Search for: rheumatoid arthritis methotrexate autoimmune disease biomarker gene expression GWAS HLA genes non-HLA genes
| ID | PMID | Title | PublicationDate | abstract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20641599 | Cyclo(-Arg-Gly-Asp-d-Phe-Lys(([(18)F]Fluoropropionyl)galacto-amino acid)-). | 2004 | Integrins are a family of heterodimeric cell surface glycoproteins consisting of an α and a β subunit. Integrins mediate diverse biological events involving cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions (1) and are important for cell adhesion and signal transduction. Integrin α(v)β(3) is the most prominent receptor class, affecting tumor growth, tumor invasiveness, metastasis, tumor-induced angiogenesis, inflammation, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (2-7). It is strongly expressed on tumor cells and activated endothelial cells, whereas it is weakly expressed on resting endothelial cells and most normal tissues. Antagonists to integrin α(v)β(3) are being studied as antitumor and antiangiogenic agents (4, 8, 9), and agonists are being studied as angiogenic agents for coronary angiogenesis (10, 11). A tripeptide sequence consisting of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) has been identified as a recognition motif used by extracellular matrix proteins (vitronectin, fibrinogen, laminin, and collagen) to bind to a variety of integrins, including α(v)β(3). Various radiolabeled antagonists have been introduced for imaging of tumors and tumor angiogenesis (12); however, these RGD analogs are lipophilic and concentrate in the liver. To reduce the lipophilicity of the peptide, Haubner et al. (13, 14) conjugated a sugar molecule to a cyclic RGD peptide to produce cyclo(-Arg-Gly-Asp-d-Phe-Lys(([(18)F]fluoropropionyl)galacto-amino acid)-) ([(18)F]Galacto-RGD) for use in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies. | |
| 21794246 | Drug-drug interactions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with other drugs in patien | 2005 Aug | OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and identify drug-drug interactions (DDI) between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and other drugs in a prescription database of patients with rheumatic iseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of a drug prescription database saving information on 35,000 individuals who benefited from a pre-paid medical system serving bank employees and their relatives. The analysis included one year period (from January to December 1998). NSAID-DDI were listed and classified into 3 levels (1: minor; 2: moderate, and 3: high health risk or death risk) according to DRUGDEX(r) as well as MEDLINE and EMBASE search. RESULTS: We analyzed 3,207 NSAID prescriptions (1.7±1.6 per patient) to 1,855 rheumatic patients (adults: 76.7%; geriatric: 20.2%, and pediatric: 3.0%; soft tissue rheumatism: 52%; osteoarthritis: 19%, and rheumatoid arthritis: 10%). There were 648 (20.20%) NSAID-DDI prescriptions: 594 (91.66%) corresponded to level 1; 46 (7.09%) to level 2, and 8 (1.23%) to level 3. In addition, 96 (2.99%) prescriptions included NSAID duplications. Interestingly, we found no NSAID-DDI with anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, and oral hypoglycemiants were found. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of NSAID-DDI prescriptions to 1,855 rheumatic patients was 20.20% in one year. NSAID-DDI was mostly (91.66%) level 1, and rarely (1.23%) level 3. NSAID duplications were found in 2.99%. These results provides information on the frequency of prescriptions with DDI, which might potentially produce harmful effects and data, which may help in the development of studies searching for the clinical relevance of NSAID-DDI. | |
| 15917964 | Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence and genotypes in patients with diffuse connective tissue | 2005 May | Many extrahepatic manifestations, including rheumatic diseases, have been reported to be associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In order to investigate the prevalence of HCV infection among patients with rheumatic diseases, in the present study we interviewed 367 patients and tested their blood samples for HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-HCV-reactive samples were retested for confirmation by a line immunoassay and also for HCV RNA detection by the polymerase chain reaction. HCV RNA-positive samples were genotyped by INNO-LIPA. An overall HCV infection prevalence of 1.9% (7/367) was found. Of the 7 HCV-infected patients, 4 had systemic lupus erythematosus and 3 rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in positivity rates of 2.3 and 3.4%, respectively. HCV RNA genotyping revealed the presence of subtypes 1a (57.1%), 1b (28.6%) and 3a (14.3%). The clinical course was favorable for all HCV-infected patients, except one, who died due to renal insufficiency related to lupus nephritis. These results demonstrate a low HCV infection prevalence among the population studied. In the few positive cases, we observed no adverse influence of this infection on the clinical evolution of the rheumatic disease. | |
