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

ID PMID Title PublicationDate abstract
6978108 Immunosuppression and the rheumatic diseases. 1982 Ignorance of the basic nature of rheumatoid arthritis precludes the introduction of rational schemes for using cytotoxic drugs. It is still plausible that the autoimmune and other immunological abnormalities which accompany this disease are the secondary effects of persistent antigen, for example, related to microbial infections. In this event, cytotoxic drugs may diminish the inflammatory response but their effects on immune responses would be irrelevant or even undesirable. Should rheumatoid arthritis prove to be a primary immunoproliferative disorder, cytotoxic drugs may prove to be of value not because of their conventional immunosuppressive effects but because of their selective action on the proliferating cells. Indeed, current evidence suggests that these drugs enhance rather than depress conventional immune responses, at least in the doses given to patients with rheumatic disorders.
6794822 DR antigens and rheumatoid arthritis: a study of two populations. 1981 Nov 14 Thr prevalence of HLA-DR antigens was determined in a group of white patients with rheumatoid arthritis, similar patients originating from the Indian subcontinent, and corresponding controls. Rheumatoid arthritis was found to be highly associated with DR4 in the white patients but with DR1 in the Indian patients. These results raise the possibility that the DR antigens themselves do not play a part in increasing susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, but the locus for increased susceptibility is probably closely linked to the DR locus.
485575 Directed migration of circulating polymorphonuclear leucocytes in patients with rheumatoid 1979 Jun The migration of peripheral polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been studied both in vivo and in vitro. A significant reduction in the accumulation of PMNs in skin chambers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to controls was observed but no defect in cell movement was detected when the isolated PMNs from the patients were exposed to activated control plasma. However, when PMNs from the control group were tested against activated plasma from patients with rheumatoid arthritis there was a significant decrease in their chemotactic response. It is proposed that there is a humoral defect in the plasma of the patients.
3890865 Induction of chronic polyarthritis in rabbits by hyperimmunization with Escherichia coli. 1985 May Hyperimmunization of 147 rabbits (outbred Japanese white rabbits and New Zealand white [NZW] rabbits bred in a closed colony) with heat-killed Escherichia coli 0:14 in Freund's incomplete adjuvant resulted in the animals developing a chronic polyarthritis resembling rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While both Japanese white and NZW rabbits showed a high incidence of the induced arthritis, a higher proportion of NZW rabbits developed the disease, suggesting that genetic influence is important in the development of RA-like illness. This experimental model may be useful for the study of RA.
114652 Effect of chrysotherapy on parameters of immune response. 1979 Thirty-nine subjects with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis received weekly intramuscular gold sodium thiomalate (GST) to sustain gold blood levels of more than 320 microgram/dl. Statistical analysis revealed significant declines from pre-treatment values for IgM, IgG, and IaA. Rheumatoid factor titer decreased in 29 of 39 subjects, 15 becoming seronegative. Circulating lymphocytes decreased by 27%. The maximal suppressive effect on IgM was not achieved until the 3rd and 4th years of GST administration. Auranofin (AF) 6 mg/day was administered to 15 patients for an average interval of 45 weeks. In vitro and in vivo suppression of lymphocyte mitogen response with AF was more rapid in onset and significantly greater than with GST. Suppression of dinitrochlorobenzene skin sensitization was observed in AF patients. The clinical response in GST treated subjects correlated with suppression of immunoglobulins, rheumatoid factor titer, and circulating lymphocytes. A significant decline in these variables was not achieved for a corresponding interval with AF treatment. It is suggested that chrysotherapy may be applied more widely to immunologically-mediated disorders and perhaps be used to affect selectively B versus T mediated dysfunction.
6764851 [Aortic rheumatoid insufficiency. 3 cases and review of the literature]. 1982 Jul The authors report on three cases of rheumatoid aortic valve insufficiency. The three patients had classic sero-positive rheumatoid arthritis. In one patient aortic valve insufficiency and pericarditis occurred simultaneously; aortic valve insufficiency appeared in two patients less than two years and in the third patient 17 years after the beginning of arthritis. In the first two cases, the aortic regurgitation evaluated by echocardiography and angiography was not severe enough to require valvular replacement. In the third patient, rheumatoid granuloma of the aortic valve caused fatal aortic insufficiency.
