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Objective:To explore the differences on clinical characteristics, concomitant diseases and treatment status between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and provide clues for the early diagnosis and treatment of PsA.Methods:Data were collected by in-person interview of 225 patients with psoriasis and 299 patients with PSA who visited the department of rheumatology and Immunology and Department of Dermatology in People′s Hospital of Peking University from November 2020 to May 2021. After informed consent, the questionnaire was completed on site. The differences of clinical characteristics, concomitant diseases, mental health evaluation and treatment status between patients with arthritis (PsA) and patients with psoriasiswere analyzed and compared. Enumeration data were described by frequency. Chi square test was used to compare categorical variables. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors. P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:Dactylitis [ OR(95% CI)=8.439(4.677,15.226), P<0.001], hip pain [ OR(95% CI)=3.442(1.829,6.480), P<0.001], heel pain [ OR(95% CI)=2.621(1.652,4.157), P<0.001] and low back pain [ OR(95% CI)=1.924(1.156,3.203), P=0.012] may be closely related to the progression of PsA ( P<0.05). The three most common concomitant diseases of patients with PsA and psoriasis both were overweight [43.1%(129/299)、29.3%(66/225)], fatty liver [(28.4%(85/299)、23.1%(52/225)]and hypertension[24.1%(72/299、13.3%(30/225)]. The proportion of osteoporosis in PsA group at the age of 30-39 and 40-49 years old was significantly higher than those in psoriasis group (30-39 years old:12.5%(10/80) vs 1.5%(1/65), χ2=6.14, P=0.013; 40~49 years old: 19.2%(15/78) vs 2.0%(1/51), χ2=8.46, P=0.004]. The proportion of hypertension in PsA group was also higher than that in psoriasis group at the age of 40~49 years old[7.0% (21/78) vs 2.7%(6/51), χ2=4.99, P=0.026)]. And the proportion of fatty liver in PsA group was also higher than that in psoriasis group at the age ≥60 years old [(46.0%(23/50) vs 29.1(7/24), χ2=4.99, P=0.025)]. Among 299 PsA patients, 47.1%(141/299) had anxiety tendency, 45.2%(135/299) had sleep disorder and 41.8%(125/299) had depression tendency. Among 225 psoriasis patients, 44.4%(100/225) had anxiety tendency, 40%(90/225) had sleep disorder and 36.9%(83/225) had depression tendency, there was no significant difference in above-mentioned situations between the PsA and psoriasis patients ( P>0.05). Conclusion:More attention should be paid to the management of concomitant diseases and psychological intervention in patients with PsA. When psoriasis patients occur with heel pain, dactylitis, low back pain and hip pain, the risk of development into PsA should be considered.
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Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease mainly affecting the sacroiliac joints, spine and peripheral joints. In China, standardized diagnosis and treatment of AS is still to be popularized. Based on the evidence and guidelines from China and other countries, Chinese Rheumatology Association developed standardization of diagnosis and treatment of AS. The purposes are: (1) to standardize the diagnosis and evaluation of AS; (2) to promote rational use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, biological as well as traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, so as to improve the patient′s quality of life.
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Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by psoriasis skin lesions and inflammation of the spine and joint. It has complicated clinical manifestations and individual variations. Nearly half of the patients will have joints erosion in two years, which is crippling. The severity of the skin and joint disease frequently do not correlate with each other. Currently, the understanding of the disease is insufficient in China with the lack of standardized diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, researchers from the Chinese Rheumatology Association formulated this specification based on the diagnosis and management experience together with guidelines at home and abroad. The specification summarizes the present situation of domestic diagnosis and treatment, aiming to standardize the diagnosis process and treatment protocols of psoriatic arthritis. Furthermore, it can reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, as well as improve the prognosis.
