Objectives: To investigate health anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: Patients with FMS and healthy control subjects were recruited. All participants completed the Health Anxiety Inventory Short Form (HAI-SF) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Pain was assessed in patients with FMS using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: This study involved 95 patients with FMS (15 male) and 95 healthy controls (17 male). Mean AE SD HAI-SF and BDI scores were significantly higher in patients with FMS ¼ than in controls¼. HAI-SF scores were 23.50 AE 10.78 and 9.38 AE 4.24 respectively; BDI scores were 18.64 AE 10.11 and 6.21 AE 4.05 respectively. There were highly significant correlations between FIQ and HAI-SF, FIQ and BDI, and HAI-SF and BDI. Conclusions: Patients with FMS had significantly higher HAI-SF and BDI scores than healthy controls. Psychiatric support is essential for patients with FMS. Treatment should include biological, psychological and social approaches.

[Purpose] To compare outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction after open kinetic chain (OKC) exercises and closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects comprised 11 female and 47 male patients who are randomly divided into two groups: which performed a CKC exercise program Group I and Group II which performed an OKC exercise program. Pain intensity was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS). Knee flexion was evaluated using a universal goniometer, and thigh circumference measurements were taken with a tape measure at baseline and at 3 months and 6 months after the treatment. Lysholm scores were used to assess knee function. [Results] There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline. Within each group, VAS values and knee flexion were improved after the surgery. These improvements were significantly higher in the CKC group than in the OKC group. There were increases in thigh circumference difference at the 3 and 6 month assessments post-surgery. A greater improvement in the Lysholm score was observed in the CKC group at 6 months. [Conclusion] The CKC exercise program was more effective than OKC in improving the knee functions of patients with ACL reconstruction.

[Purpose] This study compared the effectiveness of home exercise alone versus home exercise combined with ultrasound for patients with temporomandibular joint disorders. [Subjects and Methods] This study enrolled 23 female and 15 male patients who were divided randomly into two groups. The home exercise group performed a home exercise program consisting of an exercise program and patient education, and the home exercise combined with ultrasound group received ultrasound therapy in addition to the home exercise program. Pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Pain free maximum mouth opening was evaluated at baseline and 2 weeks after the treatment. [Results] There was no difference between the two groups in baseline values. After the treatment, the visual analogue scale decreased and pain free maximum mouth opening scores improved significantly in each group. Additionally, both values were higher in the home exercise combined with ultrasound group than in the home exercise group. [Conclusion] The combination of home exercise combined with ultrasound appears to be more effective at providing pain relief and increasing mouth opening than does home exercise alone for patients with temporomandibular joint disorders.

The present findings demonstrated that CTS may be triggered by vitamin D deficiency, and that the severity of CTS was correlated with vitamin D levels in the deficiency group. Additionally, there was a correlation between weight gain and neuropathic pain intensity in CTS patients with vitamin D deficiency. The present findings indicate that vitamin D levels should be assessed in CTS patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine the best predictive radiographic measurement method to identify the presence of osteoporosis and test the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability and validity of these methods in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: Ninety-two elderly female patients who presented with hip pain were included. Hip radiographs were used to determine the values of Singh index (SI), canal-to-calcar ratio (CCR), and cortical thickness index (CTI). All measurements were performed by two independent observers on two separate occasions, at least 4 weeks apart. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by DEXA. In the first part of the analysis, reliability of the all measurement methods was tested. In the second part, correlation coefficient (Pearson r) was used to determine the relationship between the measurement methods and BMD. Finally ROC curve analysis was performed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and threshold values for each radiographic measurement method. Results: Intra-observer reliability analysis of SI revealed kappa coefficient of 0.359 for observer A, and 0.224 for observer B. Inter-observer reliability analysis of SI revealed kappa coefficient of 0.070 for observer A and 0.051 for observer B. The intra-observer and inter-observer reliability was good and excellent for CTI and CCR for both observers (ICC: 0.920 and ICC: 0.936). There was no correlation between SI and BMD (p=0.818). On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between CTI and CCR and BMD (p=0.001). All measured indices were significantly different (p<0.05) between osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic patients. CTI value less than 0.3 or CCR value less than 0.47 reflects the presence of osteoporosis with 100% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Conclusion: SI is not reliable and do not correlate with BMD. However, both CTI and CCR showed good and excellent reliability, and each index correlated well with the real BMD values.