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ID PMID Title PublicationDate abstract
15791876 Understanding psoriatic arthritis. 2005 Mar Previously, psoriatic arthritis was considered an uncommon, generally benign variant of ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis, with few therapeutic options. It is now recognized as a distinct, potentially serious disorder that can be effectively managed with a number of new agents.
18751844 Combination therapy for rheumatoid arthritis in the era of biologicals. 2006 Feb Early, aggressive disease management is critical for halting disease progression and joint destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Combination therapy with at least two disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate (MTX), sulfasalazine, or hydroxychloroquine, is often more effective than monotherapy in reducing disease activity. Biologic therapies represent more effective and tolerable treatment options that, when combined with MTX, have been shown to dramatically reduce inflammation, inhibit radiographic progression, and induce remission. Although several types of treatment strategies are used in clinical practice, the most aggressive approaches that target early disease have shown the most promise in reversing disease progression and reducing disease-related costs.
17067442 Are carriers for MEFV mutations "healthy"? 2006 Sep OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare whether carriers for the MEFV mutations display an increase or decrease in certain features. We compared the frequency of a number of inflammatory symptoms and diseases in carriers and a control population. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed to be applied to parents of children with FMF and a control group of parents. Clinical features and some diseases including the frequency of febrile episodes, abdominal pain, arthralgia, prophylaxis with penicillin, acute rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, spondyloarthropathy, urinary tract infection, asthma, allergy, irritable bowel disease, appendectomy and tonsillectomy were inquired. 676 parents of 440 children with FMF were surveyed in this study. Controls (n: 774) were selected as parents of healthy children. RESULTS: The presence of febrile episodes more than four per year, arthralgia, past diagnosis for acute rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis and prophylaxis of penicillin, acute rheumatic fever, and rheumatoid arthritis were significantly higher in asymptomatic parents for the MEFV mutations compared to controls. The frequency of allergy was found to be significantly lower in the asymptomatic parents as compared to controls. There was no significant difference at the frequency of urinary tract infection and tonsillectomy between the parents of the patents and controls. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that one MEFV mutation may indeed be conferring a heightened inflammation as suggested by the increased frequency in inflammatory symptoms. The carrier status for MEFV mutations seem to be unique, in that they cause an alteration in the state of "health".
17029066 Two cases of cervical abscess in rheumatoid arthritis patients. 2005 The prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has recently been improved, resulting in longer survival of patients. The incidence of oral diseases increases with age, particularly for periodontal disease and those involving tooth decay, even in normal healthy individuals. Patients with RA display increased incidence of oral diseases, and the use of steroids or methotrexate to treat RA increases susceptibility to infections, sometimes causing serious infections. We present here two cases of cervical abscesses in RA patients who underwent emergency surgery to treat oral infections due to the possibility of mediastinal inflammation.
17029054 Bronchiolar disease associated with gold compounds administration in a patient with rheuma 2005 We report the case of a female patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with gold sodium thiomalate and auranofin who developed bronchopulmonary involvement. Chest X-ray films showed diffuse mottled infiltrates and bronchial wall thickness in both lungs. Computed tomography revealed opacities along the thickening of the bronchovascular bundles. The pathologic findings were indistinguishable from those of diffuse panbronchiolitis. After discontinuation of gold compounds and initiation of steroid administration, her subjective symptoms immediately subsided. We conclude that our patient, who had suffered from chronic sinusitis and had a predisposition to bronchiolar disease, had bronchiolar disease induced by gold compounds.
17029052 Bilateral total knee arthroplasty after spontaneous osseous ankylosis in rheumatoid arthri 2005 Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was carried out on both knee joints for spontaneous bony ankylosis due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Preoperative fixation angles were 40 degrees . First, the peroneal nerve was released prior to TKA. Quadriceps snip was performed to evert the patella laterally. Bilateral TKAs were carried out using a stabilized prosthesis. The results showed full extension to 70 degrees flexion at 3 years after the surgery. Absence of pain, maintenance of stability, and walking ability were achieved, without any significant complication. Total knee arthroplasty following takedown of a spontaneous ankylosed knee is an effective procedure under appropriate knee conditions.
16915358 Cutaneous findings in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome. 2007 Aug Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by exocrine gland involvement. It is reported that the skin is affected in nearly half of SS patients. Cutaneous manifestations consist of xerosis, angular cheilitis, eyelid dermatitis, pruritus, cutaneous vasculitis (frequently manifesting as palpable purpura), and erythema annulare. Most of them are nonspecific and less severe than the oral, ocular, or musculoskeletal symptoms. We present two patients with primary SS who have many cutaneous manifestations including erythema annulare and pernio-like lesions and review the literature about this topic.
