[Changes in the cartilage of the rat knee joint caused by running stress--a contribution to arthrosis research]. / Veränderungen des Rattenkniegelenkknorpels unter dem Einfluss von Laufbelastung--ein Beitrag zur Arthroseforschung.

After running strain of Wistar-rats it is provable a small nonsignificant increase of the mean chondrocyte number per tissue area in the weight bearing cartilage of the medial femur condylus. Little foci of fibrillation and superficial localisated areas with loss of metachromasia are also visible in the cartilage. This tissue alterations appearing typical for a early phase of osteoarthrosis.

[Side effects of nonsteroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on cartilage metabolism--facts from research and practice]. / Nebenwirkungen nichtsteroidaler und steroidaler antientzündlicher Pharmaka auf den Knorpelstoffwechsel--Erkenntnisse aus Forschung und Praxis.

On the base of experiments with laboratory animals and in the clinical practice existing results confirmed that steroidal and any non-steroidal antiphlogistic drugs have antianabolic and catabolic side effects on the connective tissue--and special articular cartilage metabolism. Biochemical and pharmacological investigations have shown that any of these drugs excert inhibitory effects on synthesis special of proteoglycans of ground substance in the cartilage. The use of such drugs in therapy of osteoarthrosis should be short-timed and limited to the treatment of patients with a so called activation of osteoarthrosis. For the long-term pharmacotherapy of osteoarthrosis should be used such antiphlogistic drugs without inhibitory side effects on the cartilage metabolism. The risk in occurrence of progressive articular cartilage damage in the therapy, special long-term therapy, with antiphlogistic drugs and the existence of pathological metabolic changes as a favourable factor for aseptic osteochondronecroses respectively as praearthrotic deformity is probably greater as in normal metabolic situations. The application of steroidal antiphlogistic drugs lead initial to good therapy results with reference to objective and subjective disease signs. These drug-therapy should be succombed an account of the severe negative side effects on cartilage metabolism (risk of osteochondronecrosis) a strict diagnosis and limited for the therapy of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (acute phase).