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

ID PMID Title PublicationDate abstract
3498037 Arthritis, bleeding disorder and a chromosome marker--a family study. 1987 Jun The presence of easy bleeding in a preadolescent white female with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and the presence of easy bleeding in some of her relatives led us to study the immune, genetic, and hematologic attributes of this family. Several members of the family showed abnormalities in the blood coagulation system suggestive of von Willebrand disease. The proband and her grandmother with the coagulation abnormality and rheumatic disorder also showed a particular chromosomal polymorphism (satellite chromosomes). While several interesting etiologic questions were raised, our results did not demonstrate a clear relationship between von Willebrand disease and JRA in this family.
1859479 Enkephalinase: a physiologic neuroimmunomodulator detected in the synovial fluid. 1991 Aug Enkephalinase (endopeptidase 24.11) is a metallopeptidase that is able to cleave not only neuropeptides and hormones but also immune mediators. The enzyme was quantified in synovial fluid obtained from 36 swollen joints. Its concentration correlated with the synovial fluid cell count, mainly the polymorphonuclear cells and lymphocytes, and with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. No statistically significant difference in enkephalinase levels was demonstrated between the groups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondylarthropathy, microcrystalline arthritis, or osteoarthritis. The presence of enkephalinase in the synovial fluid could reflect the intensity of the inflammatory process, or it could represent a physiologic regulator of inflammation and pain within the joint.
1862237 Does food cause or cure arthritis? 1991 May Rheumatoid arthritis and most other forms of inflammatory joint disease--systemic rheumatic diseases--remain illnesses of unknown cause for which current therapy often is inadequate. The possibility that food antigens induce or perpetuate symptoms in at least some patients is novel, rational, and exciting. Studies that relate diet with arthritis might offer the potential of identifying new therapeutic approaches for selected patients and of developing new insights into disease pathogenesis.
3196659 Quantitative histological analysis of antigen-induced arthritis in the rabbit. 1988 Oct Antigen-induced arthritis in the rabbit (AIAR) provides the closest experimental equivalent to human rheumatoid arthritis in terms of infiltration of synovial tissue by lymphoid cells. A method is described for quantitative histological analysis of AIAR. Measurements of total cell numbers, lymphocyte and polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration, and thickness of infiltrated synovium were obtained for ranges of antigen dosage and duration of arthritis. The method has been devised as part of a system for the analysis of joint swelling, synovial fluid biochemistry and cytology, cartilage proteoglycan chemistry and synovial histology on the same specimen.
1930318 Suppression of collagen-induced arthritis by combination cyclosporin A and methotrexate th 1991 Oct Louvain (LOU) rats were administered either methotrexate (MTX; 0.3 mg/kg/week or 0.8 mg/kg/week intraperitoneally), cyclosporin A (CSA; 4 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day continuous infusion via osmotic pump), or a combination of both agents. The rats were immunized with native type II collagen (CII) to determine the effects of these agents on collagen-induced arthritis, an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. A significant decrease in the incidence (P less than 0.01) and severity of arthritis by clinical (P less than 0.05) and radiographic assessments (P less than 0.05) was found in recipients of combination therapy, compared with controls. Delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to CII were measured on day 26, and production of IgG antibody to CII was measured on days 7, 14, and 26. IgG antibody was evident by day 7, and titers were near-maximal by day 14. Both delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibodies to CII were reduced in animals that received the higher dosage of CSA. Liver, kidney, and spleen specimens obtained from rats treated with CSA and MTX demonstrated no histologic abnormalities on light microscopy, compared with controls. These studies indicate that CSA and MTX in combination is a safe and effective therapy for collagen-induced arthritis and may be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
2262303 Cervical fractures in ankylosing spondylitis. 1990 Oct Cervical fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (rheumatoid arthritis of the spine) are discussed. Early recognition is stressed.
1710245 A monoclonal antiidiotypic antibody with rheumatoid factor activity defines a cross-reacti 1991 Jun 15 A syngeneic antiidiotypic mAb, C1C3, was characterized as to its binding to monoclonal anti-collagen II (-CII) auto-antibodies reactive with different epitopes of the native CII molecule. Both by direct binding and by inhibition ELISA studies, the anti-idiotypic antibody was shown to react with a cross-reactive idiotope present on Fab fragments of most, but not all, tested anti-CII mAb, whereas the binding to Fab fragments from normal mouse IgG was low. As previously described, C1C3 bound to isolated Fc fragments from normal mouse IgG. The binding to intact normal mouse IgG was, however, weak, and only isolated Fc-gamma fragments, not intact IgG, competed efficiently with Fab fragments of anti-CII antibodies for binding to the antiidiotypic antibody. The antibody was shown to self-associate, i.e., to behave similarly to certain IgG rheumatoid factors obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The presented data indicate that the described anti-anti-CII mAb may be representative of antibodies involved in the physiologic regulation of autoimmunity to CII and, consequently, may be used as a tool for further studies on idiotypic regulation in CII-induced arthritis.
