consensus statement on preliminary classification criteria for definite antiphospholipid syndrome: report of an international workshop. Arthritis Rheum 1999;42:1309–11. 2. Sanna G, Bertolaccini ML, Cuadrado MJ, Khamashta MA, Hughes GR. Central nervous system involvement in the antiphospholipid (Hughes) syndrome. Rheumatology 2003;42:200–13. 3. Brey RL, Abbott RD, Curb JD et al. Beta 2-glycoprot...

Twelve clinical trials have documented that prednisone or prednisolone in doses of 10 mg/day or less is efficacious to improve function, maintain status and/or slow radiographic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). An early trial reported by de Andrade et al. [Ann Rheum Dis 1964; 23: 158–162] in 1964 indicated that 5 mg of prednisolone at night was preferred to 5 mg of predni...

Metastatic tumors in ribs are fairly common and if the primary neoplasm is recognized the diagnosis of metastasis is usually not difficult and can be confirmed by aspiration biopsy. Primary tumors in ribs, on the other hand, are much less common and frequently no definite diagnosis can be made until the neoplasm is resected and submitted to a competent pathologist. In reviewing the available li...

“General pronouncements on the significance of the plant acids are at present probably of little value. . . The true significance of the acid metabolism of plants may perhaps lie close to Kostytchev’s later point of view that these acids are the building stones from which some of the complex plant products originate. . . The plant acids are possibly convertible into amino acids and proteins, co...

A combined numerical and experimental study is conducted to test the heat transfer enhancement friction factor characteristics for a rectangular duct fitted with three cases of ribs turbulators: continuous ribs, intermittent-continuous-intermittent intermittent ribs. Experiments are within turbulent flow Reynolds numbers values varied from 10000 35000, pitch ratio equal 5 height 0.33. The carri...

A good understanding of thoracic biomechanics is important for complete examination and control of chest behaviour under conditions of physiological and pathological work, and under the impact of external forces leading to traumatic loading of the chest. The purpose of the study was to analyse the mechanical properties of human ribs obtained from individuals under the age of 25 with scoliosis d...

Costal movement was defined on living subjects by determining the spatial vectors along the ribs that are produced during inspiration. The determination of these vectors was achieved with an instrument specially designed for this purpose. Rib movement was studied on 61 ribs in 10 normal subjects and on 35 ribs in six patients suffering from kyphoscoliosis and ankylosing spondylitis. In normal s...