| 15738785 | Occipitocervical fixation: long-term results. | 2005 Mar 1 | STUDY DESIGN: The study is a retrospective review of 58 patients who underwent occipitocervical fusion between 1997 and 2001. OBJECTIVES: Our objective is to study the clinical results after occipitocervical fixation with long-term follow-up and assess factors contributing to clinical success. METHODS: Data from patient charts, operative notes, physician office notes, and imaging studies were incorporated in the study. Myelopathy was assessed using a Nurick scale for preoperative and postoperative evaluation. Fusion was assessed using cervical plane films with flexion and extension views. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 36 months, with all patients having a greater than 1-year follow-up. The most common pathology was congenital cranial settling (41%) followed by trauma (22%) and rheumatoid arthritis (17%). Myelopathy was the most common presentation (62%) followed by pain (28%). A successful fusion occurred in 48 out of 51 patients (94%). Symptoms improved in 86% of patients, whereas 35% improved 1 Nurick grade. Complications occurred in 30% of patients. The cervical wound infection rate was 5%. The rate of adjacent level degeneration was 7%. The mortality rate was 1.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Occipitocervical instrumentation allows for very high fusion rates without the need for halo vest immobilization. All patients with successful fixation have pain resolution. Myelopathy improves in most patients, whereas one-third of patients demonstrate dramatic improvement. | |
| 20641496 | N-4-[(18)F]Fluorobenzoyl-c[(RGDyK)](2). | 2004 | Integrins are a family of heterodimeric glycoproteins on cell surfaces that mediate diverse biological events involving cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions (1). They consist of an α and a β subunit and are important for cell adhesion and signal transduction. α(v)β(3) integrin is the most prominent receptor affecting tumor growth, tumor invasiveness, metastasis, tumor-induced angiogenesis, inflammation, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (2-7). Expression of α(v)β(3) integrin is strong on tumor cells and activated endothelial cells, whereas expression is weak on resting endothelial cells and most normal tissues. α(v)β(3) antagonists are being studied as antitumor and antiangiogenic agents and the agonists as angiogenic agents for coronary angiogenesis (6, 8, 9). A tripeptide sequence consisting of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) has been identified as a recognition motif used by extracellular matrix proteins (vitronectin, fibrinogen, laminin, and collagen) to bind to a variety of integrins, including α(v)β(3). Various radiolabeled antagonists have been introduced for imaging of tumors and tumor angiogenesis (10). Most of the cyclic RGD peptides are monomeric and are composed of five amino acids. [(18)F]FB-c(RGDyK) was synthesized to study in vivo biodistribution of the tracer in tumor-bearing mice. [(18)F]FB-c(RGDyK) was found to have high accumulation in tumors, but it also had high tumor washout and biliary excretion into the gallbladder and intestines (11). A dimeric analog was synthesized as [(18)F]FB-E[c(RGDyK)](2), which was shown to have higher tumor uptake (~1-fold) than the monomer and predominantly renal excretion (12). | |
| 16599054 | Use of complementary and alternative medicine among patients attending rheumatology clinic | 2006 Mar | BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine has recently attracted attention due to its widespread use. In a recent study in Israel, almost a half of CAM users in the general population used it for joint diseases or back pain. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of CAM use among patients with defined rheumatic diseases, and analyze the demographic features of CAM users, their reasons for using CAM and the use of specific CAM methods. METHODS: We conducted face-to-face structured interviews of 350 patients attending rheumatology clinics, regarding past or present use of CAM, specifying the various CAM types they used, and reasons for using CAM. Demographic data including age, gender, country of birth and origin, and level of education were also collected. RESULTS: Altogether, 148 patients reported using CAM (42%). In general, homeopathy and acupuncture were the most commonly used types (44% and 41% of the patients, respectively). The mean number of CAM methods per patient was 1.9 +/- 1.1. CAM was more commonly used by patients with advanced education (52% vs. 37% of patients with lower education, P= 0.007). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis used CAM significantly less than patients with other rheumatologic conditions (32% vs. 48%, P= 0.008). CONCLUSION: CAM use is influenced by level of education. The choice of the preferred CAM method among patients with rheumatic diseases seemed to follow the popular CAM methods in the general population, and was not specific to rheumatic diseases. | |
| 16522323 | Expression of chemokine-like factor 1 is upregulated during T lymphocyte activation. | 2006 Jul 4 | Chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1) is a cytokine with chemotactic effects on leukocytes and a functional ligand of CCR4. This cytokine is widely expressed and the level of expression is reported to be upregulated in asthma and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disease conditions in which T lymphocytes are over-activated. In order to determine the expression profile of CKLF1 in activated T lymphocytes, we first employed a PCR-based method on human blood fractions cDNA panels and found that CKLF1 was upregulated in activated CD4+ and CD8+ cells, with no obvious changes in CD19+ cells. We further performed kinetic analyses of CKLF1 expression in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) at both the mRNA and protein levels. In resting PBL, the constitutive expression of CKLF1 was low at mRNA level and barely detectable at the protein level; however, both were remarkably upregulated by PHA, appearing at 8h after PHA-stimulation and persisting up to 72h. These results suggest that CKLF1 may be involved in T lymphocyte activation and further study of CKLF1 function will prove valuable. | |
