Search for: rheumatoid arthritis    methotrexate    autoimmune disease    biomarker    gene expression    GWAS    HLA genes    non-HLA genes   

ID PMID Title PublicationDate abstract
294929 Benign rheumatoid nodules. 1979 Dec Nine cases in which subcutaneous rheumatoid nodules were observed in the absence of any evidence of rheumatoid arthritis are recorded. In four of these cases, the nodules appeared during adolescence or adult life, a very rare phenomenon. Synovitis occurred in only one patient, after an interval of 15 years, but it did not persist and other features of rheumatoid arthritis were not present. The siting of the nodules in the sub-cutaneous tissue, the absence of features suggestive of rheumatic fever, necrobiosis lipiodica or fungal infection, and lack of any history of trauma, together with the histological appearance, supported a diagnosis of rheumatoid nodules. In all cases, serological tests for rheumatoid factor were negative but in the only case investigated with immunofluorescent staining, IgG and IgM were demonstrated in the biopsy material. It is important to recognise the fact that these benign nodules do not necessarily indicate that the patient has rheumatoid arthritis, or will develop rheumatoid arthritis in the future. The possible relationship of such nodules to granuloma annulare is discussed.
6333715 Development and clinical application of electroimmunoassays for the direct quantification 1984 The present report describes the development of electroimmunoassays for the direct quantification of C3d and C3c, split products of the third complement factor (C3). Both methods were developed as rocket immunoelectrophoreses, using two antibody preparations with specificities against the C and D epitopes on C3. A stable calibrator preparation for C3c and C3d was produced by autolytic cleavage of C3. Investigations of patients with anaphylactic reactions or chronic immunological disorders showed that quantification of C3c and C3d in plasma by these methods reflected the degree and rate of complement activation. C3d determination was found to be the most sensitive and reliable indicator of C activation, both during acute and chronic activation since C3c is eliminated considerably faster from the circulation than C3d (estimated half lives of 2 h and 4 h, respectively). Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with prednisolone caused a prompt decrease of plasma C3d values, indicating that the clinical effect may be due to inhibition of complement activation.
6229937 The influence of chrysotherapy on T-lymphocyte subpopulations in rheumatoid arthritis. 1983 Nov We studied the influence of chrysotherapy on lymphocytes, B-cells, T-cells, and T-lymphocyte subpopulations in 9 rheumatoid-factor-positive female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). After chrysotherapy, the white blood cell count decreased within 1 month; the percentage of lymphocytes, T-cells, and B-cells did not change significantly, nor did the proportion of helper cells as determined by reactivity with monoclonal antibody OKT4. In contrast, the percentage of suppressor T-cells reactive with OKT8 was significantly decreased (p less than 0.05) after 6 months. As a consequence, the helper/suppressor ratio, which was significantly higher than in age- and sex-matched controls (p less than 0.02), showed an even more pronounced deviation from normal values than before therapy. The implications of these findings in regard to a possible immunological mechanism of action of gold and the significance of the disturbance of the "immunoregulatory balance" between helper and suppressor mechanisms for the pathogenesis of RA are discussed.
7005475 Rubens and the question of antiquity of rheumatoid arthritis. 1981 Feb 6 Analysis of the hands in paintings attributed to Peter Paul Rubens during the last 30 years of his life seems to show progressive rheumatoid arthritis. Not only does this suggest that rheumatoid arthritis was present at the time, 200 years before some modern authors are willing to date its appearance, but also that Rubens or a major and consistent collaborator suffered from the disease.
7257454 [Factors affecting the localization of joints in rheumatoid arthritis]. 1981 Mar 15 For testing a possible connection between the localization of a joint and anthropometric data in rheumatoid arthritis the numbers of a maximum and minimum affection in the region of the hand were at first determined. Former findings of a more frequent participation of the right hand could be confirmed. In the region of the distal skeleton of the hand the changes were to be found more radially, in the proximal parts more frequently ulnarly. Examinations concerning the influence of the breadth, length and angular measures of the hand showed above all connections of the affection of the joints with the breadth of the hand. An influence of measures and indices of the body on the frequency of the affection of peripheral joints could statistically ascertained only for few of the constellations examined. Future investigations shall take into consideration the regional vessel and nerve supply, shall issue from homogeneous groups of test persons and shall be performed with other methods of evaluation.
