ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis was once regarded as "no medicine to cure". In fact, on the basis of latest understanding and fully exploring the innate self-healing instinct endowed by human autophagy, scientific exercise, balanced nutritional metabolism and physical therapy, together with other rehabilitation medical means and technologies, can play an unprecedented role in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.
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AlM: To investigate the association between the degree of anterioruveitis and related factors including inflammatory markers as well as sacroiliac joint imaging in patients with ankylosing spondylitis ( AS) . METHODS: Anterior changes evaluated by slit lamp, erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ) , C - reactive protein ( CRP ) and magnetic resonance imaging of 55 cases with AS associateduveitis were retrospectively analyzed. A modified endotoxin-induced uveitis ( ElU ) clinical standard was used for uveitis grading. SPARCC sacroiliac scoring was used to evaluate bone edema of sacroiliac joint. The correlation between the degree of uveitis and sacroiliitis was assessed. RESULTS: ln the 55 patients with AS, ElU grading scored 2-10, and SPARCC index scored 0-22. Further analysis showed that the severity of uveitis was significantly correlated with ESR (r=0. 869, PCONCLUSlON: Local autoimmunity of uveitis and sacroiliac joint inflammation with subsequent bone formation in AS might be mutually independent processes.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept plus Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside (TWP) in elderly patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 46 elderly patients with active RA were randomly assigned to the treatment group (22 cases) and the control group (24 cases). All patients received subcutaneous injection of etanercept, 25 mg each time, twice per week. The dosage was reduced to once per week 3 months later. Patients in the treatment group took TWP Tablet (10 mg each time, three times per day), while those in the control group took methotrexate (MTX), 10 mg each time, once per week. The whole course lasted for 24 weeks. Patients' rest pain, tender joint number, swollen joint number, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), patients' global assessment, physicians' global assessment, erythrocyte sediment rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), rheumatic factor were assessed at week 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24. The curative effect was statistically evaluated by the United States Institute of Rheumatology ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 improvement criteria. Meanwhile, any adverse event was recorded and evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 41 completed the trial, and 5 dropped off (3 in the treatment group and 2 in the control group). Compared with the control group, there was no statistical difference in ACR20, ACR50, or ACR70 in the treatment group (P > 0.05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, there was some improvement in tender joint number, swollen joint number, visual analogue scale (VAS) for patients' global assessment, VAS for physicians' global assessment, ESR, CRP, and HAQ between the two groups, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group in the same phase, there was no statistical difference in the treatment group (P > 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the occurrence of adverse events between the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Etanercept plus TWP could achieve equivalent therapeutic effect to that of Etanercept plus MTX. The two regimens could improve clinical signs, symptoms, and QOL related to RA. They were well tolerated in the treatment of elderly patients with active RA.</p>
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Antirheumatic Agents , Therapeutic Uses , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Drug Therapy , Drug Therapy, Combination , Etanercept , Glycosides , Therapeutic Uses , Immunoglobulin G , Therapeutic Uses , Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor , Therapeutic Uses , Treatment Outcome , Tripterygium , ChemistryABSTRACT
In this paper, we designed to investigate the frequencies of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) polymorphisms at nt587 and nt694 in south Chinese SLE patients and healthy individuals and explore whether genetic variants in TNFR2 gene is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. The results showed that the nt587G allele frequency was 21.1% in the 128 SLE patients and the allele frequency was 13.0% in the 135 healthy individuals, the former was significantly higher than the latter in the allele frequency (P ＜ 0.05). People with the nt587 G variant showed high risk to SLE. The frequency of nt694 was slightly but not statistically significantly increased in SLE patients compared with healthy controls(16.0% versus 11.9%, P= 0.149). These results indicate that the polymorphism at nt587 of TNFR2 is associated with the south Chinese SLE patients. The polymorphism at nt694 is not associated with SLE.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we designed to investigate the frequencies of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) polymorphisms at nt587 and nt694 in south Chinese SLE patients and healthy individuals and explore whether genetic variants in TNFR2 gene is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. The results showed that the nt587G allele frequency was 21.1% in the 128 SLE patients and the allele frequency was 13.0% in the 135 healthy individuals, the former was significantly higher than the latter in the allele frequency (P ＜ 0.05). People with the nt587 G variant showed high risk to SLE. The frequency of nt694 was slightly but not statistically significantly increased in SLE patients compared with healthy controls(16.0% versus 11.9%, P= 0.149). These results indicate that the polymorphism at nt587 of TNFR2 is associated with the south Chinese SLE patients. The polymorphism at nt694 is not associated with SLE.