| 16446596 | Alendronate in bone cement: fatigue life degraded by liquid, not by powder. | 2006 Apr | Bisphosphonates have the potential to reduce osteolysis, a phenomenon that has been postulated to play a key role in aseptic loosening of total joint replacements. Bisphosphonates may contribute to the in vivo longevity of total joint replacements. Some authors have suggested there are decreases in flexural strength and flexural modulus of the cured cement when a liquid form of disodium pamidronate is added to a commercially available acrylic bone cement (Palacos R). We proposed that it is comparatively easier to blend a bisphosphonate in powder form into an acrylic bone cement than it is when the drug is in liquid form; and that the cement's fatigue life is decreased when the bisphosphonate is added in liquid rather than in solid form. The bisphosphonate and bone cement used were alendronate sodium and Cemex XL, respectively. The fatigue tests were done using phosphate buffered saline solution at 37 degrees +/- 1 degrees C. The data supported both hypotheses. Our findings should guide orthopaedic surgeons when using bisphosphonate-impregnated acrylic bone cements in total joint replacements. Bisphosphonates are endogenous pyrophosphate analogs in which a carbon atom replaces the central oxygen atom. These therapeutic agents may be classified into nitrogen and non-nitrogen containing types. Some examples are alendronate, pamidronate, ibandronate, risedronate, etidronate, clodronate, and zoledronate. There are many targets and mechanisms of action of this family of drugs, therefore making them efficacious against diverse clinical conditions such as osteoporosis, periprosthetic bone loss subsequent to total joint replacement, tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis, Charcot neuroarthropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthropathies, and arterial calcification. It has been proposed that some bisphosphonates are effective against the mechanisms that have been suggested as being implicated in aseptic loosening of total joint replacements, these being osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and wear particle-induced osteolysis. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that alendronate and pamidronate had beneficial effects maintaining periprosthetic bone for as much as 1 year after a total joint replacement. | |
| 16402109 | The role of inflammation in CNS injury and disease. | 2006 Jan | For many years, the central nervous system (CNS) was considered to be 'immune privileged', neither susceptible to nor contributing to inflammation. It is now appreciated that the CNS does exhibit features of inflammation, and in response to injury, infection or disease, resident CNS cells generate inflammatory mediators, including proinflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, free radicals and complement, which in turn induce chemokines and adhesion molecules, recruit immune cells, and activate glial cells. Much of the key evidence demonstrating that inflammation and inflammatory mediators contribute to acute, chronic and psychiatric CNS disorders is summarised in this review. However, inflammatory mediators may have dual roles, with detrimental acute effects but beneficial effects in long-term repair and recovery, leading to complications in their application as novel therapies. These may be avoided in acute diseases in which treatment administration might be relatively short-term. Targeting interleukin (IL)-1 is a promising novel therapy for stroke and traumatic brain injury, the naturally occurring antagonist (IL-1ra) being well tolerated by rheumatoid arthritis patients. Chronic disorders represent a greater therapeutic challenge, a problem highlighted in Alzheimer's disease (AD); significant data suggested that anti-inflammatory agents might reduce the probability of developing AD, or slow its progression, but prospective clinical trials of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cyclooxygenase inhibitors have been disappointing. The complex interplay between inflammatory mediators, ageing, genetic background, and environmental factors may ultimately regulate the outcome of acute CNS injury and progression of chronic neurodegeneration, and be critical for development of effective therapies for CNS diseases. | |
