ABSTRACT
Vitamin D is an important factor for calcium hemostasis, and it is responsible for immune system regulation and lowering the risk of inflammatory disease. The aim of this descriptive study was to evaluate the vitamin D level in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [RA] and analyze its possible relation with the severity or the disease. This cross sectional study was performed on 135 patients who met the criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. Data on vitamin D levels from 224 people whom were referred to the Iranian Rheumatism Center laboratory but had turned negative for RA was used as control. Vitamin D levels lower than 30 ng/ml wereconsidered as deficiency, and levels lower than 10 ng/ml were characterized as severe deficiency. Disease status was measured by DAS28 and calculated using the related software. The majority of the patients [82.8%] were female. The mean age of the patients, whom included an 82.8% female participants, was 46.9 years, with a mean disease duration of 9.3 years. The average DAS28 was calculated as 3.47, with an average vitamin D level at 35.9 ng/ml. Vitamin D deficiency and severe deficiency were seen in 59.3% and 8.9% of the patients, respectively. We found no significant relation between the vitamin D levels and disease status. Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis but it is does not appear to have a significant relation to the disease status/severity
ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common inflammatory joint disease with 1 percent prevalence in community which presents with symmetrical polyarthritis of hands with inflammatory behavior. Several studies in recent years were conducted for evaluation of inflammatory cytokines such as ILl-alpha [Interleukin la] and TNF- alpha [Tumor necrosis factor] in rheumatologic disorders including rheumatoid arthritis to find new treatment methods base to pathogenesis. In this study different serum levels of ILl-alpha and TNF- alpha in 160 rheumatoid arthritis patients with active and inactive disease and also disease with or without bone erosion are assessed. 4% of our patients had rheumatoid nodule and 70% of all patients had positive RF, ILl-alpha, and TNF- alpha levels. Active with bone erosion patients had ILl-alpha and TNF- alpha serum levels higher than active without bone erosion patients; it was not significant in T-test but it was significant in Mann-Whitney Test. The results was the same as expected; ILl-alpha, and TNF- alpha serum levels were higher in active with bone erosion in comparison with inactive without bone erosion patients
ABSTRACT
Systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] is a disease with life-threatening complications. Since evidence indicates that measurement of triglyceride [TG] and HDL levels and tumor necrosis alpha factor [TNF- alpha] and its types I and II soluble receptors plays a major role in evaluation of lupus activity, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the above mentioned factors and lupus activity in Tehran in 2005. In this cross-sectional study fasting blood samples were obtained from 86 SLE patients who had been entered into the study through convenient sampling and the disease activity was calculated using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index [SLEDAI]. Scores >/= 6 were considered as active lupus and <6 as dormant lupus. Serum levels of TNF- alpha, sTNFR[1] and sTNFR[2] were measured through ELISA [Bender Medsystem] and blood TG and HDL through routine biochemical tests within 12 hours overnight fasting. The results were analysed by t-test, Mann-Whitney and Pearson correlation tests. 46 people [53.5%] suffered from dormant disease and 40 people [46.5%] from active disease. TG level had significant relationship with disease activity, sTNFR[2] [P=0.001] and TNF-alpha [P=0/01], while HDL level had inverse significant relationship with SLEDAI [P=0.007], TNF [P=0.01], STNFR1 [P=0.001]. There was no significant relation between TG and HDL with STNFR2. Multiple linear analysis of regression showed that three variables [TG, sTNFR[1] and sTNFR[2]] are maintained in the model for prognosis of the disease while TNF-alpha and HDL are omitted. Dislipoproteinemia [elevated TG and reduced HDL] correlates with SLE activity following an increase in TNF-alpha and its soluble receptors. Thus, serum levels of TG, HDL and TNF-alpha and its soluble receptors are connected with lupus activity and are valuable markers for the disease activity
ABSTRACT
The natural history of ocular lesions in Behcet's disease is toward severe loss of vision/blindness in few years, whereas cytotoxic drugs have changed the outcome. Several open labeled cohort studies showed pulse cyclophosphamide [PCP] to be the best choice. Since one third of these patients are resistant to PCP it is important to know how much improve ment one can expect from the responders. To address this question, we selected patients who improved or maintained their baseline visual acuity after treatment. From a cohort of 528 patients [1056 eyes], 753 eyes were selected. At the beginning of the study PCP was given for one month as 0.75 to 1 g in perfusion, and then followed every 2 to 3 months. Prednisolone was also given as 0.5 mg/kg/daily and then tapered upon controlling inflammation. The mean +/- SD number of pulses was 11.5 +/- 8.5/month with follow-up of 20.6 +/- 19.8 months. Different disease activity indices such as visual acuity, posterior uveitis, retinal vasculitis, total inflammatory activity index [TIAI], total adjusted disease activity index [TADAI] were calculated at baseline and at last evaluation. The mean visual acuity improved from 2.4 to 4.4. The mean indices for posterior uveitis, retinal vasculitis, TIAI and TADAI improved from 2.2 to 1, 2.7 to 1.4, 19.3 to 9, and 27.2 to 20.5 respectively. The P value was less than 0.001 for all comparisons. Pulse cyclophosphamide is able to improve ocular lesions of Behcet's disease; therefore it may be used as a first choice, especially in retinal vasculitis
Subject(s)
Humans , Eye Diseases/drug therapy , Eye , Cyclophosphamide , Pulse Therapy, DrugABSTRACT
The neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus are frequent. One of the most serious presentations is convulsion. This study was carried out to evaluate the relation between convulsion and anti-DNA antibody levels. An analytic, retrospective case-controlled study was carried out, with reference to 1001 recorded cases of systemic SLE lupus erythematosus in Lupus Unit, Rheumatology Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The frequency of convulsion was 13.3%. there was no significant difference in the frequency of convulsoin in patients with different levels of anti-DNA antibodies. Anti-DNA antibody is not an important diagnostic and activity criterion for neuropsychiatric manifestations of SLE