3140368 Jejunal diverticulosis in a family. 1988 Aug The presence of small intestinal diverticula was examined in a family of eight siblings. Six of the siblings had diverticula of the duodenum and/or the jejunoileal tract. Three of them had multiple jejunoileal diverticula, one had two jejunal diverticula, and two had duodenal diverticula. In addition, diseases of an immunologic nature were present in four of the siblings (rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, myxoedema following thyroiditis, and non-viral hepatitis).
2119588 In vitro secretion of human IgM rheumatoid factor. Evidence for distinct rheumatoid factor 1990 Sep The production of antibodies that react with the Fc fragment of IgG, i.e., rheumatoid factors (RF), is now regarded as a normal host immune response. It is not clear, however, if such putative physiologic RF are different from their counterparts which characterize pathologic states like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Using Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I as an in vitro stimulant of RF production, we now report that the IgM-RF secreted by blood mononuclear cells obtained from healthy newborn infants and healthy adults can be distinguished not only from classic monoclonal RF and polyclonal RA serum RF, but also from the RF secreted by blood mononuclear cells obtained from RA patients. Whereas the Fc-binding activity of all RF secreted in vitro was easily inhibited by aggregated human IgG, only the RF produced by the normal umbilical cord cells and the normal adult cells were inhibited by monomeric Fc(IgG). The normal RF were also selectively inhibited by monomeric rabbit and guinea pig (Fc(IgG). The RF secreted by umbilical cord blood cells utilized lambda and kappa light chains, with a disproportionate use of lambda light chains relative to the total IgM secreted. Together, these data provide evidence for distinct subsets of RF in health and in disease.
1950258 [The persistence of Ureaplasma and its arthritogenic action in the experimental infection 1991 Jul In the experimental intraperitoneal infection of rabbits with U. urealyticum, serotype VIII, transitory polyarthritis with immunomorphological characteristics different from those of human rheumatoid arthritis has been shown to develop in the animals. The pathological process develops simultaneously with Ureaplasma infection. U. urealyticum persists in the body of infected rabbits during 12 weeks of observation. The mechanism of the resorption process in the bone tissue of joints, running similarly to periosteocytic osteolysis, is discussed.
1920966 Adult-onset Still's disease: hepatic involvement and various serum markers relating to the 1991 May A 53-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to high fever, arthralgia and skin rash. Main laboratory data included the following: WBC 17,100/mm, GOT 58 U, GPT 47 U, LDH 1,510 U, ferritin 19,000 ng/ml, adenosine deaminase 79.1 U/l. She was diagnosed as having adult-onset Still's disease. Aspirin (3.0 g/day) and prednisolone (40 mg/day) were administered. All the symptoms and laboratory data improved rapidly. Adenosine deaminase, ferritin, and LDH are considered to originate mainly from the liver. Liver injury in this disease may be a primary lesion, and various serum markers may be associated with the liver abnormalities.
2762902 Late stage Lyme borreliosis in children. 1989 Aug These cases illustrate that late stage Lyme borreliosis can occur in children without a history of tick bite or ECM; this disorder can manifest itself initially as a seventh cranial nerve palsy, heart block, or arthritis, and the arthritis syndrome can mimic oligoarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis depends upon clinical recognition. In the absence of ECM, tests for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi can provide an invaluable tool in assisting in the diagnosis. Children who live in or visit areas endemic for Lyme borreliosis and who have arthritis, heart block, or neurologic disorders such as facial palsy should be tested for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi if no other cause for the disease syndrome is identified clinically.
3491356 Arthritis in children. 1986 Dec Arthritis in children may result from many conditions. The rheumatic diseases, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the spondyloarthropathies, rheumatic fever, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, and the various vasculitis syndromes all can cause arthritis; these diseases are distinguished by their characteristic clinical appearances. Several nonrheumatic disorders such as infections, malignancies, congenital or genetic conditions, orthopedic conditions, and psychological disorders may closely simulate the various rheumatic diseases. The evaluation of children with arthritis rests chiefly on historical and physical findings; radiographs, laboratory tests, and occasionally biopsies also may be helpful. It is particularly important to identify specifically treatable diseases, such as bacterial infections or childhood malignancies, early and to avoid labeling nonrheumatic conditions as rheumatic. Accurate diagnosis of the various rheumatic disease syndromes is important for optimal therapy.
1764846 Autoantibodies in Greek juvenile chronic arthritis patients. 1991 Nov The aim of this study was to investigate sera of Greek patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) for the presence of autoantibodies and correlate these antibodies with the clinical picture and disease activity. Sera from 69 JCA patients and sera from 66 healthy children matched for sex and age, were tested for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), antibodies to extractable cellular antigens (ENAs), rheumatoid factor (RF), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM), antibodies to double stranded (ds) DNA and anticardiolipin (CL). Our results indicate that: (a) autoantibodies to dsDNA are a not uncommon finding in JCA sera; (b) these autoantibodies have a low affinity for the antigen since they are found in low titers only by ELISA, while the Farr assay and Crithidia lucilliae immunofluorescence assay (IF) are negative; and (c) active JCA patients express many autoantibodies.