| 16355400 | Expression of peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 (PAD4) in various tumors. | 2006 Mar | Peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 (PAD4/PADI4) posttranslationally converts peptidylarginine to citrulline, in a process known as citrullination. Evidence suggests that PAD4 plays an essential role in pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA synovium has many features in common with tumor tissues, including abnormal cell proliferation, extensive fibrin deposition, high coagulation activity, and extreme angiogenesis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate expression of PAD4 in various tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry indicated that PAD4 had significant expression in many tumor tissues, especially various adenocarcinoma. Western blotting with anti PAD4 antibody and immunostaining with anti citrulline antibody confirmed the expression of the enzyme in these tumors. Furthermore, our immunohistochemistry also detected co-location of PAD4 with cytokeratin (CK), a well-known tumor marker for oncological study in many tumors. Western blot analysis also detected citrulline signals in CK extracted from the tumors. In addition, CK 8, 18, and 19 following in vitro citrullination resisted to the digestion of caspase. The results further confirm the expression of PAD4 in the tumors and support that PAD4 may contribute to the disrupted apoptosis of tumors by caspase-mediated cleavage of CK. Double immunofluorescent labeling detected co-location of PAD4 with CD34, a cell marker of heamatopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) in bone marrow and other normal tissues, as well as in some fibroblast-like cells at stroma region of tumors, but not in the tumor cells. The findings imply that PAD4 is initially expressed in CD34(+) cells of bone marrow and then distributed in derives of the multi-potent progenitor cells in diverse tissues. The development of tumor cells expressing PAD4 is possibly associated with abnormal proliferation of CD34(+) stem cells. | |
| 16341055 | Examination of seven candidate regions for multiple sclerosis: strong evidence of linkage | 2006 Jan | Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neuroimmunological and neurodegenerative disease with a strong genetic component. Numerous studies have failed to consistently identify genes that confer disease susceptibility except for association with HLA-DR. Seven non-HLA regions (1q, 2q, 9q, 13q, 16q, 18p and 19q) identified in a recent genomic screen were investigated by genotyping approximately 20 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at approximately 1 Mb intervals. Non-parametric multipoint analyses identified a peak LOD* score of 2.99 for the 1q44 region and substantially narrowed the linkage peak to approximately 7 Mb. Ordered subset analyses (OSA) identified significant LOD score increases for 2q35 and 18p11 when ranking families by HLA-DR status and identified a significant LOD score increase in region 2q35 when ranking families by linkage to chromosome 1q44. 1q44 is particularly interesting because of linkage evidence for this region in studies of both rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. | |
| 17252738 | [Perspectives in clinical immunology]. | 2006 Dec | Since the last years the better knowledge of immunologic mechanisms underlying autoimmune phenomena and rejection of allotransplants has been accompanied by an impressive production of new drugs: new inhibitors of purine and pyrimidine synthesis, as mycophenolate mofetil and leflunomide respectively, new inhibitors of calcineurin, such as tacrolimus, and target of rapamycine, such as sirolimus. Moreover, the tremendous advance in the methodology of producing monoclonal antibodies and the genetic engineering of proteins has led to a wide variety of biological agents, many of them have been approved as important new therapies for autoimmune diseases and against graft rejection. Monoclonal antibodies targeting IL-2 cytokine receptor have been shown to be useful in decrease the incidence of rejection. Moreover, monoclonal antibodies are available which target inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFalpha and IL-1, while other monoclonal antibodies may cause immune cell depletion, such as anti CD20 rituximab, or cause disruption of co-stimuli, like CTLA4Ig abatacept in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and anti CD11 efalizumab in the treatment of psoriasis. The new biologic agents have induced salutary clinical effects and extended the therapeutic option of patients not responding to existing treatments. The future looks brighter than ever as the recorded success fuels efforts to optimize the use of the biologic agents and extend their use in other diseases. | |
| 17187716 | [Anti-TNF alfa therapy in ankylosing spondylitis]. | 2006 Mar | Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory chronic disease that affects young males and in more than 90% of cases is associated with HLA B27 antigen. Therapeutic options for those patients with spondyloarthropathies have been limited during the last decades. Infliximab and etanercept are both approved for the treatment of patients with active disease that does not respond to conventional therapies. Anti-TNF therapy is very effective in AS, and eventually can be more effective than in rheumatoid arthritis. In 2003 Assessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis Group (ASAS) published international recommendations about the use of these agents in AS, which can be used as guidance in taking decisions and elaborating guidelines. To define their utilization it is necessary more studies about efficacy, toxicity and about ways of use. | |
