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ID PMID Title PublicationDate abstract
17016362 New insights into physiological and pathophysiological functions of cyclo-oxygenase-2. 2000 Oct During the past few years specific inhibitors of the cyclo-oxygenase-2 enzyme have emerged as important pharmacological tools for treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. In comparison to traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, specific cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors may provide equal efficacy in terms of antiinflammatory and analgesic action, with significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects. Although cyclo-oxygenase-2 was once regarded as a source of pathological prostanoids, recent studies have indicated that this isoenzyme also fulfills a variety of physiological functions within the organism. The present review assesses recent advances in cyclo-oxygenase-2 research, with particular emphasis on new insights into the biology of this isoenzyme.
19078408 Minocycline hyperpigmentation. 1999 Oct Several recent studies have documented the efficacy and safety of minocycline in the treatment of mild rheumatoid arthritis. Reported side effects tend to be mild, with gastrointestinal disturbances, headaches, vestibular dysfunction, and photosensitive rashes being the most common. Hyperpigmentation of skin and other structures has also been reported but seems to be uncommon and usually dose-related. The different types of skin hyperpigmentation are reviewed, including their histopathologic and clinical distinctions, possible predisposing factors, and treatment.Our experience suggests that steroid use, advanced age, cumulative minocycline dosage, and possibly the brand of minocycline may be predisposing risk factors for developing hyperpigmentation. It is quite possible that this adverse effect is more common than previously recognized, and we suggest that physicians prescribing minocycline be observant for skin hyperpigmentation. Although most of our patients with hyperpigmentation chose to continue the medication (61 %), it must be discontinued for the hyperpigmentation to resolve.
11194711 Amyloid goiter in a case of systemic amyloidosis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis. 2000 Dec Infiltrative diseases of the thyroid include systemic sclerosis, hemochromatosis, sarcoidosis, chondrocalcinosis and amyloidosis. Only rarely does thyroid amyloidosis result in clinically palpable goiter. Classically, amyloidosis is associated with tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple myeloma or inflammatory bowel disease. Only rarely does clinical amyloidosis develop in the setting of ankylosing spondylitis. We describe a case of amyloid goiter in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis-associated amyloidosis.
10969181 Prolactin in autoimmunity and antitumor defence. 2000 Sep 1 Prolactin (PRL) enhances inflammatory and antitumor responses in vitro and thus exhibits Th1-type cytokine-like effects. Evidence from experimental models indicates that inhibition of PRL release by bromocriptine downregulates immune reactions and ameliorates autoimmune diseases in which Th1 responses are predominant. A direct effect of locally produced PRL in some Th1 diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, supports this concept. Paradoxically, however, hyperprolactinemia can also be associated with conditions such as pregnancy, where remission of Th1-mediated diseases is known to occur in the context of a Th2-dominated milieu. This reversal of the Th1-promoting effect of PRL may be due to major changes in the levels of other hormones that can annul and/or override the PRL-mediated proinflammatory state. Nevertheless, PRL, as an immunopotentiating agent, may have a powerful therapeutic role in cancer and other immunocompromised patients.
10067365 [Analysis of serum amyloid A1 alleles by PCR-RFLP]. 1999 Jan Serum amyloid A1 (SAA1), the acute phase isotype of SAA protein family, preferentially forms amyloid fibrils in reactive amyloidosis. Three alleles (alpha, beta, gamma) have been identified in the SAA1 locus. A recent study suggested the association of SAA1 gamma with amyloidogenesis in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, PCR-RFLP method was developed for SAA1 allele analysis. The use of two restriction enzymes, Ban I and Bcl I, for SAA1-derived PCR products, clearly identified six SAA1 genotypes. The frequency of SAA1 alleles was determined in the 100 healthy subjects, and resulted in 33.0%, 30.5% and 36.5%, for alpha, beta and gamma, respectively.