16340919 [Aseptic meningoencephalitis in primary Gougerot-Sjögren's syndrome]. 2005 Dec INTRODUCTION: Central nervous system involvement is rarely observed in primary Sjogren's syndrome (PSS) and aseptic meningoencephalitis occurs exceptionally. OBSERVATION: We report the case of a 25-year-old woman who presented with weakness of the four limbs, vision loss and concentration deficit. Neurological examination revealed a mental confusion, cerebellar involvement and spastic tetra paresis. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed elevation of cell counts (162/mm3) and protein content (3 g/l). MRI showed increased T2 signals in the white matter. No evidence for an infectious etiology, especially tuberculosis, was obtained in this patient. PSS was diagnosed on the basis of ocular dryness, lachrymal hyposecretion, aspects of labial gland biopsy witch revealed destruction of the ducts with periductal lymphocytic infiltration and positive anti-SSB antibodies. Oral corticosteroids (1 mg/kg/day) allowed an improvement of the neurological manifestations. CONCLUSION: Aseptic meningoencephalitis can be the first manifestation of primary Sjogren's syndrome. Infectious causes, particularly tuberculosis which is frequent in our context must be ruled out.
15990074 Clinical manifestations correlated to the prevalence of autoantibodies in a large (n=321) 2005 Jun In this study we imposed the recently described American-European consensus criteria for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) on a large cohort of patients originally classified according to the Copenhagen set of criteria. Of the 321 patients fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, 205 conformed to the Consensus criteria. When comparing clinical manifestations and laboratory findings between the two groups defined by different standards we found only small variations. Thus, the consequence of using the Consensus criteria in daily clinical practice will lead to the exclusion of a considerable proportion of patients with classical features of pSS. The main reason for this discrepancy is probably the absolute requirement of a positive test for anti-Ro/La or a characteristic lymphocytic infiltration in the labial gland biopsy. The sensitivity and specificity of testing for autoantibodies to Ro-52, Ro-60, and La were calculated for each set of criteria. Antibodies to La but not to Ro-52 or Ro-60 were strongly correlated to internal organ (kidney, lung, liver) dysfunction in pSS (OR 6; 95% CI 3-12), p<0.0001. Although presence of ANA was slightly more prevalent among patients with internal organ involvement it did not reach statistical significance. The fine speckled ANA pattern was most often found followed by the homogeneous and centromere pattern. Individual ANA patterns did not correlate with any particular organ manifestation.
17343255 Comparison of the different classification criteria sets for primary Sjögren's syndrome. 2006 Nov OBJECTIVE: To assess the comparability of different classification criteria sets for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: In a prospective study we examined all patients with suspected pSS who were admitted to our Department of Rheumatology or referred to our outpatient clinic between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2002. The Copenhagen, Californian, 1996 European, and American-European consensus group (US-EU) criteria sets were used to assess each patient. RESULTS: Ninety out of 222 patients (41%) were diagnosed with pSS by fulfilling at least one classification criteria set. The highest number of patients who were diagnosed with pSS fulfilled the European criteria set (36%), followed by the Copenhagen (28%), the US-EU (26%), and the Californian (9%) criteria sets. On average, the group of patients fulfilling the Californian criteria set were 5.6 years older than the patients in the other three groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the disease duration before diagnosis was 2.6 years longer than in the other three groups. The groups of patients fulfilling either the Californian or the US-EU criteria sets had a higher prevalence of leucopaenia (p < 0.05). Those fulfilling the US-EU criteria set also had a higher prevalence of arthritis (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the prevalence of the other clinical and laboratory parameters studied. CONCLUSIONS: Different patients are diagnosed with pSS if different classification criteria sets are used. Therefore, studies based on different classification criteria sets for diagnosing pSS are not directly comparable.
16431344 A short review of the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome. 2006 Feb Sjögren's syndrome can present in a heterogeneous manner with symptoms varying from systemic features such as unexplained fever, weight loss and neurological manifestations to the more typical symptoms of dry mucus membranes. There is discussion of the wide differential diagnosis, followed by a brief overview of the diagnosis, extraglandular manifestations and pathogenesis of primary Sjögren's syndrome.