2735157 Specific serum IgA-antibodies in chlamydial-induced arthritis. 1989 Mar A cohort analytic study was performed to investigate serum IgA-class antibodies against Chlamydia in 24 patients with chlamydial-induced arthritis (CIA). IgA-class antibodies against chlamydial antigens were positive (titre greater than or equal to 1:16) in 23 of the 24 IgG-positive CIA-patients (96%) in contrast to 16 of 40 patients (40%) with other rheumatic diseases (ankylosing spondylitis n = 6; undifferentiated arthritis n = 11; rheumatoid arthritis n = 12; degenerative joint disease n = 11), also positive for IgG-class chlamydial antibodies. Both the presence of specific IgA-antibodies and their geometric mean titre (1:28 vs. 1:4) differed significantly (p less than 0.001) between the two groups.
3275511 Emphysematous septic arthritis due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. 1988 Jan A 60-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis developed acute emphysematous septic arthritis of the knee due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. She was brought to the hospital in septic shock with disseminated intravascular coagulation and had striking physical signs and roentgenograms showing distention of the knee with gas. She also had an infection of the hand with subcutaneous gas. After surgical drainage and institution of antibiotic therapy, she remained critically ill for several days but gradually improved. Two months later, she was ambulating independently. Emphysematous septic arthritis is rare. Four cases have previously been reported, but none were caused by Klebsiella.
18415212 [Affectivity, irrational attitudes, and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.]. 1990 Mar The relationship of patients' pain with emotions and irrational attitudes were reported. The subjects were 128 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The assessment instruments were the Situation-Reaction Questionnaire (SRQ) and the Irrational Attitudes Questionnaire (IAQ). Pain experience was measured by a pain-attribute scale and a visual analog scale, and reported pain behavior by two scales for assessing avoidance and activity in pain situations. The medical control variables were morning stiffness and two indexes of process activity and joint inflammation. Hierarchical regression analyses showed (after the inclusion of medical variables) that affect scales (depression, anxiety, aggression) contribute significantly to the explanation of the variation of pain experience (adjective scale: 3%) and reported pain behavior (avoidance: 11%, activity: 6%). When disease activity and emotions were held constant, the IAQ explained a further 11-14% of pain experience and pain behavior. On the other hand, when medical variables and irrational attitudes were controlled, emotions showed no common variation to pain. According to our results, cognitive concepts seem to be more powerful for explaining pain experience and pain behavior than affective constructions. Implications for the study and the practice of psychological pain treatment are discussed.
3736671 Tumour necrosis factor alpha stimulates resorption and inhibits synthesis of proteoglycan 1986 Aug 7 During inflammatory reactions, activated leukocytes are thought to produce a variety of small proteins (cytokines) that influence the behaviour of other cells (including other leukocytes). Of these substances, which include the interleukins, interferons and tumour necrosis factors (TNFs), interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been considered potentially a most important inflammatory mediator because of its wide range of effects. In vivo it is pyrogenic and promotes the acute phase response; in vitro it activates lymphocytes and stimulates resorption of cartilage and bone. Cartilage resorption is a major feature of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and IL-1 is the only cytokine hitherto known to promote it. TNFs are characterized by their effects on tumours and cytotoxicity to transformed cells, but share some actions with IL-1. I report here that recombinant human TNF alpha stimulates resorption and inhibits synthesis of proteoglycan in explants of cartilage. Its action is similar to and additive with IL-1, and it is a second macrophage-derived cytokine whose production in rheumatoid arthritis, or inflammation generally, could contribute to tissue destruction.
2674740 Methotrexate therapy in connective tissue diseases: a review of the literature. 1989 Aug Low dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy is now widely used with considerable success in refractory rheumatoid arthritis. Experience with the drug in other connective tissue diseases and vasculitis has been limited. This article reviews hypotheses about the mode of action of MTX, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, reasons to use cytotoxic agents in the different diseases, and results of MTX therapy. Risk factors, adverse reactions and drug interactions of MTX with other drugs are mentioned. Although based on a small number of patients, data about remarkable clinical improvement in polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus and vasculitis suggest that MTX is a potent and effective drug in connective tissue diseases other than rheumatoid arthritis. However, controlled trials are needed to assess the exact value of the drug in these diseases.
2538105 Role of myeloperoxidase in intracellular and extracellular chemiluminescence of neutrophil 1989 Jan Activated polymorphonuclear leucocytes (neutrophils) can generate both intracellular and extracellular luminol dependent chemiluminescence. As luminol dependent chemiluminescence largely measures the activity of the myeloperoxidase-H2O2 system, and as the extracellular activity of this enzyme may be responsible for the tissue damage associated with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, the aim of this work was to distinguish between intracellular and extracellular chemiluminescence so that the extracellular activity of this enzyme could be evaluated. Azide was used as a non-specific inhibitor of both intracellular and extracellular chemiluminescence, whereas anti-(human myeloperoxidase) IgG was used to inhibit specifically the extracellular activity of myeloperoxidase. Thus this IgG is a useful analytical tool for studying the extracellular activity of the myeloperoxidase-H2O2 system in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis.