Gender and environmental factors are known to influence the clinical heterogeneity and outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Some variables have been suggested to be associated with the severity of the disease, which can be of great value in the correct management of RA patients. The purpose of this study was ...

Determine the prevalence of anti-CCP isotype IgA and its relation to peripheral arthritis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In a population-based cohort of 654 patients with a definitive diagnosis of IBD, 521 patients were clinically examined by a rheumatologist 6 years after IBD diagnosis Blood serum samples of 416 ...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects mainly synovial joints and has an impact on approximately 1% of the Western population. The coagulation process is altered in this condition, and this is frequently complicated by thrombocytosis. Changes in fibrin morphology have been linked with inflammation, and this, in ...

Some patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) experience spontaneous remission; however, one-third of patients progress to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the final process of the disease. This study evaluated clinical variables in order to find a prediction model that could predict the development of RA in patients with UA. The medical ...

The aim is to investigate the relationship of duration of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with safety and effectiveness of etanercept (ETN) in Japan. Post-marketing surveillance data for 7,099 patients treated with ETN were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, treatment effectiveness, incidence of adverse events (AEs), and serious AEs (SAEs) in relation to duration ...

Background  New medical therapies have improved outlook in inflammatory bowel disease but published impact on surgical rates has been modest suggesting that many patients are still not attaining remission. Aim  To review remission rates with current medical treatments for inflammatory bowel disease. Methods  We searched MEDLINE (source PUBMED, 1966 to ...

BACKGROUND:: Travel returnees may complain of protracted rheumatic symptoms, but there are sparse data regarding their causes. We aimed to describe travelers returning with new rheumatic symptoms. METHODS:: We conducted a retrospective analysis of Israeli travelers who were referred to the Sheba Medical Center from January 2005 to January 2010 ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL1) is a proinflammation mediator implicated in arthritis in rodent animal models. The present study is aimed at assessing FSTL1 levels in systemic autoimmune diseases and correlating them with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Serum FSTL1 levels from 487 patients with ...

Object The objective of this study was to describe a single surgeon's experience managing craniovertebral junction (CVJ) disease due to ankylosing spondylitis. Methods The authors undertook a retrospective review of the records of patients with CVJ disease due to ankylosing spondylitis who were evaluated and treated by the senior author. ...

OBJECTIVES: /st> To compare markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an active disease state and those with RA in remission, and to compare both groups with community controls. METHODS: /st> 113 patients with RA and 86 community controls were assessed across a panel ...

Introduction:  Leflunomide is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been widely studied in the West but there is no available local Pakistani data. Objective:  To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of leflunomide in Pakistani patients with RA, either alone or in combination with methotrexate. ...

The elbow is often involved in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Because of the elbow's unique role in maneuvering and positioning the hand in space, loss of normal elbow motion, loss of stability, or increased pain with the use of the elbow are all significant sources of impairment in patients ...

Adipose tissue has immunomodulating effects in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although the exact role is, at present, unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) affects response to infliximab in RA patients investigated prospectively. In 89 patients with active RA, the BMI was calculated before ...

Early identification of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is essential to allow the prompt institution of therapy. The 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria, which replace the 1987 classification criteria, have been developed to facilitate such identification in patients with newly presenting inflammatory arthritis. ...

To evaluate hypersensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus) and D. farinae in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and to assess the therapeutic value of using acaricides with other environmental anti house dust mites (HDM) measures. Ninety-eight children with AD were chosen randomly from the Pediatric Allergy Clinic in Al-Noor ...

Traumatic and degenerative meniscal tears have different anatomic features and different proposed etiologies, yet both are associated with the development or progression of osteoarthritis (OA). In established OA, synovitis is associated with pain and progression, but a relationship between synovitis and symptoms in isolated meniscal disease has not been reported. ...

Primary objective: To investigate the methodology using a manual ankle joint resistive torque measurement device to evaluate the contribution of the neural component of ankle joint resistive torque in patients with stroke. Research design: Within-subject comparison to compare the ankle joint resistive torque between fast and slow stretching conditions. Methods ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of routine pathological examination of operative specimens obtained during primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed for osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 100 consecutive patients (50 OA, 50 RA) were prospectively evaluated. A radiological score (Kellgren-Lawrence/Larsen) and a clinical score ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 and pro-inflammatory cytokines and their relationship to endothelial function in patients with idiopathic venous thrombosis. Forty-nine eligible patients of both sexes with idiopathic venous thrombosis and 48 matched control subjects were studied. Levels of inflammatory markers were ...

Our aim was to evaluate real-world safety and effectiveness in a 6-month postmarketing surveillance study covering all Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received etanercept during a 2-year period. Data for 13,894 patients (1334 sites) enrolled between March 2005 and April 2007 were collected. Adverse events (AEs) and serious ...

Objective:To study the circadian variability of circulating connective tissue metabolites in patients with very early (VERA) and long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (LRA) and in healthy control individuals. Methods:Eleven patients with newly diagnosed, untreated RA, disease duration < 6 months, and 10 patients with LRA were included, together with 16 healthy control ...

Objective. To assess inter-observer reliability in US detection of tendon inflammatory and structural changes at wrists and ankles in RA patients. Methods. Fourteen consecutive RA patients underwent bilateral US assessment of the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECUT) and tibialis posterior tendons (TPTs) by two blinded rheumatologists, with different level of experience ...

Objectives: Variables from a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis were linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the ICF Core Sets for rheumatoid arthritis for assessing the functional outcomes of the rheumatoid ...

Abstract The induction of psoriasis as a side effect of treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors is one of a few rare complications of treatment, the pathogenic mechanism of which has not yet been completely clarified. The clinical presentation of these reactions may show the typical characteristics of psoriasis, palmoplantar pustulosis and ...

Preliminary studies have shown the potential application for the diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients with a severe disease course of an epitopic domain of β-fibrin. The aim of the present work was the analysis of the presence of antibodies against several β-fibrin synthetic peptides in relation to the immunogenetic ...

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a rare, idiopathic, inflammatory, granulomatous vasculitis that affects the aorta and its primary branches. Clinical features and the pattern of arterial involvement show differences in different regions of the world according to ethnic influences. Our aim in this retrospective study was to evaluate the demographic, clinic, ...

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic efficiency of anti-MCV, anti-CCP2 and RF detection for patients with RA. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of patients with established rheumatic disease: rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n=75), psoriatic arthritis (PsA; n=25), 27 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS; n=27) and connective tissue disease (CTD; n=17). Anti-CCP2, anti-MCV and RF ...

The IGF-IR density on CD4+T-lymphocytes was studied using flow cytometry in 40 early steroid- and DMARD-naïve rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients before and after 52 weeks of treatment with methotrexate+placebo or methotrexate+cyclosporine A and in 15 controls. RA patients had increased IGF-IR density on CD4+T-lymphocytes at week 0 and week 52, irrespective ...

The study was designed to describe demographic, clinical, serological, and radiological characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed-up by a single institution. One hundred sixty-five patients, diagnosed as RA using ACR classification criteria, and followed-up in the rheumatology clinic between December 2005 and January 2010, were enrolled in the ...

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the demographics, main clinical and laboratory features and subtype distribution of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in an eastern Mediterranean country, based on a multicentre registry. METHODS: Between March 2008 and February 2009 with this cross-sectional study, consecutive patients seen with JIA in selected centres were registered through ...

We present six cases of patients with Japanese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha blocking agent, adalimumab as monotherapy for 220 weeks. All six patients were women, and the median age was 54.0 ± 7.07 years old. The median duration of the disease was 7.43 ± 11.1 years, and the median disease activity ...

OBJECTIVES: /st> Patients can fulfil clinical criteria for remission, yet still have evidence of synovitis detectable clinically and by ultrasound, and this is associated with structural damage. Stricter remission criteria may more accurately reflect true remission (no synovitis). This hypothesis was examined by studying patients using more stringent thresholds for ...

To compare the efficacy of disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28ESR)-driven therapy with anti-tumour necrosis factor (patients from the GUEPARD trial) and routine care in patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (patients of the ESPOIR cohort). After matching GUEPARD and ESPOIR patients on the basis of a propensity score and ...

OBJECTIVE: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease, have increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether early markers of RA inflammatory disease activity could predict later increased levels of pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx), 2 measures of arterial stiffness. METHODS: In total 238 patients with ...

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using the clinical disease activity index (CDAI), and to determine the baseline variables associated with CDAI remission. Fifty-eight patients with active RA were enrolled. We tried to evaluate whether baseline variables were associated with CDAI remission ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies show that inflammation can contribute to an increase in resting energy expenditure in patients with chronic kidney disease; however, findings about total energy expenditure (TEE) have not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inflammation on TEE and physical activity ...

This study aims to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-CCP isotype IgA in a population of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Sixty-two patients diagnosed according to the USA-European classification criteria for pSS were examined two to four times during a 60.4-month follow-up, and clinical and laboratory data ...

Increased cardiovascular mortality and risk of venous thromboembolism are serious extra-pulmonary complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previously, circulating active tissue factor (TF) and factor XIa (FXIa) have been reported to be associated with acute coronary syndromes. To measure plasma FXIa and active TF, prothrombin fragment 1.2 (F1.2), and ...

We evaluated the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by the clinical disease activity index (CDAI) and disease activity score (DAS) 28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Thirty-two RA patients received 8 mg/kg of TCZ intravenously every 4 weeks for 48 weeks. The therapeutic response was also evaluated in 30 RA ...

Deranged neutrophil function in alcoholic hepatitis has been shown to be transmissible to normal neutrophils by patient plasma. The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate whether patients with stable cirrhosis have a similar transmissible neutrophil defect and (ii) to explore the possible mechanisms. Plasma samples from 108 stable ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) for the monitoring of whole-blood tacrolimus concentrations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: Sixty-three RA patients and 47 renal transplant (RT) patients treated with tacrolimus were enrolled. Tacrolimus concentrations in spiked blood ...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), characterized by inflammation of the synovium and surrounding structures, has a prevalence of 0.5-1%. Rheumatoid vasculitis (RV) is an inflammatory condition of the small- and medium-sized vessels that affects up to 5% of patients with RA with intestinal involvement in 10-38% of these cases. Clinically apparent RV ...

We present a patient with therapy resistant multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH). MRH is a rare granulomatous, multisystem disease characterised most frequently by disfiguring papulonodular skin lesions and sometimes a destructive polyarthritis, though any organ can be involved. Abnormal histiocytic reactions to an undetermined stimulus (possibly an associated mycobacterial infection, auto immune ...

Introduction: The examination of the synovial is very useful in the positive and differential diagnostic of many articular diseases and especially in the conditions of acute monoarthritis. Materials and Methods: The study focused on the establishment of clinical-statistical, histopathological and immunohistochemical correlations on a group of cases anatomo-pathologic diagnosed with ...

Background. Given that clinical evaluation may underestimate the joint damage and that early treatment can slow down psoriatic arthritis (PsA) progression, screening psoriasis patients with imaging tools that can depict early PsA changes would entail clear benefits. Objective. To compare the ability of X-ray and ultrasound (US) examination in detecting ...

To identify contributing factors associated with inactive disease (ID) and clinical remission for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated with etanercept. Data of an ongoing, long-term, multicentre, prospective, open-label observational study were analysed. Results. A total of 4898 follow-up forms from 787 JIA patients treated with etanercept were evaluated. ...

A 63-year-old woman receiving tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was found to have smoldering IgA-kappa type multiple myeloma (MM). Retrospective examination of stored serum samples revealed a steady increase of serum IgA levels after the start of TNF inhibitor therapy. The patient's articular symptoms showed marked ...

To investigate the effectiveness of etanercept on axial manifestations of a group of patients with established psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This was a multicentre observational study. PsA was classified based on the CASPAR criteria. Inclusion criteria were refractory PsA with axial manifestations and suitability for anti TNF-α therapy. Effectiveness was defined ...

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) are disorders characterized by primary eosinophil inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. There are a small number of reports of eosinophil infiltration in gastrointestinal tracts presenting as EGIDs in infants. In this study, we present Japanese cases of EGIDs in infants. Five patients diagnosed with or strongly ...

The elevation of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and C-reactive protein (CRP) has been correlated to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) or vascular diseases. The association and clinical relevance of a combined assessment of Hcy and CRP levels in patients with PD and vascular parkinsonism (VP) are unknown. We performed ...