16425898 New drugs for peripheral joint psoriatic arthritis. 2006 Jan Up to 3% of people have psoriasis, and as many as 42% of these have an associated chronic inflammatory arthritis. In up to 20% of such patients, the arthritis progresses to become severe, destructive and deforming. Traditional drug treatments include NSAIDs and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) used for rheumatoid arthritis. Leflunomide (Arava - Sanofi-Aventis), etanercept (Enbrel - Wyeth) inifliximab (Remicade - Schering-Plough) and adalimumab (Humira - Abbott) are licensed for the treatment of patients with peripheral joint disease in psoriatic arthritis. Here we review drug therapy for such patients, concentrating on the newer agents.
16883927 Chronic musculoskeletal pain in children: part II. Rheumatic causes. 2006 Jul 15 Primary care physicians should have a working knowledge of rheumatic diseases of childhood that manifest primarily as musculoskeletal pain. Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can present with painless joint inflammation and may have normal results on rheumatologic tests. Significant morbidity may result from associated painless uveitis, and children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis should be screened by an ophthalmologist. The spondyloarthropathies (including juvenile ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis) often cause enthesitis, and patients typically have positive results on a human leukocyte antigen B27 test and negative results on an antinuclear antibody test. Patients with acute rheumatic fever present with migratory arthritis two to three weeks after having untreated group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. Henoch-Schbnlein purpura may manifest as arthritis before the classic purpuric rash appears. Systemic lupus erythematosus is rare in childhood but may cause significant morbidity and mortality if not treated early. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy may be useful early interventions if a rheumatic illness is suspected. Family physicians should refer children when the diagnosis is in question or subspecialty treatment is required. Part I of this series discusses an approach to diagnosis with judicious use of laboratory and radiologic testing.
16277669 Copper chelation with tetrathiomolybdate suppresses adjuvant-induced arthritis and inflamm 2005 Tetrathiomolybdate (TM), a drug developed for Wilson's disease, produces an anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effect by reducing systemic copper levels. TM therapy has proved effective in inhibiting the growth of tumors in animal tumor models and in cancer patients. We have hypothesized that TM may be used for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis and have examined the efficacy of TM on adjuvant-induced arthritis in the rat, which is a model of acute inflammatory arthritis and inflammatory cachexia. TM delayed the onset of and suppressed the severity of clinical arthritis on both paw volume and the arthritis score. Histological examination demonstrated that TM significantly reduces the synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory cell invasion in joint tissues. Interestingly, TM can inhibit the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in serum synovial tissues, especially in endothelial cells and macrophages. Moreover, the extent of pannus formation, which leads to bone destruction, is correlated with the content of vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum. There was no mortality in TM-treated rat abnormalities. TM also suppressed inflammatory cachexia. We suggest that copper deficiency induced by TM is a potent approach both to inhibit the progression of rheumatoid arthritis with minimal adverse effects and to improve the well-being of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
16274861 Arthroscopic synovectomy in wrist arthritis. 2005 Nov Arthroscopic synovectomy is a safe outpatient procedure with minimal postoperative morbidity. In patients who have rheumatoid arthritis and possibly also in patients who have JRA, SLE, and postinfectious arthritis, a long period of increased comfort and improved function can be anticipated. The procedure may be considered in post-traumatic cases with joint contracture and as an adjunct to other measures for certain osteoarthritic disorders. In patients who have septic arthritis with insufficient clinical improvement after systemic antibiotics and lavage, arthroscopic synovectomy seems advantageous.
16396980 EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis: report of a task force of the 2007 Jan OBJECTIVE: To formulate EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis. METHODS: In accordance with EULAR's "standardised operating procedures", the task force pursued an evidence based approach and an approach based on expert opinion. A steering group comprised of 14 rheumatologists representing 10 European countries. The group defined the focus of the process, the target population, and formulated an operational definition of "management". Each participant was invited to propose issues of interest regarding the management of early arthritis or early rheumatoid arthritis. Fifteen issues for further research were selected by use of a modified Delphi technique. A systematic literature search was carried out. Evidence was categorised according to usual guidelines. A set of draft recommendations was proposed on the basis of the research questions and the results of the literature search.. The strength of the recommendations was based on the category of evidence and expert opinion. RESULTS: 15 research questions, covering the entire spectrum of "management of early arthritis", were formulated for further research; and 284 studies were identified and evaluated. Twelve recommendations for the management of early arthritis were selected and presented with short sentences. The selected statements included recognition of arthritis, referral, diagnosis, prognosis, classification, and treatment of early arthritis (information, education, non-pharmacological interventions, pharmacological treatments, and monitoring of the disease process). On the basis of expert opinion, 11 items were identified as being important for future research. CONCLUSIONS: 12 key recommendations for the management of early arthritis or early rheumatoid arthritis were developed, based on evidence in the literature and expert consensus.