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Objective:To explore the clinical application and long-term safety of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.Methods:A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2017 and August 2018 in a random sample of eleven medical institutions of rheumatology and immunology in China. Patients who took HCQ for more than 3 months were enrolled into this study. The cumulative dose and long-term side effects of HCQ were recorded. The changes of laboratory indexes before and after treatment with HCQ were analyzed. Categorical variables were presented with counts and proportions, and evaluated by Chi-square test. Continuous parametric data were presented as Mean±standard deviation, and evaluated by Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 886 patients with rheumatic diseases were enrolled into this study, including 505 cases with systemic lupus erythematosus (57.0%), 210 cases with rheumatoid arthritis (23.7%), 80 cases with Sj?gren's syndrome (9.0%), 57 cases with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (6.4%), 12 cases of systemic vasculitis (1.4%), 10 cases of mixed connective tissue disease (1.1%), 7 cases of myositis (0.8%) and 5 cases with systemic sclerosis (0.6%). The most common long-term side effects of HCQ was skin or mucous lesions (12.4%) and vision problems (8.0%). Other adverse reactions included problems of digestive system (3.0%), nervous system (2.1%), musculoskeletal system (1.1%) and cardiovascular system (0.9%). 140 cases (15.8%) had stopped taking HCQ during the treatment. More than half of them decided to stop taking medicine by themselves. Fifty-four patients (6.1%) stopped using HCQ due to side effects while 24 of them took it again, and another 12 patients (1.4%) stopped the drug due to remission of illness. Patients were divided into three groups according to the cumulative dose of HCQ: less than 500 g, 500-1 000 g and more than 1 000 g respectively. There was significant difference in the incidence of long-term side effects among the three groups ( χ2=6.382, P=0.041). The last group (more than 1 000 g) suffered the highest incidence of long-term adverse reactions (37.1%). No severe adverse drug reactions were observed in this study. Conclusion:Hydroxychloroquine is widely used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The incidence of long-term side effects is 20.4%, is 6.1% lead to drug withdrawal, which are especially related to the cumulative doses. It should be adjusted properly according to the clinical application.
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OBJECTIVE@#To detect the serum level of soluble chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to analyze their correlation with bone erosion, as well as the clinical significance in RA.@*METHODS@#In the study, 105 cases of RA patients, 90 osteoarthritis (OA) patients and 25 healthy controls in Peking University People's Hospital were included. All the clinical information of the patients was collected, and the serum CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels of both patients and healthy controls were measured by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels among different groups were compared. The correlation between serum levels with clinical/laboratory parameters and the occurrence of bone erosion in RA were analyzed. Independent sample t test, Chi square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's rank correlation and Logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#The levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 were significantly higher in the RA patients [250.02 (126.98, 484.29) ng/L, 108.43 (55.16, 197.17) ng/L] than in the OA patients [165.05 (75.89, 266.37) ng/L, 69.00 (33.25, 104.74) ng/L] and the health controls [79.47 (38.22, 140.63) ng/L, 55.44 (18.76, 95.86) ng/L] (all P < 0.01). Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the level of serum CXCL9 was positively correlated with swollen joints (SJC), rheumatoid factor (RF) and disease activity score 28 (DAS28) (r=0.302, 0.285, 0.289; P=0.009, 0.015, 0.013). The level of serum CXCL10 was positively correlated with tender joints (TJC), SJC, C-reactive protein (CRP), immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgM, RF, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA), and DAS28 (r=0.339, 0.402, 0.269, 0.266, 0.345, 0.570, 0.540, 0.364; P=0.010, 0.002, 0.043, 0.045, 0.009, < 0.001, < 0.001, 0.006). Serum CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels in the RA patients with bone erosion were extremely higher than those without bone erosion [306.84 (234.02, 460.55) ng/L vs. 149.90 (75.88, 257.72) ng/L, 153.74 (89.50, 209.59) ng/L vs. 54.53 (26.30, 83.69) ng/L, respectively] (all P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that disease duration, DAS28 and serum level of CXCL9 were correlated with bone erosion in the RA patients (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Serum levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 were remarkably elevated in patients with RA, and correlated with disease activities and occurrence of bone erosion. Chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 might be involved in the pathogenesis and bone destruction in RA.
