In a Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) project, evidence-based recommendations for the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) was developed for the first time in our country in 2012 (TLAR-2012). In accordance with developing medical knowledge and scientific evidence, recommendations were updated. The committee was composed of 22 physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists (4 have rheumatology subspeciality also) and an orthopaedic surgeon. Systematic literature search were applied on Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane and Turkish Medical Index for the dates between January the 1st 2012 and January the 29th of 2015. The articles were assessed for quality and classified according to hierarchy for the level of evidence, and the selected ones sent to committee members electronically. They were asked to develop new recommendations. In the meeting in 2015, the format of the recommendations was decided to be patient-based and considering the grade and the severity of the disease. By the discussion of the each item under the light of new evidences, the final recommendations were developed. Each item was voted electronically on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and the strength of recommendation (SoR) was calculated. In the light of evidences, totally 11 titles of recommendations were developed; the first 7 were applicable to each patient in every stages of the disease, remaining were for defined specific clinical situations. The mean SoR value of the recommendations was between 7.44 and 9.93. TLAR-2012 recommendations were updated in a new format. We think that, present recommendations will be beneficial for the physicians who manage, as well as the patients who suffer from the disease.

The Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire is a disease-specific measure of needs-based quality of life developed in the UK and the Netherlands. This study describes translation, validation, and reliability of the scale into Turkish population. The ASQoL was translated into Turkish using the dual-panel process. Content validity was assessed via cognitive debriefing interviews with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Patients with AS according to modified New York criteria were recruited into the study from 12 hospitals of all part of Turkey. Psychometric and scaling properties were assessed via a two administration survey involving the ASQoL, the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Classical psychometrics assessed reliability, convergent validity (correlation of ASQoL with NHP, BASFI, and BASDAI) and discriminative validity (correlation of ASQoL with perceived AS-severity and general health). Cognitive debriefing showed the new Turkish ASQoL to be clear, relevant, and comprehensive. Completed survey questionnaires were received from 277 AS patients (80% Male, mean age 42.2/SD 11.6, mean AS duration 9.4 years/SD 9.4). Test-retest reliability was excellent (0.96), indicating low random measurement error for the scale. Correlations of ASQoL with NHP sections were low to moderate (NHP Sleep 0.34; NHP Emotional Reactions 0.83) suggesting the measures assess related but distinct constructs. The measure was able to discriminate between patients based on their perceived disease severity (p < 0.0001) and self-reported general health (p < 0.0001). The Turkish version of ASQoL has good reliability and validity properties. It is practical and useful scale to assess the quality of life in AS patients in Turkish population.

The etiology and pathogenic mechanisms of fibromyalgia (FM) are unknown. A number of studies have suggested that there was a link between hypermobility and FM. In this study, we aimed to expose the frequency of hypermobility in FM patients and its relation with clinical findings. For this reason, 236 women (118 FM women as study group and 118 healthy women as control group) were enrolled in the study. Joint hypermobility was evaluated in the participants by using Beighton scoring system. The rate of joint hypermobility among FM patients (Beighton score of at least 4 or more) was found to be higher than the control group (46.6 vs 28.8%). This result was also statistically meaningful (p<0.05). In addition, the mean Beighton score of FM group was observed to be higher than the control (3.68 vs 2.55, p<0.001). Although not reaching statistical difference (p>0.05), more severe clinical findings were observed in FM patients with hypermobility when compared with ones without.

Patellar malalignment is the most important reason for anterior knee pain. Patellar alignment is commonly determined by the measurement of the quadriceps (Q) angle. In this study, our primary aim was to investigate the Q angle difference between healthy individuals with and without joint hypermobility. The other objectives were to compare the Q angle values, which were measured in supine and upright positions, to determine hypermobility frequency among healthy males in a certain population, and to investigate the correlation between the existent skeletal deformities and Beighton score levels. Two hundred fifty-three healthy male college students were examined for hypermobility and skeletal deformities. According to the Beighton scoring system, three groups (n=20) were formed, and Q angle measurements were performed on the 60 individuals in both supine and upright positions. In the comparison of the groups, the mean Q angle values in healthy hypermobile individuals were found to be significantly higher than that of the nonhypermobile ones (p<0.05). No statistical difference was found between Q angle values in supine and upright positions (p>0.05). The frequency of joint hypermobility (Beighton score 4 or more) was found to be 29.25% in this population. No correlation was determined between existent skeletal deformities and Beighton score values (p>0.05). In conclusion, the Q angle evaluation among healthy hypermobile individuals may have a prognostic value for probable knee pathologies that may appear in the future.

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This study showed generalized joint hypermobility and knee hypermobility may be associated with knee OA. According to the results of this study, we can suggest that generalized joint hypermobility and also knee hypermobility may increase the risk of knee OA. According to this study, it should be considered that knee OA will develop in individuals who have generalized joint hypermobility and these individuals should be educated from this point before OA it occurs.

We found that vitamin D deficiency was asssociated with increased NP in patients with RA. Although further research is needed to clarify the association between serum vitamin D levels and NP, our study raises awareness of the need to screen for vitamin D deficiency in RA patients with NP.

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