16359023 [Lung cancer with polyarthropathy due to parvovirus B19: report of a case]. 2005 Dec We reported a case of lung cancer with polyarthropathy induced by human parvovirus B19. A 60-year-old female with lung cancer was admitted to our hospital with polyarthropathy similar to rheumatoid arthritis. Although the abnormal accumulation of 99mTc-MDP in the bone scan film and rheumatoid factor positive were detected before operation, we diagnosed polyarthropathy induced by parvovirus B19 through the detection of parvovirus B19 IgM and B19 DNA. The joint pain gradually improved after surgical treatment for lung cancer.
18473978 Use of etanercept in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. 2006 Sep Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are debilitating inflammatory immunemediated diseases which are chronic in nature and often require lifelong attention. Traditional therapies used to combat these diseases lack sufficient long-term efficacy and are associated with a number of toxicities. Failing to adequately satisfy both patients and physicians, traditional therapies have proven insufficient and have left few options. Etanercept is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist that reduces elevated TNF levels by competitively binding to both TNF-alpha and TNF-beta and inhibiting the proinflammatory cascade. Providing a valuable treatment option alone, etanercept can also be effectively administered in conjunction with traditional treatments. Etanercept is self administered by subcutaneous (SC) injection, making treatment less of a burden for patients by eliminating the need for frequent office visits and laboratory testing. Etanercept is approved in the US for the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
16846531 Coexpression and interaction of CXCL10 and CD26 in mesenchymal cells by synergising inflam 2006 Leukocyte infiltration during acute and chronic inflammation is regulated by exogenous and endogenous factors, including cytokines, chemokines and proteases. Stimulation of fibroblasts and human microvascular endothelial cells with the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) or tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) combined with either interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), IFN-beta or IFN-gamma resulted in a synergistic induction of the CXC chemokine CXCL10, but not of the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL8. In contrast, simultaneous stimulation with different IFN types did not result in a synergistic CXCL10 protein induction. Purification of natural CXCL10 from the conditioned medium of fibroblasts led to the isolation of CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV-processed CXCL10 missing two NH2-terminal residues. In contrast to intact CXCL10, NH2-terminally truncated CXCL10(3-77) did not induce extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 or Akt/protein kinase B phosphorylation in CXC chemokine receptor 3-transfected cells. Together with the expression of CXCL10, the expression of membrane-bound CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV was also upregulated in fibroblasts by IFN-gamma, by IFN-gamma plus IL-1beta or by IFN-gamma plus TNF-alpha. This provides a negative feedback for CXCL10-dependent chemotaxis of activated T cells and natural killer cells. Since TNF-alpha and IL-1beta are implicated in arthritis, synovial concentrations of CXCL8 and CXCL10 were compared in patients suffering from crystal arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. All three groups of autoimmune arthritis patients (ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) had significantly increased synovial CXCL10 levels compared with crystal arthritis patients. In contrast, compared with crystal arthritis, only rheumatoid arthritis patients, and not ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis patients, had significantly higher synovial CXCL8 concentrations. Synovial concentrations of the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL8 may therefore be useful to discriminate between autoimmune arthritis types.
16108817 Identification of specific autoantigens in Sjögren's syndrome by SEREX. 2005 Sep We carried out SEREX (serological analysis of antigens by recombinant cDNA expression cloning) using sera from patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) and investigated the frequencies of autoantibodies against autoantigens identified by SEREX in the sera of healthy individuals (HI) and patients with SjS, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). IFI16 and two kelch-like proteins, KLHL12 and KLHL7, were found to be novel autoantigens in SjS by SEREX. A markedly high frequency of anti-IFI16 autoantibodies was observed in the sera of SjS (SjS, 70%; RA, 13%; SLE, 33%; HI, 0%). Interestingly, all serum samples from SjS demonstrated immunoreactivity against one or both of IFI16 and SS-B/La. The presence of autoantibodies against KLHL12 and KLHL7 in the sera was significantly specific to SjS (23% and 17%, respectively), as they were not detected in RA, SLE or HI. Furthermore, we confirmed that transcripts of these autoantigens were expressed preferentially in the salivary glands and immuno-privileged testes. Our results suggest these autoantigens may be useful as serological markers for the clinical diagnosis of SjS and may play a crucial role as organ-specific autoantigens in the aetiopathogenesis of SjS. This study warranted clinical evaluations of autoantibodies against IFI16, KLHL12 and KLHL7 in combination with anti-SS-B/La autoantibodies.