Sexual function in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Sexuality is an important part of healthy life. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) may be vulnerable to sexual problems because of disease activity and comorbid emotional problems. However, sexuality is a scarcely studied subject in AS. The aim of this study is to compare patients with AS with healthy control. A total of 43 male patients, who referred to the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of the Karadeniz Technical University Farabi Hospital between May 2010 and July 2010, and were diagnosed as AS according to modified New York criteria, were included in the study. Control group consisted of healthy 43 age- and sex-matched male individuals with normal inflammatory levels. The AS patients were compared in means of sociodemographic variables and sexual function with Glombok-Rust Sexual Satisfaction Scale (GRSSS) and clinical interview. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to determine anxiety and depression levels, respectively. The disease activity and functional conditions were evaluated with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDI). A total of 43 patients with AS and 43 healthy heterosexual male were included in the study. The total GRSSS score was significantly higher in patients with AS, whereas they also had significantly higher sexual complaint than healthy control. The diagnosis of sexual dysfunction according to DSM-IV was significantly higher in the patients with AS as well as depression and anxiety. In study group, GRSSS total score was modestly correlated with disease activity. The psychological status had close relation with sexual functions in AS. Overall assessment is required for complete evaluation in patients with AS.

Age-related diseases; degenerative aortic valve disease and osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between degenerative aortic valve disease and osteoarthritis Background: Degenerative aortic valve disease (DAVD) and osteoarthritis (OA) are age-related degenerative diseases whose pathogenesis involves mechanical stress and local inflammation. METHODS: Forty-four patients with DAVD (Group 1) and 21 controls (Group 2) were included in this study, which was intended to investigate the similarity between the two conditions. The two groups were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index, a history of hypertension, cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus and cigarette consumption. RESULTS: The average age + standard deviation of the DAVD patients were 71.3 +/- 7.5, compared to 67.5 +/- 10.6 in the control group. In radiological OA analysis, the Lane scale was employed in the lumbar region and the Kellgren-Lawrence scale in the knee joint. Comparison of Groups 1 and 2 revealed no difference in radiological OA in the lumbar region and knee joint. CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that there is no relationship between these diseases that increased with age. However, extensive studies examining pathogenic mechanisms are needed (Tab. 2, Ref. 11).

Complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with head and neck cancers in Europe.

The aim of the present study was to examine the patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a sample of head and neck cancer patients, forming part of a larger study. A cross-sectional survey design was used collecting data through a descriptive 27-item questionnaire in nine countries in Europe. The participants were 75 patients with head and neck cancers. The prevalence rate of CAM use was 22.7%. The most common therapies used were herbal medicine (47%), medicinal teas (23.5%), use of vitamins/minerals (11.8%) and visualization (11.8%). Use of CAM dramatically increased after the diagnosis with cancer (i.e. eightfold increase in the use of herbs). A profile of CAM users was not evident in this sample. Patients used CAM for a variety of reasons together, with counteracting the ill effects from cancer and its treatment being the most common one. Information about CAM was obtained mostly from friends and family. As one in five head and neck cancer patients use CAM it is important that clinicians explore practices with their patients, improve communication about CAM with them and assist those who want to use CAM in using appropriate and safe therapies.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: a European survey.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cancer patients across a number of European countries. METHODS: A descriptive survey design was developed. Fourteen countries participated in the study and data was collected through a descriptive questionnaire from 956 patients. RESULTS: Data suggest that CAM is popular among cancer patients with 35.9% using some form of CAM (range among countries 14.8% to 73.1%). A heterogeneous group of 58 therapies were identified as being used. Herbal medicines and remedies were the most commonly used CAM therapies, together with homeopathy, vitamins/minerals, medicinal teas, spiritual therapies and relaxation techniques. Herbal medicine use tripled from use before diagnosis to use since diagnosis with cancer. Multivariate analysis suggested that the profile of the CAM user was that of younger people, female and with higher educational level. The source of information was mainly from friends/family and the media, while physicians and nurses played a small part in providing CAM-related information. The majority used CAM to increase the body's ability to fight cancer or improve physical and emotional well-being, and many seemed to have benefited from using CAM (even though the benefits were not necessarily related to the initial reason for using CAM). Some 4.4% of patients, however, reported side-effects, mostly transient. CONCLUSIONS: It is imperative that health professionals explore the use of CAM with their cancer patients, educate them about potentially beneficial therapies in light of the limited available evidence of effectiveness, and work towards an integrated model of health-care provision.

EMLA does not permit pain-free retrobulbar injection.

BACKGROUND: Retrobulbar injection can be associated with significant pain, due to both needle insertion and deposition of the local anaesthetic solution. The local anaesthetic cream EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics) which contains a mixture of lignocaine and prilocaine has been shown to reduce the pain associated with skin puncture. The efficacy of EMLA in alleviating the pain of retrobulbar injection for cataract surgery was assessed in this study. METHODS: In this, randomised double-blind study, EMLA (n = 53) or lignocaine 5% ointment (n = 50) was administered to the inferior orbital margin at least 45 min before retrobulbar block in 103 patients. Pain assessed during retrobulbar block was marked subjectively by the patient on a 10-point numerical rating scale. RESULTS: Median verbal pain scores were 3.0 with an interquartile range of 1.5-6.5 in the control group and 3.50 with an interquartile range of 2.0-6.0 in the EMLA(R) group (P = 0.67). There was no significant difference between the EMLA group and the lignocaine ointment group according to this pain assessment. CONCLUSION: EMLA does not permit pain-free retrobulbar injection.