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Humans , Arthralgia , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications , Chemokine CXCL10/blood , Chemokine CXCL9/blood , Chemokines , Osteoarthritis/complicationsABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the role of conjunctival impression cytology in the diagnosis of Sj?gren's syndrome (SS) and the immunological factors influencing conjunctival lesions.Methods:A total of 57 patients complaining about dry eye were collected, including 38 patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome (pSS) and 19 patients with non-SS. Conjunctival impression cytology tests were performed for all patients, and they were scored by the Nelson method. Thirty-one patients with SS underwent serological tests such as autoantibodies, immunoglobulins, and complement. The correlation between the relevant data was compared using the t test and the rank sum test. Results:The Nelson grade ≥2 is the positive cut-off value for the diagnosis of SS. The sensitivity was 68.4%, and the specificity was 89.5%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was 0.767. In patients with SS, there was statistical correlation between the results of conjunctival impression cytology and antinuclear antibody (ANA) ( χ2=4.664, P=0.031), anti-SSA antibody ( χ2=8.58, P<0.01), anti-SSB antibody ( χ2=6.13, P=0.013), anti-SSA-52 antibody ( χ2=6.48, P=0.011), immunoglobulin (Ig)G ( t=-4.344, P<0.01) and rheumatoid factor (RF) ( U=25.0, P<0.01). Conclusion:Con-junctival impression cytology has certain value in the diagnosis of SS and can be used to evaluate conjunctival lesions in SS. Serum ANA, anti-SSA antibody, anti-SSB antibody, anti-SSA-52 antibody, IgG, and RF levels are significantly associated with the degree of conjunctival lesions, and can be considered as an indirect evidence of conjunctival involvement in SS.
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BACKGROUND@#Clinical outcomes of undifferentiated arthritis (UA) are diverse, and only 40% of patients with UA develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after 3 years. Discovering predictive markers at disease onset for further intervention is critical. Therefore, our objective was to analyze the clinical outcomes of UA and ascertain the predictors for RA development.@*METHODS@#We performed a prospective, multi-center study from January 2013 to October 2016 among Chinese patients diagnosed with UA in 22 tertiary-care hospitals. Clinical and serological parameters were obtained at recruitment. Follow-up was undertaken in all patients every 12 weeks for 2 years. Predictive factors of disease progression were identified using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.@*RESULTS@#A total of 234 patients were recruited in this study, and 17 (7.3%) patients failed to follow up during the study. Among the 217 patients who completed the study, 83 (38.2%) patients went into remission. UA patients who developed RA had a higher rheumatoid factor (RF)-positivity (42.9% vs. 16.8%, χ = 8.228, P = 0.008), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody-positivity (66.7% vs. 10.7%, χ = 43.897, P < 0.001), and double-positivity rate of RF and anti-CCP antibody (38.1% vs. 4.1%, χ = 32.131, P < 0.001) than those who did not. Anti-CCP antibody but not RF was an independent predictor for RA development (hazard ratio 18.017, 95% confidence interval: 5.803-55.938; P < 0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#As an independent predictor of RA, anti-CCP antibody should be tested at disease onset in all patients with UA.
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Objective To explore the effect of food improvement on the retention time of nasogastric tube in stroke patients with dysphagia. Methods Sixty cases were assigned to the control group(30 cases) and the experimental group(30 cases) by random digits table method, the control group received routine nasogastric feeding, and the experimental group were given texture modified foods and thickened liquid to try to help them eating through the mouth. The feeding tube was pull out when the person in experimental group was capable of taking texture modified foods and thickened liquid without difficulty,while the tube was pull out when the person in control group was able to eat regular food and drink regular fluids. The retention time of nasogastric tube of two groups was compared. Results The retention time of nasogastric tube was(6.13±2.96)d in the experimental group and(18.93±7.58)d in the control group, there was significant difference (t =-8.162, P<0.01). Conclusions Food improvement can effectively shortenthe retention time of nasogastric tube in stroke patients with dysphagia.
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Objective To evaluate the value and the expression of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (AxlTK) in renal pathology of lupus nephritis (LN) patients. Methods The expression of AxlTK were detected in 29 LN and 10 primary nephritic syndrome (NS) patients using immunohistochemistry in renal tissue. The correlations between the levels of AxlTK on glomeruli and clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters, disease activity, and renal pathology in LN patients were investigated. T test and single factor analysis of variance were used tp compare between groups, and Pearson or Spearman test was used for correlation analysis. Results AxlTK was extensively expressed on surface of mesangial cells, endothelial cells in glomeruli. There was more expression of AxlTK on mesangial cells in LN patients [(7.0 ±2.2)×10-2] than that in primary NS patients [(3.1 ±1.2) ×10-2] (t=5.382, P0.05). Conclusion The expression of Axl TK in glomerular is significantly increased in glomeruli in LN patients. The expression level of AxlTK on glomeruli is correlated with the occurrence of oral ulcers and AnuA. The level of AxlTK expression is related to pathological categories of kidney in LN patients. The results of this study suggest that AxlTK might participate in the pathogenesis of LN.
