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Background: Scapular dyskinesis (SD) is defined as an altered position of the scapula or altered motion patterns and their relationship with shoulder pain (SP) is still under debate. The modified scapular assistance test (mSAT) modifies scapular kinematics and is used to determine the impact of scapular dyskinesis in shoulder pain. However, data about the relationship between SD and the result of mSAT is scarce., Purpose: The aim of this study is to establish the frequency of positive mSAT in patients with SP and compare the prevalence in those with and without SD. As a secondary objective, we compare changes in pain intensity during the mSAT in patients with a positive test between those with and without SD., Study Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: Adult patients with a diagnosis of SP and with pain ≥2 during anterior flexion were included. The mSAT, scapular dyskinesis test (SDT), and shoulder function were assessed., Results: The study was conducted between August 2018 and May 2022 and included 70 patients. The prevalence of SDT was 54.29%. No statistically significant associations were detected when assessing the relation between the presence of mSAT and SDT (p-value 0.83). When comparing pain response during the mSAT in patients with a positive test, no differences were seen between patients with SD and patients without SD (p-value 0.26)., Conclusions: The prevalence of positive mSAT results was equal between individuals with and without SD. These findings suggest that the presence or absence of SD in individuals with SP was independent of the mSAT result. The mSAT should not be used solely for the assessment of SD in clinical practice nor be influenced by the SDT result. More research is needed to determine if the result of this test could inform prognosis and guide treatment choices., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent, very disabling and carries an enormous economic burden. The multifactorial nature of LBP often does not allow identification of a single pathoanatomic driver of pain. Unhelpful beliefs are associated with elevated levels of pain and may have a negative impact on the recovery of an episode of LBP. Beliefs about the back and back pain have not been evaluated in the Argentine general population., Objective: to assess the beliefs about the back and back pain of the Argentine population. The secondary objective was to compare the beliefs between respondents with and without LBP and between those who had and had not seen a health care professional (HCP)., Study Design: cross-sectional study., Method: we included Argentinians aged 18 years or more with or without LBP. The Argentine version of Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) was used to assess back beliefs., Results: one thousand and ninety-two participants responded the survey. Current LBP was reported by 42.3% (95% CI 39.3-45.2) of respondents and the life-time prevalence was 88.4% (95% CI 82.6-94.5). The mean Back-PAQ score was 111.7 (95% CI 111-112.5). Significant differences were found when comparing means scores of the current pain group with past and never LBP groups (p < 0.001). There were no difference in mean scores between respondents who were and were not exposed to a HCP., Conclusion: Survey respondents sampled from the Argentine population had in general negative beliefs about back pain. Respondents with current pain had more unhelpful beliefs than pain free respondents in relation to the prognosis and recovery of an episode of LBP. Small differences were found in the beliefs of respondents who had received care for LBP from a HCP and those who did not seek care., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal injuries in the general population and athletes. Dynamic postural control deficits and somatosensory alterations are common signs after an episode of LAS. It is important to detect these deficits to prevent a recurrent sprain and the development of chronic ankle instability. The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is a tool used to assess dynamic postural control in patients with LAS. SEBT test-retest reliability has been evaluated in several populations. However, no data on patients with LAS are available and we do not know the minimal detectable change (MDC). The primary objective of our study was to obtain the MDC for normalized reach distances of the eight SEBT directions in patients with LAS. The secondary objective was to determine test-retest reliability., Methods: Cross-sectional study. Thirty-one patients (between 18 and 40 years old) diagnosed with a Grade I or II LAS. Participants were evaluated by two raters at two time-points separated by an interval of 24-72 hrs. In each assessment, four practice trials were allowed, then three test trials were performed in a randomized order. Normalized reaching distances were analyzed., Results: From the initial 31 patients, two were eliminated, so 29 patients were considered for the final analysis. The MDC values obtained were 6.73-13.36%, and the medial and posteromedial directions showed the lowest and highest values, respectively. A statistically significant increase was found in lateral direction between T0 and T1. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.93., Conclusion: The SEBT is an accurate and reliable tool to assess dynamic postural control in patients with LAS., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability at a global scale. The development and chronicity of LBP are influenced by multiple factors, and among them is catastrophizing. We are unaware of the impact that catastrophizing may have on pain and disability in our population. We also lack the tools that allow us to determine in which cases catastrophizing should be assessed. The primary objective is to compare the disability and pain intensity values at baseline in low back pain patients with high and low catastrophizing. The secondary objectives are to analyse the correlation between variables and determine disability variance, and develop a prediction model to identify patients with high catastrophizing., Method: This is a retrospective study. We included the baseline data of patients with LBP. A PCS score ≥ 23 was classified as "high catastrophizing.", Results: A total 121 medical sheets were analysed. Patients with high catastrophizing showed greater disability, with no differences in pain intensity. The PCS value explained 20% of the variance of disability, and pain was 1%. A cut-off point of 11 in the RMQ allowed us to identify patients with high and low catastrophizing, with an accuracy of 76.67%., Conclusion: LBP patients with high catastrophizing reported greater disability than those with low catastrophizing, with no differences as to pain intensity. The PCS was the most relevant variable to explain variability in the RMQ. The RMQ allowed us to identify patients with high and low catastrophizing., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background/aims: A novel medical device based on hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulphate plus aluminum hydroxide (GERDOFF®, melt-in-mouth tablets) showed efficacy in reducing GER-related symptoms. This exploratory, open-label study evaluated symptomatic effects of a 14-day treatment with GERDOFF® in GERD patients., Materials and Methods: GERD Impact Scale (GIS) questionnaire was filled at baseline visit, after 7 and 14 days of treatment; patients' Global Satisfaction was evaluated at the final visit. Primary endpoint was the reduction of heartburn episodes per week; secondary endpoints were GERD-related symptoms, patients' satisfaction, and safety., Results: Forty patients were included, 22 were on stable therapy with proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Compared to baseline, the days with heartburn episodes and the GIS score progressively decreased during the first (p<0.0001) and the second week of treatment (p<0.0001). Heartburn episodes per week (p<0.0001) and the GIS score (p<0.0001) decreased in the first and the last 7 days of 14-day treatment and did not differ between patients on and off PPI. The treatment was safe and well-tolerated, and it was rated as very good (46.2%) or good (43.6%) on the satisfaction questionnaire., Conclusion: GERDOFF® could effectively treat GER symptoms in patients not responding to PPI or alginate-based formulation. ISRCTN&#95;15143752.

Background: American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons questionnaire (ASES-p) has been translated into Spanish, but it has not been adapted to the Argentine population yet. Although Spain and Argentina speak the same language, linguistic differences between Spanish-speaking countries may affect the interpretation of the different items included in the questionnaire., Objective: To conduct the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the self-report section of the ASES-p into Argentine Spanish for patients with musculoskeletal shoulder disorders, and to assess its psychometric properties., Design: Study of diagnostic accuracy/assessment scale., Method: The study was carried out in three consecutive phases: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation for its use in Argentina. In the third phase, we used the ASES-p, Short Form 36 (SF-36), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaires, and the Global Rating of Change (GROC) scale., Results: One hundred three participants completed a set of questionnaires on two occasions and were included in the final analysis. The time taken to answer and score the questionnaire was 118 and 52 s, respectively. Neither a ceiling nor a floor effect was observed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.85. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.83. A significant correlation was found between the DASH, the GROC and various SF-36 subscales. There were strong indices of concurrent-cross validation, longitudinal validity, and construct validity. The ASES-p questionnaire showed a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) value of 7.88 points., Conclusion: Some psychometric properties in reliability and validity were acceptable in the Argentine version of the ASES-p questionnaire., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mean age of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients has been progressively increasing over the last decades and ageing of these patients is becoming a real challenge in every day clinical practice. Unfortunately, international guidelines on HCC management do not address this problem exhaustively and do not provide any specific recommendation. We carried out a literature search in MEDLINE database for studies reporting on epidemiology, clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of HCC in elderly patients. Available data seem to indicate that in elderly patients the outcome of HCC is mostly influenced by liver function and tumor stage rather than by age and the latter should not influence treatment allocation. Age is not a risk for resection and older patients with resectable HCC and good liver function could gain benefit from surgery. Mild comorbidities do not seem a contraindication for surgery in aged patients. Conversely, major resection in elderly, even when performed in experienced high-volume centres, should be avoided. Both percutaneous ablation and transarterial chemoembolization are not contraindicated in aged patients and safety profile of these procedures is acceptable. Sorafenib is a viable option for advanced HCC in elderly provided that a careful evaluation of concomitant comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular ones, is taken into account. Available data seem to suggest that in either elderly and younger, treatment is a main predictor of outcome. Consequently, a nihilistic attitude of physicians towards under- or no-treatment of aged patients should not be longer justified.