The prevalence of OSAS in AS patients is higher than reported in the general population. The diagnosis of OSAS should be kept in mind and OSAS symptoms should be considered especially in AS patients at the age of >or=35 years and in AS patients with a disease duration of >or=5 years.

The Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale (KOS-ADLS), originally developed in English, is a valid and reliable self-reported instrument used for patients with various painful knee conditions. We adapted the KOS-ADLS to Turkish and tested its reliability and validity. We enrolled 142 patients with knee pain in the study. The patients were randomized into two groups: Group 1 (n = 75) completed the questionnaire twice a week for assessing test-retest reliability and Group 2 (n = 67) answered the questionnaire and performed additional tests for assessing validity. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.98 to 0.99 with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, 0.89). Validity-related tests included pain measurement with a visual analog scale and functional tests, including time measurements for the getup-and-go and ascending/descending stairs tests. The visual analog scale score correlated with total score (r = 0.56), function total score (r = 0.53), and symptom total score (r = 0.45). The ascending/descending stairs test correlated with total score (r = 0.47), function total score (r = 0.49), and symptom total score (r = 0.31). The getup-and-go test weakly correlated with all three scores. The Turkish version of the KOS-ADLS is reliable and valid in evaluating the functional limitations of patients with knee pain.

The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and density of Demodex folliculorum in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Forty-one patients with RA and twenty-seven age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Disease Activity Score (DAS 28) was used for the assessment of disease activity. Out of 41 patients, 33 were females and 8 males. The mean disease duration was 10.9 ± 8.2 years. The mean DAS 28 was 3.8 ± 1.2. No statistically significant differences in the incidence and density of Demodex mites were found between patients with RA and controls. Although immunosuppression is thought to be a risk factor for the D. folliculorum infestation no such correlations could be found in the 41 immunosuppressed patients with RA, therefore, further studies with larger groups are needed.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of spa therapy on pain and the quality of life in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Patients and methods:Seventy patients who applied to our outpatient clinic with chronic mechanical neck pain lasting for 12 weeks were included in the study. Patients were randomized either to spa therapy group (7 males, 28 females; mean age 43.08±9.76 years; range 26 to 66 years) or to exercise therapy group (5 males, 30 females; 46.45±9.65 years; range 27 to 65 years). Spa therapy group received a total of 15 sessions of thermal water, mud therapy, and classic massage to cervical region. Both exercise and spa therapy groups performed home exercise program once a day for 15 days. All the patients were evaluated before treatment, at the first week and at the third month after treatment, a total of three times. In each control; visual analog scale, global assessment of the patient (Patient's Global Assessment and Physician's Global Assessment), Neck Pain Disability Scale, and Nottingham Health Profile were assessed. Results: When the measurements at first week were compared to baseline, significant improvements were observed in all the parameters in both groups. However, the decreases in visual analog scale and Neck Pain Disability Scale at the first week after treatment were more significant in spa therapy group compared to exercise therapy group. We observed no statistically significant difference in all the parameters between two groups when the measurements at the third month were compared to baseline. Conclusion:The combination of spa therapy with exercise therapy is superior to exercise therapy alone in decreasing pain and improving functional capacity in the early period after treatment.