6740269 Do oral contraceptives reduce the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis? A pilot study using t 1984 The Stockholm County medical information system was used to select cases for a pilot study on the association between oral contraceptive (OC) use and the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A selection procedure is described by which we obtained 76 cases of RA. These were compared in a case-control study with 152 healthy controls with regard to OC use prior to the onset of RA. For all women who had used OCs for more than one year the relative risk of RA was 0.70 (0.40, 1.24). The relative risk decreased with advancing age at onset of RA, being 0.40 (0.10, 1.65) for women with age at onset over 40. Although the material is small, and there are some inconsistencies in the results, our findings are compatible with the hypothesis that the use of OCs is associated with a reduced incidence of RA.
7298701 Mid-foot disassociation in rheumatoid arthritis. 1981 Sep The mid-foot is commonly involved in rheumatoid arthritis with subchondral sclerosis and erosions at the talonavicular joint. There may be a mid-foot disassociation whereby the hindfoot is usually subluxed. Occasionally the forefoot may be subluxed with mid-foot disassociation. In long-standing cases of rheumatoid arthritis there is a loss of the normal plantar arch.
601431 A clinical and prospective chromosomal study of yttrium-90 synovectomy. 1977 Nov Yttrium-90 synovectomy resulted in complete resolution of chronic knee synovitis in 40% of a group of 15 patients. These patients would have otherwise required surgical synovectomy. The number of chromosomal aberrations detected in 30 patients after yttrium-90 synovectomy showed a statistically significant increase over the pre-treatment analysis, and, following treatment, chromosomal damage was noted in nine patients who had no damage before treatment. The risk arising from this chromosomal damage is uncertain but, while the long-term implications of the chromosomal aberrations are investigated in those who have already been treated, this therapy should be reserved for the older patient.
3934781 [HLA-DR in rheumatoid arthritis]. 1985 The authors describe the results of HLA-DR typing of 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The patients showed accumulation of HIA-DR (51.25% versus 28.9% in the control), with the relative risk being 2.58. The interrelationship is demonstrated between the clinical picture of RA and HIA-DR antigens: a statistically significant accumulation of HIA-DR4 in the seropositive patterns according to the RF of RA as compared with the seronegative pattern and primary demonstration of HIA-DR3 in RA with the systemic manifestations as compared with the articular pattern.
6214475 The course of atlanto-axial involvement and disc narrowing of the cervical spine in rheuma 1981 Jul In 188 patients with rheumatoid arthritis 585 radiological examinations of the cervical spine were performed. Subluxation of C1-2 was found more often than expected; it was often the only radiological change in that segment, and its degree was not related to the duration of the disease. Lateral radiographs taken in full flexion were important for the diagnosis. Age over 40 years at the onset of RA, increased ESR at least on one occasion and seropositivity were related to more severe degrees of involvement. The presence of subcutaneous nodules, high titres of the Rose-Waaler reaction and the presence of antinuclear antibodies had no definite relation to the degree of involvement.
7047120 Silicone lymphadenopathy: a report of two cases, one with concomitant malignant lymphoma. 1982 Apr Two cases of axillary lymphadenopathy induced by foreign body reaction to silicone particles are presented. Both were patients with longstanding arthritis who had silastic metacarpophalangeal joint implants; one patient also had concomitant lymphoma. The material was conclusively identified as silicone by electron microprobe analysis. With currently increasing numbers of silastic finger joint arthroplasties performed for rheumatoid arthritis, silicone lymphadenopathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of axillary node enlargement in these patients. A history of previous silastic arthroplasty may not always be made available to the pathologist but the histological appearances are sufficiently characteristic, in our opinion, to warrant this history being sought.
4026413 Subnormal sensitivity of neutrophils to complement split product C5a in rheumatoid arthrit 1985 Aug The capacity of circulating neutrophils for activation by complement was studied in outpatients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis during treatment with dextropropoxyphene only. Analysis of dose-response in the Boyden chamber assay of chemotaxis showed that sensitivity to the potent, complement derived anaphylatoxin, C5a, was markedly decreased, especially in those patients with few joints involved. In contrast, peak response to C5a was within the normal range. Increased complement 3c split products in plasma of the patients suggested involvement of complement cascade reactions. Subnormal sensitivity of neutrophils to phlogistic mediators released by complement may tend to limit their recruitment and potentially tissue destroying secretion locally in rheumatoid arthritis.
3981522 Effect of antimalarial treatment on circulating immune complexes in rheumatoid arthritis. 1985 Feb The relationship between the effect of chloroquine treatment on circulating immune complexes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was determined by the 125I Clq binding assay. Three groups were studied: (a) 20 patients treated daily for 6 months with chloroquine sulphate 250 mg plus prednisone 7.5 mg and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID); (b) 20 patients not taking antimalarials but treated with prednisone and NSAID; (c) 41 controls. Results suggest that chloroquine sulphate therapy induced a marked decrease of immune complexes in patients with RA, an effect not observed with treatment by prednisone and NSAID only.
538403 [Cryoglobulins and circulating immune complexes in rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical and biol 1979 Nov We studied circulating immune complexes using a test involving the precipitation of these complexes with polyethylene glycol 6000 at 2.5 percent, and characterization of the Clq bound in vivo to immunoglobulins in the serum of 126 healthy subjects, 95 hospitalized controls and 181 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RP). Likewise, the RP benefited from a study of cryoglobulins (CG). The PEG-Clq proved positive (PEG +) in 7 per cent of the healthy controls, 25 per cent in the seronegative RP. ThePEG & RP have a level of proteins, gammaglobulins, IgM and IgG that is higher than in patients in whom the test is negative. On the other hand, they have a lower level of C4. One CG was detected in 43 patients who were all PEG +. The level of CG is proportionate to the intensity of the articular inflammation, the sedimentation rate, the level of seric iron and that of hemoglobin. The composition of the precipitins obtained by activity of the PEG is very close to that of the CG.
4606370 Comparison of azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, and gold in treatment of rheumatoid arthriti 1974 Sep 28 Azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, and gold have been compared under double-blind conditions in the treatment of relatively early rheumatoid arthritis. Over 18 months the two "immunosuppressive" agents produced clinical improvement comparable to that achieved with gold, and they also facilitated a reduction in the dosage of corticosteroids and retarded radiological joint deterioration. Drug management was easiest with azathioprine. Cyclophosphamide was perhaps marginally the most effective drug but it produced azoospermia in males. If the long-term hazards of malignancy and mutagenesis prove to be acceptable then the anti-proliferative agents provide a useful alternative to gold therapy and can with advantage be given relatively early in the course of rheumatoid arthritis.
1190854 Protein sulphydryl depression during adjuvant arthritis. 1975 Aug The changes in plasma protein sulphydryl level were measured during the course of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Major depressions in the plasma sulphydryl level occurred at the onset of adjuvant disease, and the extent of the depression was related to the severity of the disease. Plasma sulphydryl levels remain unchanged when the systemic arthritis is suppressed by inclusion of a competing antigen in the adjuvant. Changes in sulphydryl content of the plasma were shown not to be due to weight loss or decrease in plasma protein level.
420562 Effects and side effects of radiosynovectomy with Yttrium 90 on rheumatic joint cartilage. 1979 Jan 29 8 and 12 weeks after Synovectomy with Yttrium 90, cartilage specimens from the femoral condyle of 8 patients with R.A. were examined. Cellular and matrix damage could be detected. Intracellular particles containing Circonium, an Yttrium decay-product could be found using microprobe X-ray analysis. This was verified in experimentally induced arthritis in the rat.
1082568 [So-called "pseudorheumatoid" nodules in childhood (author's transl)]. 1976 This report concerns 4 patients, 2 to 2,5 years of age, with subcutaneous "pseudorheumatoid" nodules in the occipital region. None of the children suffered from any real rheumatic or rheumatoid disease, nor were there any biochemical signs of those diseases detectable. The course of the nodules was benign, they disappeared within several years, and no later rheumatic disease occurred. Extirpation and histology was performed in all 4 cases, the microscopic diagnosis being uniformly "rheumatic granuloma". The own observations are confronted with the literature. It is concluded that, inspite of the histological similarity of true rheumatic granuloma with the "pseudorheumatic" nodules, no etiologic relations between the two conditions seem to exist. The benignity of the pseudorheumatic nodules is underlined, and the diagnostic and prognostic importance of the condition is stressed.
7097690 Chronic large benign pericardial effusion complicating rheumatoid arthritis: a case report 1982 Mar A 62-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis presented with a large pericardial effusion. Serial M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography over 20 months revealed no change in the amount of pericardial fluid, which had the features of a transudate. At no time did she develop any cardiac symptoms, tamponade or constriction. The course was thus "benign" and needed no surgical intervention.
9336637 Long-term results from metacarpophalangeal arthroplasty. 1983 The authors have been using Swanson's prostheses for MP joint replacement in rheumatoid arthritis since 1968. After thirteen years of experience, they present an analysis of these prostheses from a clinical and radiological point of view. 88 joints replacements in 20 patients are reviewed. These operations were performed between 1968 and 1976. The average follow-up is nine years. The authors compare their results with those obtained in a previous study made in 1975. They show that a replacement arthroplasty with a Swanson type prosthesis, imparts considerable benefits to the patient in the form of complete disappearance of pain, improvement in function, and a more normal looking hand, in spite of radiologic deterioration.