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PMID	Title	PublicationDate	abstract
6488717	Septic polyarthritis due to bacteroides fragilis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.	1984 Sep	A case of septic polyarthritis is described in a patient with severe RA who had not received steroid therapy. The organism involved, Bacteroides fragilis, was sensitive to metronidazole.
6891721	Plasminogen activator activity of rheumatoid and nonrheumatoid synovial fibroblasts.	1982 Nov	Extracellular and cell associated plasminogen activator (PA) activities were measured in a series of synovial fibroblast cell lines, derived by outgrowth and passage from both rheumatoid and nonrheumatoid tissue. In early passages of these cell lines under standardized culture conditions, the enzyme activity was low for most lines but relatively high in a few. There was no significant difference in the PA levels of the cell lines from either source. In addition, cells from both groups increased their PA activity in response to conditioned medium from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. It is concluded that the presence of fibrin-like material in rheumatoid joints cannot be simply explained by a relative defect in PA production by cells obtained after outgrowth and passage from rheumatoid explant material.
7285498	Protection against superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in synovial fluid from rheumatoid pati	1981 Oct	1. On exposure of synovial fluid to superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, generated enzymically or by activated polymorphonuclear leucocytes, hyaluronic acid is depolymerized and the fluid loses its lubricating properties. The ability of synovial fluid from rheumatoid patients to scavenge superoxide and hydrogen peroxide was therefore examined. 2. Synovial fluid from a range of rheumatoid patients contained no superoxide dismutase activity, insufficient caeruloplasmin to scavenge any superoxide radical and little, if any, catalase activity. 3. Total ascorbate (reduced ascorbate + dehydroascorbate) concentrations in the plasma and synovial fluid of rheumatoid patients were similar in each case. The values are at the low end of the normal range. 4. These results are discussed in relation to the role of oxygen radicals in inflammatory joint disease.
168997	Collagenolytic systems in rheumatoid arthritis.	1975 Jul	As the proliferative lesion of rheumatoid arthritis becomes polarized and invasion of articular cartilage and subchondral bone begins, it is likely that many mesenchymal cells, including periosteal and perichondral cells, and perhaps even the chondrocytes and osteoblasts themselves can be activated to produce destructive enzymes. Early in the course of RA cartilage proteoglycans are depleted, leaving the remaining collagen more susceptible to mechanical breakdown as well as to enzymatic breakdown. Specific collagenases are released by synovial cells and, in addition, by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The latter enzyme may account for free collagenase found in synovial fluid, a finding possibly related to saturation of inhibitory proteins by proteases with greater affinity for them, leaving collagenase active. At this time in the course of rheumatoid arthritis, a joint would be under double jeopardy from enzymes released by the invading pannus as well as by collagenase free and active in the synovial fluid. Rapid destruction could occur. Although cartilage collagen has an intrinsic resistance to collagenase conferred by its primary structure and by higher order structure (e.g. intermolecular cross-links), it seems wise to cool down hot joints because increased temperature may increase the rate of collagen degradation and, therefore, cartilage destruction. In addition, superimposed sepsis or acute flares of rheumatoid disease result in enough influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes into the joints to result in free collagenolytic activity being present. This provides a rationale for frequent aspiration of any joint fluid, septic or otherwise, containing high polymorphonuclear leukocyte counts.
857014	[An unusual dissecting cyst of the knee in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis].	1977 Mar	An unusual synovial cyst of the knee in rheumatoid arthritis is reported. The communication with the knee joint anteriorly under the tibial insertion of the internal collateral ligament is in contrast with all the cases reported to date in the literature. The advantages of the air arthrogram (coupled with the arteriography) over the opaque contrast medium arthrography are shown to be superior for such special case.
961077	Microscopic comparison of the synovial changes in rheumatoid arthritis and ostroarthritis.	1976 Jul	Whereas the histopathologic picture of the synovial membrane in rheumatoid arthritis varies widely and that in osteoarthritis displays a small range of changes, light- and transmission electron microscopic studies of synovial sections from both disease entities complement each other and assist reciprocally to corroborate the observed changes. Beyond that comparative survey of the ascertained histopathologic features and their correlation with clinical observations disclose that a study of a larger material of specimens permits with some limitations to infer the nature of the joint disease.