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Objective To study the clinical char acteristics and outcome of two lymphoma patients mimicking Beh?et's disease. Methods Lymphoma was diagnosed in two patients mimicking Beh?et's disease referred to our Department in 2015. A search on published similar cases in Chinese database and the Pubmed was also performed and then analyzed. Results Eight patients were indentified in this pooled analysis, six of which were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). All of the eight cases presented with cutaneous lesion, seven cases with fever, seven cases with oral ulceration and six cases with orogenital ulceration, respectively. Ocular involvement was present in four of the eight cases, two were with a positive pathergy test. Among feverish patients, six were moderate or high fever, four were high fever, one was low-grade fever. Neutropenia was found in four patients, and lymphocytoponia in four of five patients with detailed data. All patients fulfilled the 2014 International Criteria for Beh?et's Disease (ICBD) with an average score of (5.8 ±1.5), ranging from 4 to 8. Survival period ranged from one month to 36 months, with an average of 8 months. Conclusion For patients diagnosed as Beh?et's disease are finally diagnosed as lymphoma. For patients with Beh?et's disease present-ation but also present with mediate to high fever, atypical deepseated ulcer, neutropenia or lymphocytoponia, malignancy especially lymphoma should be investigated.
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Objective To explore the expression and clinical significance of soluble Axl and Tyro3 receptor tyrosine kinase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods Sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect sAxlTK and sTyro3TK in the serum of 140 SLE patients,150 disease controls and 100 healthy controls (HC).The relationships between the serum levels of sAxlTK/sTyro3TK and clinical manifestations,laboratory parameters,disease activity were analyzed in SLE patients.Analysis of variance,Dunnett's t-test,chi-square test and spearman's test were used for statistical analysis.Results The concentrations of sAxlTK [(56±18) ng/ml] and sTyro3TK [(3.9±1.6) ng/ml] were both elevated in serum of SLE patients,which were significantly higher than disease controls [sAxlTK:(41±17) ng/ml;sTyro3TK:(2.6± 1.2) ng/ml] and healthy controls [sAxlTK:(37±10) ng/ml;sTyro3TK:(2.1±0.7) ng/ml].The SLE sAxlTK levels were negatively correlated with lymphocyte count (r=-0.266,P=0.002),hemoglobin (r=-0.480,P＜0.01),platelet count (r=-0.374,P＜0.01),albumin (r=-0.465,P＜0.01),estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR,r=-0.230,P=0.006),complement C3 (r=-0.399,P＜0.01) and complement C4 (r=-0.374,P＜0.01).However,the levels of sAxlTK in SLE patients were positively correlated with D-dimer (r=0.371,P＜0.01),creatinine (r=0.278,P＜0.01),24-hour urinary protein quantification (r=0.383,P＜0.01),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r=0.422,P＜0.01),titre of anti-nuclear antibodies (r=0.271,P=0.002),anti-dsDNA antibody (r=0.299,P＜0.01),anti-nucleosome antibody (r=0.263,P=0.013) and anti-cardiolipin antibody (r=0.309,P＜0.01).In addition,the levels of serum sAxlTK in SLE patients showed positive correlation with the scores of SLEDAI (r=0.307,P＜0.01).Comparisons of sAxlTK levels between patients with high and low disease activity demonstrated a higher level of sAxlTK in the former [(64±17) ng/ml vs (52±16) ng/ml;t=-3.939,P＜0.01].Conclusion The levels of sAxlTK and sTyro3TK are elevated in the serum of SLE patients.The concentration of sAxlTK is correlated with autoantibodies production,hematological and renal involvement in SLE,which may be a serolgical marker for disease activity.
