ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical and radiographic efficacy and safety of the combination of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-αt receptor Ⅱ IgG Fc fusion protein (rhTNFR:Fc) and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MethodsThirty patients with highly active RA were treated with rhTNFR:Fc (25 mg subcutaneously twice weekly) and oral MTX (up to 15 mg weekly). Clinical efficacy was assessed using ACR response criteria and the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28).Radiographs of the hands and wrists were assessed with the modified Sharp score. Chi-square test, Fisher is exact test and paired t-test were performed. ResultsAt week 52, ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 responses were achieved by 90％, 87％ and 67％ respectively. At week 52, mean DAS28 was 3.4±1.1 compared to 6.4±0.6 at base-line(P＜0.01), with 23％ patients achieving clinical remission and 17％ patients in low disease activity. Similarly, the HAQ was improved significantly, declining from 1.18±0.56 at base-line to 0.25t±0.34 at week 52 (P＜0.01). No radiographic progression was found in 22 cases. Adverse events were mild in general.ConclusionTreatment with rhTNFR:Fc plus MTX has shown good efficacy throughout 52 study period in reducing disease activity, improving function, and retarding radiographic progression. Combination therapy for 52 weeks can achieve disease remission and no radiographic progression, which are the two goals of therapy for RA.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the toxicity-reducing and action-enhancing effects of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) on tripterygium glycosides (TG) in treating murine lupus nephritis (LN).Methods Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) murine LN model was established.Modeling mice were randomly divided into three groups:LN group,TG group (in the dose of 30 mg?kg-1?d-1),and TG+TGP group (TG in the dose of 30 mg?kg-1?d-1 and TGP in the dose of 200 mg?kg-1?d-1),6 mice in each group.Another six normal mice served as control.Medication groups received corresponding medicine according to the experimental design,and mice in the normal control group and LN group received the same volume of saline,qd,for 4 weeks.After the treatment,the levels of 24-hour urinary protein excretion (UPE),blood urea nitrogen (BUN),serum creatinine (SCr),serum alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST),and contents of superoxide dismustase (SOD),malondialdehyde (MDA),and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in liver tissue homogenate were measured.Meanwhile,the pathologic changes of kidneys in each group were detected.Results Compared with LN group,levels of UPE,BUN and SCr in TG group and TG+TGP group were decreased notablely (P