| 17069520 | Epratuzumab in the therapy of oncological and immunological diseases. | 2006 Oct | B cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of certain lymphomas and leukemias, as well as many autoimmune diseases. Antagonistic B-cell antibodies are thus gaining an increasing role in the management of these diseases. The first antibody target in this regard was CD20, with the development and introduction of rituximab in the management of B-cell malignancies, as well as rheumatoid arthritis. A second candidate target is CD22. The first antagonistic antibody to this B-cell marker, epratuzumab, appears to function, in contrast to CD20 antibodies, more by modulation of B cells rather than by their high depletion in circulation. Originally developed for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, epratuzumab has now been found to be effective, with a very good safety profile, in two prototype autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjögren's syndrome. Recent studies have demonstrated the activity and safety of epratuzumab in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients who have relapsed or are refractive to conventional therapy, including rituximab, and has also shown good activity in follicular and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in combination with rituximab. As such, this new investigative antibody may have a significant market potential owing to the multitude of diseases and patients who may benefit from a CD22, B-cell antibody immunotherapy that is complementary to the known effects and role of CD20 antibodies, but can usually be administered within 1 h and depletes approximately 50% of circulating B cells. | |
| 17020529 | Phosphodiesterase 7A: a new therapeutic target for alleviating chronic inflammation? | 2006 | Over the last fifteen years there has been much excitement in the idea that targeting phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 with small molecule inhibitors could lead to the discovery of novel, steroid-sparing compounds with utility in treating a multitude of diseases associated with chronic inflammation. However, dose-limiting side effects, of which nausea and vomiting are the most common are worrisome, have hampered their clinical development. Indeed, a fundamental obstacle that still is to be overcome by the pharmaceutical industry is to make compounds that dissociate beneficial from the adverse events. Unfortunately, both of these activities of PDE4 inhibitors represents an extension of their pharmacology and improving the therapeutic ratio has proved to be a major challenge. Several strategies have been considered, with some degree of success, but compounds with an optimal pharmacophore still have not been reported. An alternative approach to targeting PDE4 is to inhibit other cAMP PDE families that are also expressed in immune and pro-inflammatory cells in the hope that the beneficial activity can be retained at the expense of side effects. One such candidate is PDE7A. In this article we review the literature on PDE7A and explore the possibility that selective small molecule inhibitors of this enzyme family could provide a novel approach to alleviate the inflammation that is associated with many inflammatory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. | |
| 16983459 | An estimate of the worldwide prevalence and disability associated with osteoporotic fractu | 2006 Dec | OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify the global burden of osteoporotic fracture worldwide. METHODS: The incidence of hip fractures was identified by systematic review and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures was imputed from the incidence of hip fractures in different regions of the world. Excess mortality and disability weights used age- and sex-specific data from Sweden to calculate the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost due to osteoporotic fracture. RESULTS: In the year 2000 there were an estimated 9.0 million osteoporotic fractures of which 1.6 million were at the hip, 1.7 million at the forearm and 1.4 million were clinical vertebral fractures. The greatest number of osteoporotic fractures occurred in Europe (34.8%). The total DALYs lost was 5.8 million of which 51% were accounted for by fractures that occurred in Europe and the Americas. World-wide, osteoporotic fractures accounted for 0.83% of the global burden of non-communicable disease and was 1.75% of the global burden in Europe. In Europe, osteoporotic fractures accounted for more DALYs lost than common cancers with the exception of lung cancer. For chronic musculo-skeletal disorders the DALYs lost in Europe due to osteoporosis (2.0 million) were less than for osteoarthrosis (3.1 million) but greater than for rheumatoid arthritis (1.0 million). CONCLUSION: We conclude that osteoporotic fractures are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in the developed countries. | |
