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AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in preventing the recurrence of acute anterior uveitis (AAU).MethodsThis prospective, open, longitudinal study included patients from June 2002 to March 2005 who had either three or more episodes of AAU in the previous year, or a recurrence of AAU within 3 months before starting the trial. We excluded uveitis of infectious origin, masquerade syndromes, and patients with contraindications to MTX. The response criteria were defined as an absence of symptoms and the presence of a normal ophthalmologic examination. The study outcome compared the number of flare-ups of uveitis over an MTX-treated for 1 year to the number of flare-ups of the same group during the previous year without MTX.ResultsA total of 571 patients with uveitis were evaluated during the period of the study, and 10 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One patient refused the treatment, and nine completed the study. The mean number of recurrences in the pre-MTX year was 3.4 (SD: 0.52), which was significantly reduced to 0.89 (SD: 1.17) in the year of treatment (P=0.011).ConclusionMTX treatment seems to reduce the number of flare-ups in patients with recurrent AAU.Eye (2009) 23, 1130–1133; doi:10.1038/eye.2008.198; published online 8 August 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which examined the clinical associations of findings on abdominal scintigraphy using technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime-labelled leucocytes in patients with spondyloarthropathies. Materials and methods used in the study; Results and discussion.

Introduction: Medical prescriptions have traditionally been focused on aerobic exercise. However, an increasing number of authors are pointing towards strength training as the healthiest exercise modality. The purpose of this study is to assess whether physicians increase their knowledge as well as their confidence to prescribe strength training after attending a physical training course., Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study of 160 physicians was conducted, 80 physicians out of the 160 attended a physical training course, whereas the remaining 80 physicians did not. Personal and professional data was collected, as well as data regarding the type of exercise they were practising or prescribing and the confidence and knowledge for their prescription. Finally, differences between the two groups and the impact of attending the course where analysed., Results: Both groups were homogeneous in gender, age, medical speciality and practice of physical exercise, with very low rates of strength training and prescription for both groups. It was established that the group attending the course acquired knowledge and confidence for prescribing strength training. Moreover, this group considered that strength training was the exercise modality which should be encouraged (P<.001)., Conclusions: Education in strength training for physicians by means of a theoretical-practical course increases knowledge and confidence for its prescription., (Copyright © 2021 Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) is an infectious disease that affects ruminants worldwide and is a burden on the dairy industry. PTB control measures include culling of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-infected animals from the herd and the enhancement of farm-biosecurity measures. Diagnostics tools for the direct detection of MAP are fecal real-time qPCR and bacteriological culture, the last one being considered the gold standard. However, both show limitations for detecting subclinical MAP-infected cattle with low bacterial load in feces and gut tissues. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a third-generation PCR method that shows high reproducibility for the quantification of low DNA copy numbers. The objective of this study was to design a ddPCR assay to detect and quantify a fragment of the F57 MAP-specific sequence in samples of naturally MAP-infected Holstein cattle. DNA was isolated from whole-blood and fecal samples from control cows with a negative ELISA and qPCR result ( N = 75) and from cows with PTB-associated focal ( N = 32), multifocal ( N = 21), and diffuse lesions ( N = 17) in gut tissues. After ddPCR, the DNA extracted from fecal samples of cows with diffuse lesions showed higher mean copies per microliter (13,791.2 copies/μl) than samples from cows with multifocal lesions (78.8 copies/μl), focal lesions (177.1 copies/μl) or control cows (4.8 copies/μl) ( P ≤ 0.05). Significant differences in mean DNA copies/μl were also observed in the blood samples from cows with focal lesions (47.7 copies/μl) when compared with cows with multifocal and diffuse lesions; 18.1 and 12.4 copies/μl, respectively. Using a principal component analysis, the results of the fecal ddPCR clustered together with the results of a commercial ELISA for the specific detection of MAP antibodies, fecal and tissue qPCR, and bacteriological culture results. In contrast, blood ddPCR results clustered together with the results of an ELISA for the detection of a biomarker of subclinical PTB, the ABCA13 transporter. Blood ddPCR was the most sensitive tool (sensitivity 71%, specificity 100%) of all the quantitative methods used in the study for the detection of subclinical cows with focal lesions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Badia-Bringué, Canive, Casais, Blanco-Vázquez, Amado, Iglesias, González, Bascones, Juste and Alonso-Hearn.)

Objective: Post-COVID syndrome can impact against every sphere of daily live. The objective of this work was to detect the factors correlated with a better or worse physical recovery four months after hospital discharge from a hospitalization in ICU due to COVID-19., Methods: Prospective descriptive study of 125 patients valued by the Rehabilitation Service during hospitalization in ICU, from March 12 th to December 31 st , 2020. Data from 76 patients was analysed with clinical follow up after 1, 2 and 4 months of hospital discharge. Variables on personal, hospitalary, functional symptoms/signals and physical recovery were analysed with mean ± standard deviation, counting (percentage), T-student test and Fisher test., Results: After one month, fatigue was observed in 60 (80%) patients and dyspnoea in 47 (62%). After two months, fatigue in 37 (55%), dyspnoea in 25 (33%), shoulder pain in 33 (43%), average QuickDASH was 22.7 (11.3-50), Sit-to-Stand Test in 30 seconds 11.5 (10-13) and 6-minute walk test 390 meters (326-445). In the fourth month, 25 (53%) had returned to work and had an average of the physical recovery of 79.1%±18.3%. There was no correlation between physical recovery ≥75% and the first month data, but there certainly was a correlation between some second month variables, such as fatigue (p=0.001), dyspnoea (p=0.035), QuickDASH (p=0.001) and 6-minute walk test (p=0.021)., Conclusions: Symptoms (fatigue and dyspnoea) and functional scales (QuickDASH and 6-minute walk test) after 2 months predict a better/worsen physical recovery after 4 months of hospital discharge., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse both the impact of the pandemic and clinical and teaching organisation in Spanish Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departments during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A survey was conducted of the tutors of rehabilitation departments. The questionnaire contained 31 questions divided into 6 parts about the following: general information on the department, adaptation of rehabilitation departments to the COVID pandemic, clinical work of rehabilitation physicians, the approach to rehabilitation in COVID patients, and the effects of the pandemic on the health and teaching activity of rehabilitation physicians during this period., Results: A total of 54 responses were obtained. Almost half of the departments cancelled face-to-face medical consultations (40%) and 48% of the treatment rooms were turned into COVID beds. In 30 hospitals (55.6%), the physicians worked in COVID units. Most of the rehabilitation departments developed both graphic and audiovisual material with exercises, referral protocols and guidelines for the rehabilitation management and treatment of COVID 19 patients. Half of the departments reported some anxiety symptoms in medical staff. Tutorial work has been cancelled (40.7%) or reduced (35.2%)., Conclusions: The organisation of Spanish rehabilitation departments in response to the COVID pandemic has been very similar throughout the country. The response of these departments to the healthcare crisis has revealed the versatility of rehabilitation physicians., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Neuropathic pain impairs quality of life in affected individuals and poses a challenge to clinicians due to the complexity of its treatment and frequent therapeutic failures. We present 4clinical cases of chronic neuropathic pain (LANSS ≥ 19), refractory to conservative treatment (meralgia paraesthetica, post-surgical pain and 2surgical scars). Subcutaneous botulinum toxin type A was infiltrated periodically over the painful area. All patients experienced subjective improvement in pain and improvement measured by the visual analogic scale. Pain relief started at 5-21 days and continued up to 1.5-3 months, and up to 9 months in one patient. Pain that reappeared was of lower intensity in 3patients and was reduced in area in 2patients., (Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)