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Objective To explore the status of glucocorticoid application in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in China.Methods Epidemiological survey was used.The SLE patients who met the 1997 classification criteria of American College of Rheumatology were enrolled.The usage of glucocorticoid and related adverse reactions were recorded and analyzed.Results A total of 400 SLE patients were enrolled,including 35 men and 365 women.The average age was (37.4 ± 14.0) years old,and the average duration of disease was (6.7 ± 5.8) years.There were 310 patients using glucocorticoid as maintenance.Sixty-one percent (n =244) patients started using medium dose (prednisone 30-＜ 60 mg/d) as the initial treatment of glucocorticoid,which lasted for (37 ± 11) days.The time of drug duration in patients with low dose prednisone (7.5-＜30 mg/d)and high dose (60-100 mg/d) was(92 ± 20)and (17 ± 3) days respectively (P ＜ 0.05 between 3 groups).However,patients receiving different initial dosage were of no discrepancy in the maintenance therapy.During maintenance,even though 51.0％ (n =158) patients were on prednisone 2.5-5 mg/d,the duration of drug use in ＞ 5-10 mg/d groupwas longer [(29.9 ± 3.3) months].Patients with involvement of internal organs had a higher tendency to use 60-100 mg/d prednisone or pulse-dose therapy in the initial treatment,nevertheless these two groups had no difference of maintenance dosage.Among all 400 patients,62 patients withdrew glucocorticoid,including 17 patients with disease remission (4.3％),44 by self-withdrawal and one with adverse reaction.Conclusion In China,the medium dosage of glucocorticoid is the most common initial treatment in patients with SLE.Prednisone 2.5-5 mg/d was the most common choicefor maintenance therapy.Currently,the proportion of glucocorticoid withdrawal remains low in SLE patients achieving remission.
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Objective To investigate the clinical significance of soluble Mer receptor tyrosine kinase (sMerTK) in patients of systemic lupus erythematosus.Methods sMerTK was detected in the serum of 101 SLE patients,96 disease controls and 62 healthy controls (HC) by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The relationships between the serum levels of sMerTK and clinical manifestations,laboratory parameters,disease activity were investigated in SLE patients.Comparisons between groups were tested by t-test and x2 test,Correlation of parameters were analyzed by Spearman method.Results sMerTK levels in SLE patients [(10.6±6.0) ng/ml] was significantly higher than disease controls [(4.4±2.0) ng/ml] (t=9.704,P＜0.01) and healthy controls [(2.8±2.5) ng/ml] (t=11.505,P＜0.01).The concentrations in SLE patients were independent of gender,age and disease duration.The levels of sMerTK were negatively correlated with white blood cell (r=-0.236,P=0.017),hemaglobin(r=-0.354,P＜0.01),platelet values (r=-0.310,P=0.002).Compared with the patients without lupus nephritis (LN)[(9±6) ng/ml],patients with LN had higher concentrations in serum [(11±6) ng/ml],and the difference was statistically significant (t =2.071,P=0.041).In addition,sMerTK levels were also correlated with 24 h-urinary protein level (r=0.293,P=0.013),serum creatinine (r=0.250,P=0.035) and e-GFR (r=-0.201,P=0.045).Furthermore this study indicated that sMerTK was negatively correlated with C3 (r=-0.447,P＜0.01) and C4 (r=-0.357,P＜0.01)level,but positively correlated with anti-dsDNA antibody titers (r=0.360,P＜0.01),anti nucleosome antibody (AnuA) (r=0.264,P=0.016) and SLEDAI (r=0.473,P＜0.01).Conclusion sMerTK level is increased in SLE patients.The concentration may associate with hematology changes and lupus nephritis.It may be an indicator of disease activity.
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Objective To investigate the significance of plasma protein S and growth-arrest specific protein 6 (Gas6) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the protein S and Gas6 in the plasma of 103 SLE patients and 40 healthy controls.Mann-Whitney U-test,x2-test and Spearman's rank correlation were used for statistical analysis.Results The plasma concentrations of protein S and Gas6 were both significantly [protein S:30.6 (27.2,33.6) μg/ml,37.8(35.4,46.7) μg/ml,Z=6.04,P＜0.01; Gas6:402.6(239.2,757.8) pg/ml,913.6(765.0,1 290.6) pg/ml,Z=4.26,P＜0.01] decreased in plasma of SLE patients than that in healthy controls.There was a positive correlation between levels of protein S and Gas6 (r=0.312,P=0.001).The level of protein S in SLE patients was positively correlated with hemoglobin (Hb),WBC,platelet blood platelet (PLT),C3 and C4 (r=0.209,0.264,0.264,0.362,0.280,P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).Plasma protein S level was also found to be negatively correlated with auto-antibodies such as anti-double strand DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody,anticardiolipin (ACL),anti-nucleosome antibody (AnuA) or IgG (r=-0.197,-0.264,-0.226,-0.229,P＜0.01or P＜0.05).The plasma Gas6 level was positively associated with age,disease duration and C-reaction protein (CRP) (r=0.229,0.198,0.263,P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).Patients with decreased Gas6 level showed higher incidence of fever,rash and serositis.Patients with decreased WBC or positive for proteinuria also showed decreased Gas6 (P＜0.05).Conclusion Protein S levels are significantly decreased in plasma of SLE patients and is associated with a series of severe disease manifestations such as hematological involvement,decreased complements and the presence of auto-antibodies.Decreased Gas6 levels in SLE patients are observed and they are correlated with age,disease duration and certain clinical characteristics such as rash,renal involvement and inflammatory response.
