an additional role in FMF pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate the expression profile of apoptosis-related miRNAs in FMF and their influence on clinical manifestations in the present study.

METHOD

191 pediatric FMF patients and 31 healthy children included in the study. Expressions of 33 apoptosis-related, circulating cell-free miRNAs were evaluated by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction, statistically calculated within ΔΔCt values and fold changes were evaluated by Welch T test, in which p < 0.05 were considered to be significant.

RESULTS

Nineteen miRNAs, including let-7a-5p, let-7c, let-7 g-5p, miR-15b-5p, miR-16-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-24-3p, miR-25-3p, miR-26a-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-27a-3p, miR-29c-3p, miR-30a-5p, miR-30d-5p, miR-30e-5p, miR-106b-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-195-5p, were found down-regulated; miR-15a-5p, miR-29b-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-181c-5p, miR-214-3p, and miR-365a-3p were up-regulated in FMF patients. In detail, these miRNAs were similar among FMF patients in terms of genotype, colchicine response, and having an inflammatory attack during analysis.

CONCLUSION

We found that 26 apoptosis-related circulating miRNAs were deregulated in children with FMF. Thus, we speculate that these miRNAs have a role in FMF pathogenesis via apoptotic mechanisms.