6979979	Neutropenia in rheumatoid arthritis: studies on possible contributing factors.	1982 Jun	Twenty-five patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and neutropenia, of whom 19 had a palpable spleen, were compared with 24 patients with uncomplicated RA, and 16 patients with RA and associated splenomegaly without neutropenia. Clinically patients with neutropenia had evidence of a more systemic disease as assessed by prevalence of rheumatoid nodules, weight loss, and recurrent infections. However, there was less evidence of active synovitis than in the other 2 groups. Marrow neutrophil reserve was studied by means of a hydrocortisone stimulation test and was found to be lower in all 3 groups than in normal persons but with most marked depletion in the neutropenic group. Removal of the spleen in some patients with neutropenia resulted in a significant increase in marrow neutrophil reserve. Circulating immune complexes as detected by anticomplementary activity and platelet aggregation tests were detected in 68% of the RA neutropenia group, 31% of the RA splenomegaly group, and 8% of the uncomplicated RA group. Our results show that, assessed both clinically and by the above tests, patients with neutropenia have a greater prevalence of abnormalities which may be directly related to their neutropenia. Patients with splenomegaly alone closely resemble patients with uncomplicated RA.
6085043	Immunologic safety of ibuprofen in rheumatoid arthritis: preliminary evidence.	1984 Jul	Some evidence indicates that ibuprofen and other prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors may have the potential for cellular immune enhancement in addition to their anti-inflammatory activity. If this is true, treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a disorder of presumed autoimmune pathogenesis, would present a dilemma. These agents are widely used in rheumatoid arthritis for their anti-inflammatory effects. If they are found to enhance cellular immune function, however, the disease might be stimulated over the long term, rather than suppressed. Preliminary evidence from four patients with rheumatoid arthritis show that oral ibuprofen had no significant immunologic effect during sequential "on" and "off" cycles, as assessed by the following measures: delayed hypersensitivity skin testing; lymphocyte transformation to mitogen (phytohemagglutinin) or specific antigen (Candida albicans); T-cell subsets, as determined by monoclonal antibody techniques; or production of the lymphokine, human immune interferon, in response to phytohemagglutinin or to staphylococcal enterotoxin A. Early evidence, therefore, suggests that oral ibuprofen therapy may be 'immunologically safe' in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but investigations of large series of patients also assessing local immune reaction in diseased joints may be necessary for confirmation.
226011	Collagenase production by rheumatoid synovial cells: morphological and immunohistochemical	1979 Jun	The dendritic cells of dissociated, adherent rheumatoid synovial cell cultures are recognised by their distinctive morphological features--compact cytoplasm around the nucleus and long, branched cytoplasmic extensions. Such cells usually composed approximately 10% of the total adherent cell population but could vary from as few as 2% to as many as 40% with different synovial specimens. Histological studies have shown the cells to contain many mitochondria and large, spherical cytoplasmic inclusions which often distort the dendritic extensions. Although lysosomes were observed, no evidence for phagocytic activity was obtained. Immunolocalisation studies by means of a monospecific antibody to human collagenase have shown that the dendritic cell attached to a collagenous substratum produces and releases this enzyme in vitro. In contrast collagenase was detected in only a few of the fibroblast- and macrophage-like cells, and it was always intracellular. It is proposed that the dendritic cell may have an important role in the pathophysiology of the rheumatoid joint, particularly with regard to collagenase-mediated cartilage destruction.
650827	Understanding rheumatoid arthritis. Evaluation of a patient education program.	1978 Jun 9	We evaluated a patient education program on understanding rheumatoid arthritis; 94% of those responding to our questionnaire considered the program helpful in increasing their understanding of their condition, and 93% said it enhanced their communication with their family. A total of 85% reported one or more behavioral changes, such as not abusing joints (63%), getting more rest (56%), and using medications more meticulously (48%) after participating in the program. We recommend patient education as an effective means of helping patients understand and hence comply with physicians' instructions as well as helping patients to assume greater responsibility for their own health care.
227046	Plasma and synovial fluid cAMP in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.	1979	cAMP was measured in plasma and synovial fluid from 11 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with a specific protein-binding assay. Plasma and synovial fluid values were 17.0 +/- 6.8 pmol/ml and 8.3 +/- 3.7 pmol/ml, range 5-28 pmol/ml and 5-16 pmol/ml, respectively. No correlation could be established between plasma and synovial fluid levels, plasma and disease activity, or synovial fluid and disease activity, as judged by Lansbury's index. It is concluded that it seems unlikely that synovial fluid cAMP is derived solely from plasma and that no simple relation exists between cAMP in plasma and synovial fluid and total disease activity.
6343978	[Immunologic diagnosis of rheumatoid polyarthritis using a new micromethod of quantitative	1983 Mar	A new micromethod of quantitative haemagglutination of the rheumatoid factor (class IgM) "polyartitre" was studied and compared with the classical Waaler-Rose reaction to the polyartest and to the rheumalatex using sera from 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, confirmed both radiologically and clinically. Thirty controls were selected from among the blood donors and 29 subjects with viral infections, hepatic or systematic illnesses or metabolic troubles. This method presents an excellent concordance with other methods. It is quantitatively more sensitive as the rheumatoid factor titres are higher than those obtained with the classical Waaler-Rose reaction. The polyartitre is simple to perform, easy to read, specific and reproducible, and the results are expressed in international units.