4020061 Bilateral traumatic dislocations of Volz total wrist arthroplasties: a case report. 1985 Jul Bilateral traumatic dislocations of Volz total wrist arthroplasties in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis occurred 7 years after the initial surgical procedures. Treatment consisted of closed manipulation and reduction of both wrists followed by temporary splinting. Good function was restored in both wrists without operative intervention. No fractures or loosening at the bone cement interface was encountered.
642792 Synovial membrane histopathology in the differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, go 1978 May The synovial membrane histologic sections from patients with six common rheumatic diseases were reviewed without knowledge of the clinical diagnosis. After histopathologic evaluation, the synovial membrane characteristics were grouped according to the patient's clinical diagnosis, and included 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 13 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 17 with degenerative joint disease, 10 with acute bacterial arthritis, 8 with gout, and 13 with pseudogout. The only specific characteristics identified were bacteria (infectious arthritis), crystals (gout, pseudogout), and lymphoid follicles (rheumatoid arthritis). Nevertheless, other characteristic features of differential diagnostic utility were recognized, including the intensity and nature of synovial lining cell hyperplasia and of leukocyte infiltration. Light microscopic histopathologic changes in the common rheumatic diseases are not specific, but are of diagnostic utility. Complete and exhaustive review of each pathologic synovial membrane characteristic provides more justification for the routine use of synovial membrane biopsy as an adjunct to arthrocentesis in the evaluation of common rheumatic diseases.
6623011 Lentil lectin-bound glycoproteins of cultured rheumatoid synovial cells. 1983 Synovial cell lines were cultured from 5 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, from 4 patients with other synovial inflammation and from 4 non-inflammatory controls. Protein synthesis was studied by [35S]methionine labelling. Glycoproteins containing D-glucose or D-mannose were separated by affinity chromatography with immobilized lentil lectin and analysed by SDS-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gradient gels (SDS-gradient PAGE). About 12% of labelled protein was bound to the lectin column (range 7.9-20.0%). Proteins of RA cells showed no differences in binding compared with proteins of the reference cells. At least 40 glycoproteins were separated by SDS-gradient PAGE. No new or missing bands were observed in RA cells, but several quantitative changes and microheterogeneity of some polypeptide molecular weights were noted.
2410976 IgG with a deviant conformation in serum and synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis pati 1985 Jul Specific rabbit antisera were prepared against an IgG with a special conformation (IgG spec.) previously detected in some sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The antibodies had no affinity to normal human IgG and were not anti-idiotypic to human rheumatoid factor. The affinity of IgG spec. to the antibodies could not be explained by an antiglobulin activity to rabbit IgG. The amount of protein with affinity to immobilized specific IgG F(ab')2 of the antibodies was determined in serum and synovial fluid from patients with various joint diseases. A relationship between the content of IgG spec. and the diagnosis of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis was found on analysis of serum samples. IgG spec. also occurred in synovial fluid from some individuals with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Differences in the serum content of IgG spec. could not be explained by differences in the normal IgG content. Circular dichroism analysis of isolated IgG spec. showed that in the region(s) close to tyrosine residue(s) this polyclonal protein had similarities to heat-aggregated IgG.
4087274 Localized eosinophilic fasciitis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. 1985 Oct A case of eosinophilic fasciitis localized to the left thenar eminence in a patient with active rheumatoid arthritis is described for the first time. The clinical and pathologic similarities to localized forms of scleroderma, and the features that help to distinguish these conditions are discussed.
1266423 [Deep vein thrombosis in the differential diagnosis of knee-joint capsule changes in rheum 1976 Mar The authors describe 5 patients with rheumatoid arthritis; in 3 patients rupture of the synovial membrane and in 2 patients a calf cyst caused symptoms resembling a deep vein thrombosis. Contrast arthrography is of great help in differential diagnosis in conjunction with thorough anamnesis and clinical examination. The joint effusion plays a dominating role in the disease process, and treatment of the effusion is of the greatest importance for both prophylaxis and therapy of membrane rupture and calf cysts.
7111719 Prognostic features of atlantoaxial subluxation in rheumatoid arthritis patients. 1982 Sep The clinical and radiographic findings of 194 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and atlantoaxial (C1-C2) subluxation and/or atlantoaxial impaction (AAI) were reviewed. The condition of most patients with C1-C2 alignment abnormalities remained unchanged or became worse with time (i.e., the misalignment became fixed, subluxation increased, or AAI developed). The chance of developing upper cervical cord compression was not related to worsening per se, but to the degree of deformity. Upper spinal cord compression developed more often in men; when C1-C2 subluxation was greater than 9 mm; and in the presence of atlantoaxial impaction. The presence of lateral C1-C2 subluxation probably also contributes to the development of upper spinal cord compression. Settling of the skull and C1 onto C2 (AAI) were considered to be present when the anterior arch of C1 was abnormally low in relation to C2.
