Background/aim: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of Turkish version of the Xerostomia Inventory XI in patients with primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS). Materials and methods:A cross-sectional survey study design and analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the Xerostomia Inventory XI. A total of 69 patients with pSS (5 males, 64 females; mean age=54.81±8.77 years) were included. The Xerostomia Inventory XI (TR) was applied twice at an interval of 15 days. The test-retest reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and the internal consistency of multi-item subscales by calculating Cronbach alpha values. The correlations between ESSPRI, basal and stimulated salivary flow (BSF-SSF), Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life-UK (OHRQoL-UK) Questionnaire were evaluated to determine the construct validity. Results:The ICC value for test/retest reliability of the Xerostomia Inventory XI (TR) was 0.993. The internal consistency was 0.869. There were low to high correlations between Xerostomia Inventory XI (TR) and ESSPRI, BSF, SSF, OHIR-14 total and OHRQoL-UK total. Conclusion:The Turkish version of the Xerostomia Inventory XI was found to be clinically valid and reliable to be used in clinical evaluations and rehabilitation interventions in patients with pSS.

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Aim This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Problems (DASH‐TR) questionnaire in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using the Rasch analysis. Method A total 97 individuals (13 men, 84 women; mean age:51.99 ± 11.12 years, range: 20‐65 years) diagnosed as having RA according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology were included. The functional status of the upper extremities was evaluated with the DASH‐TR questionnaire, patient global health with a visual analog scale (VAS), disease activity with Disease Activity Score 28‐C‐reactive protein (DAS28‐CRP), and disability with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). DASH‐TR was applied to the patients with RA who did not receive any treatment for test‐retest at 1‐week intervals. DASH‐TR results were analyzed using the Rasch analysis. Results In the sample of patients with RA, it was determined that the DASH‐TR scale did not provide a unidimensional structure and the items were collected in two dimensions. The first 20 items and the last nine items were differentiated in the two‐dimensional structure, and the factor load of m21 was low. Person separation index was obtained as 0.948. Internal consistency reliability was quite high. A significant positive correlation was found between the DASH‐TR and VAS, DAS28 and HAQ. There was excellent test‐retest reliability according to the intra‐class correlation coefficient (0.921, 95% CI 0.882‐0.947; P < 0.001). Conclusion The DASH‐TR is a reliable and valid questionnaire and can be used for measurement of functional status of the upper extremities in RA.

BackgroundFibromiyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, sleep disorders, fatigue and reduced quality of life. Exercise is commonly recommended in the approach of people with FM. Researches support some forms of exercises reduce fibromyalgia symptoms and improve quality of life. Pilates recently has become popular form of exercise which focused core strenghening, posture and coordination of breathing with movement. Studies showed that clinical pilates can be used to provide improvements in patients with FM. However there is no study which compared clinical pilates-based supervised exercises and group exercises on FM patients in literature.ObjectivesThe first aim of the study was to investigate the effects of clinical pilates training, secondly to compare the effects of supervised exercises and group exercises training on disease activity, functional status, anxiety, quality of life and biopsychosocial status in individuals with FM.Methods42 voluntary women diagnosed with FM according to 2010 American College of Rheumatology Criteria in the age range of 35-65, who applied to Pamukkale University Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Rheumatology were included in the study. Individuals were randomly divided into two groups, as there would be supervised exercises (Group I, n=16, mean age 55,93±8,03) and group exercises (Group II, n=26, mean age 47,80±5,87). All participants attended 60-min exercises sessions (10-min warm up, 40-min clinical pilates exercises, 10-min cool down) per day, 2 times a week, for 6 weeks. The training was applied by same physiotherapist who received clinical pilates certificate by an experienced Pilates instructor and physiotherapist. After the demographic characteristics and disease related data of the individuals were recorded; disease activity were assessed with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), functional status with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), anxiety with Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), quality of life with Short Form 36 (SF-36) scale and biopsychosocial status with the Cognitive Exercise Therapy Approach Scale (BETY). All outcomes were assessed just before and 6 weeks after training. The data were statistically evaluated by the Wilcoxon test and Mann-Whitney Test.ResultsThere were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the Group I and Group II (p>0.05). After 6 weeks, showed for both groups a statistically significant improvement in FIQ,SF-36 (physical and mental component) and BETY also Group II showed a statistically significant improvement in HAQ and BAI (p<0.05). When both group were compared, a significant difference was observed in FIQ (p<0.05) in Group II, whereas no statiscal differences were found in other outcomes (p>0.05)ConclusionThis study showed that clinical pilates training which were applied 6 weeks, resulted in improvement on disease activity, functional status, anxiety, quality of life and biopsychosocial status in individuals with FM. Besides group exercises training provides social inte...

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