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Objective To explore the diagnostic value of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) 3.1 IgG/IgA antibody detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods The ELISA was used to measure the anti-CCP3.1 antibody in the serum of 169 RA patients,100 patients with other rheumatic diseases (including systemic lupus erythematosus,Sjogren's syndrome and osteoarthritis) and 72 healthy controls.The diagnostic value of CCP3.1 was assessed and compared with the second generation of anti-CCP IgG (CCP2) antibody,the correlations between anti-CCP3.1 antibody and the clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed.Two-independent samples t test,chi-square test and Spearman's correlation were adopted for statistical analysis.Results ① The average cut-off concentration of anti-CCP3.1 antibody was (1122±1429) U/ml in RA,(13±14) U/ml in other rheumatic diseases and (6±5) U/ml in healthy controls.② The area under curve of ROC for anti-CCP3.1 antibody and anti-CCP2 antibody were 0.923 and 0.936 respectively.There was no difference between the sensitivity (82％ vs 79％)and specificity (97％ vs 99％) of anti-CCP3.1 antibody and anti-CCP2 antibody.The Kappa values between anti-CCP3.1 antibody and anti-CCP2 antibody was 0.763.③ We also found that anti-CCP3.1 antibody was positive in 20％(7/35) of anti-CCP2 antibody negative,43％(18/42) of RF negative,62％(47/76) of AKA negative,71％(49/69) of APF negative and 13％ of autoantibodies negative patients,indicated that antiCCP3.1 antibody had a potential value in the diagnosis of serum negative patients with RA.④ The presence of anti-CCP3.1 antibody was correlated with RF,HRF-IgG,APF,AKA,GPI and IgA (P＜0.05),except disease activity.Conclusion The sensitivity of anti-CCP3.1 antibody is slightly higher than anti-CCP2 antibody.The Anti-CCP3.1 antibody is a very valuable parameter for the diagnosis of RA,especially in serum negative patients.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Toll like receptor (TLR) 9 has been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in animal models. Its pathogenic role in human SLE, however, was poorly elucidated. This study was performed to investigate the role of TLR9 involved in the aberrant signaling pathway and its correlation with disease activity in SLE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>mRNA level of TLR9 and interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). IFN-a expression was measured in the serum of the SLE patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TLR9 expression was significantly higher in SLE patients than that in health controls (P = 0.011). SLE patients with positive anti-dsDNA antibody had significantly higher expression of TLR9 than that with negative anti-dsDNA antibody (P = 0.001). TLR9 expression was positively correlated with fever (P = 0.017), alopecia (P = 0.046), safety of estrogens in lupus erythematosus national assessment SLE disease activity index (SELENA-SLEDAI) score (r(s) = 0.385, P = 0.003), and the level of IRF5 (r(s) = 0.35, P = 0.027) and IFN-a (r(s) = 0.627, P = 0.001) in SLE patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TLR9 is associated with SLE disease activity and might be involved in the IFN-a pathway of SLE.</p>
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Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Antibodies, Antinuclear , Blood , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Interferon Regulatory Factors , Metabolism , Interferon-alpha , Blood , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Metabolism , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Blood , Genetics , Metabolism , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Toll-Like Receptor 9 , Genetics , MetabolismABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo examine the clinical features of fractures and related risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) in China.MethodsSix hundred and eighty-one RA patients were randomly selected from department of rheumatology of 18 hospitals of China.Data were obtained from the questionnaire,including age,sex,disease duration,the involvement of joints,treatment regimen,features of fractures etc.The possible risk factors of fracture in patients with RA were analyzed with a multi-variate Logistic regression analysis.Results① In 681 RA patients of the survey,48 patients had 54 fractures,and the incidence of fractures was about 8％.② Fractures occurred at various sites.Foot/ankle,femur,spine and wrist were the mostfrequent sites.③ The Logistic regression analysis showed that several factors increased the risk of fracture in RA patients,including long disease duration (OR:1.245,95％CI:0.987-1.570,P=0.065),male gender(OR:0.433,95％CI:0.199-0.942,P=0.035),more deformed joints(OR:1.042,95％CI:1.006-1.079,P=0.023),family history of RA (OR:2.201,95％CI:0.984-4.923,P=0.055),and high scores of SF-36(OR:1.017,95％CI:1.002-1.033,P=0.028).④ According to the degree of correlation from strong to weak,the risk factors of fracture were disease duration,SF-36,sex,number of deformed joints and family history of rheumatoid arthritis.ConclusionThe incidence of fracture is high in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Several factors could increase the risk of fractures in RA patients,including long disease duration,male gender,more deformed joints,and family history of RA.In order to prevent the occurrence of fractures,cautions should be taken to prevent the development of fractures and treat the disease aggressively to suppress the disease activity of RA.