9227872 Abnormal Tl-201 myocardial scintigraphy associated with administration of sodium aurothiom 1997 Jul A patient with strikingly reduced Tl-201 myocardial retention after intramuscular administration of gold therapy (sodium aurothiomalate) is described. Following a routine Bruce protocol exercise test, postexercise scintigraphy was normal; an abnormal scan of the thorax was obtained on delayed imaging at 3 hours. This scan showed no demonstrable myocardial retention of tracer. In between the two acquisitions, the patient received 50 mg intramuscular sodium aurothiomalate for rheumatoid arthritis. A repeat scan obtained 3 days later showed a normal myocardial scintigram. It is recommended that patients receiving intramuscular gold therapy should not undergo such treatment close to the timing of Tl-201 myocardial scans.
21533475 Regulation of interleukin 3 expression in normal and autocrine transformed hematopoietic c 1997 May Over the past decade, the regulation of cytokine expression has been intensively studied. Control of cytokine expression has important clinical implications. Cytokine therapy has been utilized in the treatment of many diseases including: cancer, bone marrow transplantation, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and AIDS. Interleukin 3 (IL-3) affects the growth of hematopoietic, neurological, as well as other cells. This review will focus on understanding the regulation of IL-3 in normal and autocrine transformed cells. The mechanisms by which IL-3 transduces its growth and survival functions in appropriate target cells will also be discussed. An understanding of the means by which IL-3 and other hematopoietic cytokines exert their effects will aid our understanding of normal and abnormal cell growth as well as providing novel treatments for patients who suffer from hematopoietic, neurological, as well as many other diseases.
24493440 Methods for gene transfer to synovium. 1997 Development of methods for gene transfer to synoviocytes was borne from the idea that gene therapy could be used to more effectively treat rheumatoid arthritis (EU) and other joint disorders (1). Current pharmaceutical modalities in use against RA have limited effectiveness because of problems related to inefficient targeting of drugs to the joint, as well as inefficacies of the drugs themselves. Drug delivery to the joint by traditional oral, iv, and intramuscular routes, depends on passive diffusion of the drug from the synovial vasculature into the joint space (2). Thus, high systemic concentrations of the drug are necessary to achieve therapeutic intra-articular drug levels; in chronic RA, perfusion of the synovium may be compromised (3), driving required systemic drug levels even higher. This is of major concern, as the pharmaceuticals used to treat this disease are associated with serious side effects. Further compounding these problems is the chronic nature of RA, which requires lifelong treatment with high dosages of these drugs.
10439030 Mandibulofacial adaptations in a juvenile animal model of temporomandibular joint arthriti 1999 Aug Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic systemic disease of childhood that affects synovial joints including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Individuals with JRA of the TMJ frequently show aberrations in mandibulofacial development. Since the basis for these developmental perturbations is poorly understood, they remain a perplexing clinical problem to manage. To begin dissecting the mechanisms for altered craniofacial development in JRA of the TMJ, we characterized the gross morphologic adaptations in the facial skeleton in a juvenile animal model of TMJ arthritis. Arthritis was induced in ten 87-day-old male rabbits by intra-articular challenge with ovalbumin. Eight sham-challenged and 4 unchallenged rabbits were used as controls. Serial lateral head cephalograms, taken at 73 (T1), 87 (T2), 108 (T3), 129 (T4), and 150 (T5) days of age, were evaluated by linear measures of maxillary, mandibular, and posterior dental height dimensions. Differences in the absolute dimensions and relative percent incremental changes were compared by ANOVA and Fisher's test. The body weights, as well as the absolute measures and incremental changes in maxillary and posterior dental height dimensions, were not significantly different between the antigen-challenged and control groups. In contrast, absolute measures of posterior mandibular height, condylar neck height, and total mandibular length were significantly smaller (P < 0.05) in antigen-challenged rabbits than in both control groups at T5. Furthermore, the antigen-challenged rabbits demonstrated significantly smaller (P < 0.05) relative increases in all measures of mandibular length, and in total posterior mandibular and condylar neck heights. Cephalometric superimpositions on the cranial base and tantalum implants confirmed these quantitative observations. This investigation demonstrates mandibulofacial developmental aberrations in experimental JRA-like disease of the TMJ that are similar to those observed in humans with this disease.