7288756 The coexistence of rheumatoid arthritis with Reiter's syndrome and/or ankylosing spondylit 1981 May In a prospective study of 184 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and/or Reiter's disease, we have examined the frequency of concomitant rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determined the HLA profile of these patients. Five men (2.7%), 3 with ankylosing spondylitis and 2 with Reiter's disease, had coexistent classical RA and 2 of these also had Felty's syndrome. Immunogenetic analysis demonstrated that all 5 patients had either HLA-R27 or another B-7-cross-reactive antigen and that 3 also possessed HLA-DR4. Thus, 2 or more HLA-associated genetic predispositions may occur in the same individual, and, when expressed, result in the dual expression of both a spondylitic disease and RA.
10254521 Comparative assessment of two booklets about rheumatoid arthritis, intended for use by pat 1981 Increases in patient knowledge after reading booklets about rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated the effectiveness of written material as a teaching aid. Two groups of patients (35 and 37 in number) in a specialist hospital acted as their own controls. Group A, after reading a booklet produced by the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council, increased their scores by a mean of 21 per cent. Group B, after reading a booklet produced by the Leeds Health Education Service, and containing substantially more information, achieved a 45 per cent average increase, indicating that this is the more effective of the two. Overall low scores before reading indicate a need for more patient education.
6769399 Gold binding to blood cells and serum proteins during chrysotherapy. 1980 Feb The binding of gold to peripheral erythrocytes and serum protein fractions was studied during chrysotherapy of 1 to 2 years' duration in 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In 45% of the patients more than 10% of the gold was found to be strongly bound to blood cells. 5--15% of the metal is bound to non-albumin protein fractions at serum gold concentrations larger than 2 microgram/ml. In contrast to the cellular binding of gold the relative binding of gold to non-albumin proteins was inversely proportional to the serum concentrations. Binding to neither blood cells nor to non-albumin protein fractions was found to be correlated with clinical parameters.
6188684 Antibodies to nucleic acids in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis patie 1983 Jan Sera of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients contain antibodies to double-stranded and single-stranded DNA while antibodies found in rheumatoid arthritis sera are specific mainly to single-stranded DNA. Anti-RNA antibodies in the both cases are directed against double-stranded RNA and belong to the IgM class while anti-DNA antibodies are IgG. Genetic variance analysis based on family correlations suggests that the synthesis of antibodies to DNA is subject to different modes of gene regulations in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis patients. In the case of SLE, a high degree of genetic determination is demonstrated, due mainly to the X-chromosomal component of the general phenotypic variance. The failures in the immunoregulation system that are responsible for anti-RNA antibody production are rather similar in the two groups of patients and involve a combination of environmental and autosomal factors.
6887178 The frequency of leg ulceration in rheumatoid arthritis: a survey. 1983 Jun Nine percent of 215 adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis attending our clinic gave a history of leg ulcers when surveyed by a self administered questionnaire. This was over twice the frequency found in a matched control group with degenerative arthritis attending the same clinic and was a significant increase.
675172 Acetylation phenotype in rheumatoid arthritis. 1978 The acetylation rate of INH was studied in 39 patients with RA; 20 patients with cardiac arrhythmia served as controls. Statistically, no significant difference was observed between the groups. The percentages of rapid acetylators in the RA and control groups were higher (59 and 55%, respectively) than the reported incidence in the Finnish population, 44% (11). The polymorphic acetylation phenotype was not correlated with either clinical parameters of RA or with sensitivity to gold salts.
6367751 The effects of a partially purified fraction of an ant venom in rheumatoid arthritis. 1984 Mar A partially purified extract of an ant venom from the South American tree ant Pseudomyrmex sp. was tested in a double-blind, controlled study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Venom treated patients demonstrated an improvement in global efficacy and a decrease in the number of tender/painful joints and swollen joints. Swollen joint index improved in 60% of venom treated patients. Other parameters did not demonstrate significant change. Reduction of joint swelling was followed by symptomatic improvement that was sometimes delayed by weeks. Reactions were limited to erythema at the injection site (all patients), local pruritus (two-thirds of the patients), and fever with malaise (one-third of the patients). Further study of this venom in rheumatoid arthritis appears warranted in view of its apparent favorable efficacy-to-toxicity ratio.