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Objective To establish new classification criteria for early rheumatoid arthritis (E-RA) based on large samples of early inflammatory arthritis patients and to evaluate the value of this criteria in China.Methods Patients who had arthritic complaints with disease duration less than one year were enrolled.They were divided into RA group and non-RA group according to the clinical diagnosis by experienced rheumatologists.The clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed and those with high sensitivity or specificity were selected as the new classification criteria.Statistical analysis was carried out by using t test,x2 test and Logistic regression.Results ① A total of 803 patients with early inflammatory arthritis were included in this study.Five hundreds and fourteen patients were diagnosed as early RA and 251 were diagnosed as other rheumatic diseases,and the diagnosis of 38 patients remained unestablished by the end of follow-up.② New E-RA classification criteria were established based on the parameters with high sensitivity and/or specificity.The sensitivity of the new E-RA criteria was 84.4％,which was higher than 1987 ACR criteria (58.0％),while the corresponding specificities were similar,which were 87.4％ and 93.6％ respectively.③ Compared with the complex scoring system of 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria,the E-RA criteria was more simple and practical.The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of E-RA criteria were higher than those of 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria reported in the literatures.④ New classification criteria based on scoring system using Logistic regression analysis was established.The sensitivity of this criteria was 86.4％,which was higher than 1987 ACR criteria (58.0％).Conclusion The diagnostic value of the E-RA criteria developed in this study for early RA is better than 1987 ACR criteria,and is more simple than 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria.It may be used as a new classification criteria for early RA diagnosis.
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Objective To investigate the clinical significance.of thrombocytopenia in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods One hundred and two SLE patients with thrombocytopenia who were admitted to Peking University People's Hospital were involved in the study.SLE patients without thrombocytopenia were controls.Clinical and laboratory characteristics were analyzed.T-test and Chi-square test were used for inter-group comparison.Results Patients with thrombocytopenia had more organ damage than those without,although the disease activities (SLEDAI) were not different between these two groups.Bone marrow characteristics were analyzed and 16 patients were amegakaryocytic.However,there were no differences observed between patients with amegakaryocytosis and normal megakaryocytes in organ damage,disease activity and response to therapy.Conclusion Lupus patients with thrombocytopenia usually have more organ damage.About 32％ of those patients are amegakaryocytosis.
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Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the situation of diagnosis after onset. Methods Three hundred outpatients diagnosed with SLE were investigated in the People's Hospital, the Third Hospital of Peking University, Xinjiang People's Hospital and the Affiliated Hospital from May to July 2008, including gender, age of onset, clinical manifestations and the site of first hospitalization. Results ① In the cross-sectional study, 300 SLE patients were investigated. The male-to-female ratio was 1:13. ② The most common manifestations at onset were arthritis (46.3%), rash (34.%) and fever (32.7%). Lupus nephritis was found to occur in a significantly higher frequency in male patients than female as the initial manifestation. 60.9% patients had lupus nephritis in the first year after onset. ③ 99.1% of the patients were correctly diagnosed after visiting rheumatologists. 23.7% of the SLE patients were not correctly diagnosed for more than one year after disease onset. Conclusion Arthritis, rash and fever are the most common initial clinical manifestations of SLE. Lupus nephritis is more commonly seen in male SLE patients than female at the disease onset. The diagnosis of lupus is delayed in certain proportion of patients.