3975420	Pressure erosions of bone in rheumatoid arthritis: a subject review.	1985 Apr	Pressure, or compressive, erosions of bone in various locations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are described. Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms that account for the appearance and distribution of these erosions include osteopenia, soft-tissue laxity, soft-tissue pressure on bone, bone pressure on bone, and muscular forces.
6316546	[Pericarditis with recurrent cardiac compression in rheumatoid polyarthritis].	1983 Nov 10	The authors report the case of seventy-two-year-old man with severe rheumatoid arthritis in whom onset of right ventricular failure led to the discovery of pericarditis. After fluid withdrawal, the anterior part of the pericardium was resected. Analysis of the fluid and histological findings suggested a rheumatoid origin. Pericarditis recurred two and a half years later causing subacute compression of the heart leading to repeated centeses in spite of corticosteroid therapy. In the terminal stage, M. tuberculosis was discovered but this finding was not confirmed subsequently. The main features of rheumatoid pericarditis are reviewed. Tuberculous pericarditis should be considered in patients under corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents.
6420563	beta 2 microglobulin plasma levels reflect disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.	1983 Dec	Elevated plasma levels of beta 2 microglobulin have been described in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but their relationship to disease activity is unclear. In patients treated for 6 months with auranofin (AF) there was a significant fall (p less than 0.05) in beta 2M levels pari passu with improvement in disease activity as measured by a fall in C-reactive protein. In addition, 26 patients with mild RA had beta 2M levels within the normal range. It is concluded that beta 2M plasma levels reflect disease activity in RA.
7113971	Rheumatoid factor activity by rate nephelometry correlated with clinical activity in rheum	1982 Sep	The purpose of this study was to evaluate, prospectively, the clinical usefulness of the rate nephelometric method for determining rheumatoid factor (RF) activity, measured in International Units (IU), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These results were compared with those of standard latex agglutination titration. The overall correlation between clinical activity and RF activity measured by rate nephelometry and serologic titration are similar, i.e., r = 0.47 (P less than 0.001) and r = 0.43 (p less than 0.001), respectively. However, on an individual patient basis, the nephelometric determination appears to correlate better with disease activity and response to therapy than do titers. The RF activity measured in IU would give the clinician a more sensitive and precise tool with which to follow RF activity in individual patients with active disease.
3987198	Long-term results of knee synovectomy in early cases of rheumatoid arthritis.	1985 Mar	Five hundred and eight cases of early synovectomy of the knee in rheumatoid arthritis are reported from nine clinics in a retrospective multi-center follow-up study. Observation time covers at least ten years in each case. Sixty-five per cent of the cases are reported as being subjectively and objectively good. The mean roentgenological grade, according to Larsen, was 1.7 preoperatively and 2.7 at follow-up.
7161783	Birbeck granules in synovial cells from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.	1982 Nov	Although Langerhans cells were first described as long ago as 1868, it is only relatively recently that details of their structure and function have been ascertained. They appear to be of importance in immune reactions and have been found in mammals in most squamous epithelia, including skin, buccal mucosa, esophagus, and vaginal and rectal mucosa. One of features of these cells is the presence of organelles called Birbeck granules on electron microscopy. We report the presence of cells containing Birbeck granules in the synovium of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
6610914	Psoriasis and arthritis. III. A cross-sectional comparative study of patients with "psoria	1984	In a group of patients with seronegative polyarthritis and psoriasis, the radiological features and the incidence of histocompatibility antigens were compared with those of a group of patients with seronegative polyarthritis but not psoriasis. No radiological criteria proved to be characteristic of psoriatic arthritis. In the group of patients with seronegative polyarthritis and psoriasis, erosions of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were seen more frequently and were more severe than in the group of patients with seronegative arthritis without psoriasis. For the group of patients with seronegative polyarthritis and psoriasis, correlation was found between psoriatic nail lesions and erosions of the DIP joints, but this correlation was not found between the nail involvement and erosion of the adjacent DIP joint. No significant differences were found for the incidence of histocompatibility antigens between patients with seronegative polyarthritis with or without psoriasis. However, differences were found between these two groups and either the seropositive polyarthritis group or blood bank donors.
6294295	Isolation of cytomegalovirus from synovial cells of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.	1982 Sep	Synovial cells from the joint of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) showed foci of cytopathic effects during their 3rd subculture in vitro. Electron microscopy of these cells revealed findings characteristic for cytomegalovirus (CMV), and immunofluorescent staining using antiserum specific for CMV was positive. The patient had classical seropositive RA, was not taking immunosuppressive agents, and had no clinical manifestations of CMV disease at the time of synovectomy 3 months earlier. Titers of antibodies to CMV were studied in the sera and synovial fluids of 3 additional patients with RA, and in 1, elevated IgM antibodies to CMV were found, indicating recent infection. Additional studies for CMV in RA are indicated.