17638098 Etodolac: an overview of a selective COX-2 inhibitor. 1999 Etodolac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) which has been shown to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and a selective COX-2 inhibitor in a wide range of clinically relevant assays in direct comparisons with other NSAIDs. Studies have shown etodolac to have no overall suppression of gastric or duodenal prostaglandins and endoscopic analysis with etodolac showed placebo level scores in comparison with ibuprofen, which showed inducement of gastro-intestinal (GI) side effects. This high degree of gastric tolerability was further demonstrated by microbleeding studies. The favourable GI tolerability profile of etodolac has been shown in long-term and large-scale trials and by routine clinical observation. In summary, etodolac is a well established selective COX-2 inhibitor that has been shown not to suppress gastric or duodenal prostaglandins, to have minimal hepatic or renal effects and to have favourable GI tolerability in comparison with ibuprofen.
16732634 Posterior fusion of the subaxial cervical spine: indications and techniques. 2001 Apr 15 The biomechanical stability of the subaxial cervical spine (C3-7) can be compromised by numerous pathological processes, and the restoration of stability may ultimately require fusion and placement of rigid internal fixation devices. A posterior fusion and stabilization procedure is often used to treat cervical instability secondary to traumatic injury, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, neoplastic disease, infections, and previous laminectomy. Numerous techniques and advances in spinal instrumentation have evolved over the last 30 years. The authors review the indications and the various methods for stabilizing and fusing the subaxial cervical spine via posterior approaches.
11282089 Methods for monitoring oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and oxidation resistance of li 2001 Apr After a brief discussion of lipid peroxidation mechanism and the action of antioxidants and their potential to exhibit prooxidant effects, we give an overview on the clinical relevance of oxidative stress parameters. Many diseases are associated with oxidative stress e.g. by radical damage, among them atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, and in many cases the investigation of parameters of oxidative stress has brought substantial insights into their pathogenesis. We then briefly review methods for the continuous monitoring of lipid peroxidation processes in vitro, which has helped in elucidating their mechanism and in some more detail cover such methods which have been proposed more recently to assess oxidative status and antioxidant activity in biological samples.
11154159 Celiac disease and Turner's syndrome: patient report. 2000 Nov Turner's syndrome is a chromosomal disease frequently associated with autoimmune disorders including thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Recent reports have described an association of celiac disease with Turner's syndrome. We present an additional patient with Turner's syndrome associated with celiac disease. A girl aged 15- 7/12 yr was seen for the complaints of delayed growth and puberty, abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea. She was diagnosed as having celiac disease and a gluten-free diet was initiated. Despite one year of strict diet no signs of puberty were observed. She was then evaluated again for absence of puberty, and 45,XO karyotype Turner's syndrome was diagnosed.
10931657 Identification and in vivo efficacy of small-molecule antagonists of integrin alphavbeta3 2000 Sep The integrin alphavbeta3 is thought to play a key role in the initiation and/or progression of several human diseases, including osteoporosis, restenosis following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and ocular diseases. Antagonism of integrin alphavbeta3 is therefore expected to provide an approach for the treatment and/or prevention of these diseases. A variety of potent, small-molecule alphavbeta3 antagonists have been identified, several of which are active in disease models, thereby demonstrating the therapeutic potential of alphavbeta3 antagonism. This review will focus on recent advances in the identification of small-molecule alphavbeta3 antagonists, with an emphasis on those studies where small-molecule alphavbeta3 antagonists have been used in proof-of-concept studies in vivo.
10654458 A comparison of 4 intraoperative methods to determine femoral component rotation during to 2000 Jan A total of 100 consecutive posterior cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplastics were performed in 81 patients with an average age of 69 years by 1 surgeon. Diagnoses included osteoarthritis in 93 knees and rheumatoid arthritis in 7 knees. The femoral alignment necessary to create a rectangular flexion gap was determined and compared with Whiteside's line, the transepicondylar axis, and a line in 3 degrees of external rotation relative to the posterior condyles of the femur. The transepicondylar axis most consistently recreated a balanced flexion space, whereas 3 degrees of external rotation off the posterior condyles was least consistent, especially in valgus knees.
10525687 [Arthrodesis of the talocalcaneal joint in adults. Indications, procedure, outcome]. 1999 Sep Affections of the rear-foot-complex may occur because of various etiologies and show differing pathogenetic patterns. Besides posttraumatic changes, the rheumatoid arthritis, primary disorders and neurologic complications are registered. Biomechanically the hindfoot-complex is characterised by the joint play of ligamentous, bony and tendineal structures. Referring to diagnostics the clinical and radiologic examination are predominant. In the literature there is no uniform opinion concerning the therapeutic algorithm. The arthrodesis as a surgical procedure is commonly used, nevertheless important differences may be stated with regard to the choice of the osteosynthesis or the number of the joints to be fused. We present biomechanical models, diagnostic examinations and operative procedures in this context. Our own results of patients who underwent surgical interventions involving joints of the lower rear-foot using the Kitaoka hindfoot-score are demonstrated.
10077998 [Analysis of susceptibility genes to rheumatic diseases]. 1999 Feb Recent evidence suggests that most of the rheumatic diseases are complex or multifactorial diseases with contributions from HLA and multiple non-HLA genes. Studies using candidate gene approach suggested that early components of the complement pathway, Fc receptor IIa, IIIa, mannose-binding lectin, IL-10 and TNFR2 might be potential non-HLA susceptibility genes to systemic lupus erythematosus, although substantial difference among populations are reported. Linkage analyses using affected sib pairs indicated several candidate regions on chromosome 1. A recently completed genome-wide linkage analysis of rheumatoid arthritis revealed a number of possible candidate regions in addition to HLA. Identification of the susceptibility genes will be accelerated along with technological advances and the accomplishment of human genome project, and will deepen our understanding of rheumatic diseases.
10063776 Heel pain in children. Diagnosis and treatment. 1999 Feb Heel pain in children is common, and its evaluation is challenging. Medical history and physical examination may be unrevealing owing to children's limited communication skills. Often, advanced laboratory and imaging studies are required to make an accurate diagnosis. The most common causes of heel pain in children are apophysitis, enthesopathy, and overuse syndromes such as tendinitis. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is relatively uncommon. In very active children, occult fractures must also be evaluated. Pain unrelated to activity may indicate tumors, infection, or congenital problems. In general, heel pain in children is treated nonoperatively. For fractures in particular, children are less likely than adults to receive surgical treatment.
9524076 A hirudin-sensitive, growth-related proteinase from human fibroblasts. 1998 Feb We have identified a hirudin-sensitive proteinase from human fibroblasts. Inhibition of this enzyme results in partial inhibition of cell growth in culture. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 38000, and can be isolated by affinity chromatography with a hirudin-agarose matrix. The enzyme is apparently not closely related to thrombin, but does show a high level of amino acid sequence homology with fragments of a protein isolated from the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients, which acts as a mitogen for human T lymphocytes.
9195454 Sagittal band reconstruction. 1997 May Extensor tendon subluxation at the metacarpophalangeal joint occurs only rarely in patients without rheumatoid arthritis. Almost all reported cases involve disruption of the radial sagittal band with ulnar subluxation of the extensor tendon. A technique of sagittal band reconstruction is described that entails weaving a retrograde segment of extensor tendon upon itself after passing it through the deep transverse metacarpal ligament. Twenty-one sagittal band reconstructions were performed in 16 patients. This series included 18 cases of ulnar subluxation secondary to radial sagittal band disruption and 3 cases of radial subluxation secondary to ulnar sagittal band disruption. Using this technique, pain was eliminated in every case and there has been no recurrence of extensor tendon subluxation.