). Tests using more “”functional activities” have therefore been recommended as alternative “”objective” outcome measures. We examined the

relationship between a battery of such tests and self-reported activity limitations, before and in response to physiotherapy, and the influence of psychological factors on the relationship.

Methods 37 patients with cLBP took part (45 +/- 12 years; 23 female, 14 male); 32 completed 9 weeks’ physiotherapy. Before and after therapy, the patients completed the Roland Morris (RM) disability questionnaire and questionnaires to assess fear avoidance beliefs, catastrophising and psychological disturbance. They also performed eight simple functional tests (stair climb, prolonged flexion, stand to floor, lift test, sock test, roll-up test, pick-up test, fingertip-to-floor test).

Results Baseline RM scores were significantly FK866 mouse (p < 0.05) correlated with all but one of the functional test scores (ranging from r = -0.34 (half-flexion) to 0.56 (pick-up test), and with a functional test index score for all tests together (r = 0.60, p < 0.0001). The correlation between the change-scores (after

treatment) for RM and for the functional test index was 0.55 (p = 0.001). Psychological factors explained 7-23 % variance in RM scores (baseline, Ilomastat research buy post-therapy, and change scores), beyond that which was explained by the functional tests. Effect sizes for patients with a self-rated “”good global outcome” were 1.23 for RM and 0.75 for the functional test index; for those with a “”poor outcome”, they were -0.08 and 0.23, respectively.

Conclusion Moderately high correlations (for both absolute and change scores) were observed between the subjective and observed measures of activity limitation. This indicates that to some extent they are assessing the same underlying construct, but it also suggests that each is Ispinesib clinical trial delivering a certain amount of unique information. Psychological factors explained

some of the discrepancy between the two types of measure. Both were responsive to therapy, and their change scores reflected well the patients’ global outcome ratings. The two methods of assessing activity limitations should serve to complement one another in the assessment of treatment outcome.”
“Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), is endemic in parts of the sub-Saharan, and KS has increased concomitantly with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In Mozambique (MZ), no data concerning HHV-8 infection was available, thus the main of this work was to investigate, for the first time, the presence of HHV-8 infection in Maputo, MZ. Latent and lytic HHV-8-specific antibodies were assessed in blood samples from 189 individuals from the Central Hospital of Maputo, MZ, using “”in-house”" immunofluorescence assays conducted in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The results obtained were analyzed according to socio-demographic and clinical variables using the Chi-square test and logistic regression.