Effect of Artemisia annua extract on treating active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect and safety of the complementary use of the extract of Artemisia annua L. (EAA) on treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed. All the 159 participates with active RA were randomly assigned to the control group (80 cases) and EAA group (79 cases) using concealed random allocation method. In the control group, patients were medicated with leflflunomide and methotrexate for 48 weeks; and patients in the EAA group were administrated with leflflunomide, methotrexate plus EAA (30 g/d). At the time points of 0, 12, 24 and 48 weeks, the clinical outcome measures, including objective pain score, tenderness score, number of painful joints, number of swollen joints, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) score for quality of life, levels of serum rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibodies (CCP-Ab), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), visual analogue score for pain (VAS), and the overall effificacy were detected and recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The objective pain score, number of painful joints and ESR at 12 weeks, tenderness score and HAQ at 24 weeks, and the tenderness score, number of painfull joints, number of swollen joints, HAQ, CRP, RF and CCP-Ab at 48 weeks were signifificantly improved in the EAA group compared with the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). At 24 and 48 weeks, the overall effificacy of the EAA group was signifificantly higher than the control group (P<0.01). There were signifificantly higher withdrawal rate of corticosteroids within 12 weeks post-treatment and lower incidence rate of adverse effects in the EAA group compared with the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EAA plus methotrexate and leflflunomide were more effective and safer than the routine use of methotrexate and leflflunomide in the treatment of active RA.</p>

Correlation study between interleukin-17 and ESR and CRP in serum and the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients of accumulated dampness-heat obstruction in joints syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To probe the function of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients of accumulated dampness-heat obstruction in joints syndrome (ADOJS) by detecting levels of IL-17 in serum and the synovial fluid and analyzing its correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C reactive protein (CRP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2011 to January 2013, recruited were 90 RA inpatients of ADOJS at Department of Integrative Medical Rheumatism, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region, of which 28 patients had knee joint effusion. Besides, 30 healthy volunteers who received physical examination at our hospital were recruited as the normal control group, and 30 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) who had knee joint effusion were recruited as the synovial fluid control group. The expression levels of IL-17 in serum and the synovial fluid were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and contents of ESR and CRP were detected in RA patients. Then correlation analyses were performed between levels of IL-17 and contents of ESR and CRP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal serum control group, the expression levels of IL-17 in serum of RA patients significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the serum of RA patients and the synovial fluid of OA patients, the expression levels of IL-17 in the synovial fluid of RA patients significantly increased (P < 0.05). The expression levels of IL-17 in serum of RA patients were not correlated with ESR or CRP (r = 0.092, -0.082; P > 0.05), and the expressional levels of IL-17 in the synovial fluid of RA patients were not correlated with ESR or CRP (r = 0.113, -0.034; P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>IL-17 was the main effector cytokine of Th17 cells. The expressional levels of IL-17 significantly increased in serum and the synovial fluid of RA patients of ADOJS, but with no correlation to ESR or CRP. It indicated that IL-17 participated in the occurrence and development of RA. Concrete mechanisms needed to be further proved in larger samples.</p>

Treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis by sanhuang yilong decoction / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical effect of Sanhuang Yilong Decoction (SYD) in treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety patients of active RA were equally assigned to the treated group and the control group, they were treated by SYD and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs respectively. The effects on both clinical and laboratory indexes of patients were observed and compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The improvement of clinical and laboratory indexes in the treated group was superior and initiated earlier, as compared with those in the control group, and the total effective rate after 2-week, 4-week and 8-week medication was 49.76%, 80.98% and 85.27% respectively, all were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SYD is a scientifically prescribed recipe. As used in treating active RA, it displays an initiating time shorter than non-steroid drugs, and could abate the inflammation of joint synovial membrane and adjust the immunity of patients better, so as to enhance the total effectiveness.</p>