| 16899858 | Diffuse alveolar damage: uncommon manifestation of pulmonary involvement in patients with | 2006 Aug | BACKGROUND: Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) is a relatively common finding on surgical lung biopsy and can result from a variety of causes. METHODS: We studied nine consecutive patients with connective tissue disease (CTD) and DAD diagnosed on surgical lung biopsy to examine this association and clinical implications. RESULTS: The median age was 63 years (range, 35 to 76 years), and seven of the patients were women (78%). Underlying CTDs included rheumatoid arthritis in five patients, polymyositis in two patients, and one patient each with systemic sclerosis and mixed CTD. In seven patients (78%), CTD had been diagnosed before the onset of DAD; six of these patients had a preexisting interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to their CTD. DAD was the presenting manifestation leading to a new CTD diagnosis in two patients (22%). CT of the chest revealed ground-glass opacities and/or consolidation bilaterally with or without honeycombing. In all patients, surgical lung biopsy revealed DAD for which no cause could be identified other than the underlying CTD. Seven patients (78%) were receiving mechanical ventilatory support at the time of the surgical lung biopsy. Four patients (44%) survived to hospital discharge and included one patient with preexisting ILD and all three patients without chronic ILD. CONCLUSION: We conclude that DAD can complicate the clinical course of patients with CTD-related chronic ILD, or can occasionally occur as a presenting manifestation of CTDs. When DAD occurs in patients with CTDs, the outcome appears to be worse for those with preexisting chronic ILD compared to those without ILD. | |
| 16896987 | Antipolymer antibody is not associated with fibromyalgia in Korean female patients. | 2006 Nov | To examine the levels of antipolymer antibody (APA) in Korean female patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and to determine whether the levels of APA correlate with FM severity. Serum samples from patients with FM (n = 69), patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n = 71), and controls (n = 75) were assayed for APA. All of the subjects were female, and the controls were age-matched healthy volunteers. FM tender point counts and scores were examined, and FM patients were asked to complete a Korean version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). APA-positive samples were detected in five (7.2%) of the 69 FM patients, seven (9.9%) of the 71 RA patients, and four (5.3%) of the 75 controls. The prevalence of seropositivity and the level of APA in FM patients did not differ from those in RA patients and controls. The proportion positive for APA was not higher for FM patients with severe symptoms than for FM patients with mild symptoms. There was a negative association between the APA level and age. The APA level in FM patients was not correlated with age at diagnosis, age at symptom onset, disease duration, education, tender point counts and scores, FIQ, STAI, or BDI. The prevalence of APA in Korean FM patients was quite low. Owing to the low prevalence of APA in this study, the APA assay did not distinguish FM patients with severe symptoms from those with mild symptoms. | |
| 16848318 | A new sesquiterpene lactone from the roots of Lasianthus acuminatissimus. | 2006 May | AIM: To study the active constituents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis from the ethyl acetate extracts of the roots of Lasianthus acuminatissimus Merr. METHODS: Various chromatographic techniques were used to separate and purify the constituents. Their structures were established on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR and HRMS spectroscopic analyses and their preliminary evaluation of anti-inflammation effect on the release of beta-glucuronidase was carried out. RESULTS: Eight compounds were isolated and identified as lasianthuslactone A (1), codonolactone (2), 2,5-dimethoxy-1, 4-benzoquinone (3), uncargenin A (4), nonadecyl alcohol (5), 13-docosenoic acid (6), tetracosanoic acid (7) and beta-sitosterol (8). Compound 3 showed a significant inhibitory effect on release of beta-glucuronidase rat polymorphous nuclear leukocytes activated by platelet activating factor (PAF). CONCLUSION: Compound 1 is a new one, the others were isolated from the plant for the first time and 3 is one of active anti-inflammation compound in the plant. | |
| 16793911 | Paneth cells: leukocyte-like mediators of innate immunity in the intestine. | 2006 Sep | Paneth cells are secretory intestinal epithelial cells located at the base of the crypts of Lieberkühn in the small intestine. They display prominent cytoplasmic granules, containing antibacterial proteins such as lysozyme, secretory phospholipase A2 type IIA, and alpha-defensins, which are released into the intestinal lumen in response to a range of stimuli. In this, they resemble circulating leukocytes, which also elaborate and secrete lysozyme and alpha-defensins as part of an antibacterial defense function, and the resemblance is sustained at other levels. The cells also strongly and specifically express the NOD2 gene product, one of an emerging family of critical, intracellular mediators of innate immune responses, which is also highly expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and they express RNA for tumor necrosis factor alpha, a major myelomonocytic cell-derived cytokine, which has a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease (CD). Thus, these cells, which are derived from the pluripotent intestinal epithelial stem-cell lineage, are sessile, resident host-defense cells, which may share with leukocytes the beneficial function of secreting antimicrobial peptides, as well as the potentially harmful capacity for promoting inflammation and tissue damage. Paneth cells are most abundant in the distal small intestine, which is the region most frequently affected by CD, and there is great interest in the potential role of these cells in this condition. This brief review summarizes current knowledge and speculates on how the study of these fascinating cells might be advanced. |