Relationship between radiographic grading of osteoarthritis and serum beta-2 microglobulin.

BACKGROUND: Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) has been shown as a marker for monitoring inflammatory disease activity and it appears likely to have a destructive role in amyloidosis-related arthritis. Whether it has a catabolic role in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unclear. AIMS: To evaluate a possible association between serum B2M and radiographic grading of OA. METHODS: A total of 115 patients with knee OA and 30 controls were divided into subgroups according to Kellgren-Lawrence grading score and their erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and serum B2M were assessed. RESULTS: B2M levels of patients were significantly higher than the controls (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between OA subgroups and B2M levels had no correlation with the radiological grading. CONCLUSIONS: B2M levels were found to be higher in OA patients than controls, regardless of OA stage. These findings support the studies suggesting that B2M might be involved in the OA pathogenesis.

The effect of regular long term training on antioxidant enzymatic activities.

AIM: It has been reported that exercise induces oxidative stress and causes adaptations in antioxidant defenses. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of regular long term training on antioxidant enzymatic activities consisting of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathion peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in a group of basketball players engaged in a physical training program. METHODS: SOD, GPX and GST activities were measured as an indicator of antioxidant defenses in long term trained basketball players and compared with non-sporting age matched controls. Independent samples t test was used to compare the data between the two groups. RESULTS: SOD, GPX and GST levels were significantly higher in basketball players than sedentary controls (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Data suggest that regular long term training can induce antioxidant response to the oxidative stress. These results support the possibility that the beneficial effect of physical exercise on oxidative stress might be associated with increased antioxidant defenses.

Hydroxychloroquine-induced hyperpigmentation: a case report.

The antimalarials are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in medical practice, for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis as well as malaria. They are generally well-tolerated and the possible side effects of synthetic antimalarials, though infrequent, are well known. Besides the familiar adverse reactions, a localized mucocutaneous bluish-grey to black discolouration can sometimes be seen with antimalarial drugs. The aim of this report was to draw attention to the localized mucocutaneous bluish-grey hyperpigmentation induced by hydroxychloroquine with a case presentation and a review of the literature.

The effect of individualized diet challenges consisting of allergenic foods on TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of individualized diet challenges consisting of allergenic foods, defined by the skin prick test (SPT), on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty patients with a positive SPT response for food extracts and 20 with a negative SPT response were enrolled. None of the patients had active disease. All patients were fasted for the most common allergenic foods for 12 days and then allocated to two groups according to SPT results. Food challenges were performed with allergenic foods in the prick-positive group (PPG) and with corn and rice in the prick-negative group (PNG) for a period of 12 days. Then, allergenic foods were excluded from the PPG patients' diet and corn and rice were removed from the PNG patients' diet. Clinical examinations were performed after fasting (baseline), at the end of the challenge phase and at the end of the re-elimination phase. Stiffness, pain, tender and swollen joint counts, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), Ritchie's articular index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels were measured. RESULTS: TNF-alpha (P < 0.01), IL-1beta (P < 0.05), ESR (P < 0.05) and CRP (P = 0.001) levels and all of the clinical variables, except HAQ, were increased with food challenges in the PPG. These increases were also recorded after the re-elimination phase. In the PNG, no significant change was seen in any of the variables, except pain (P < 0.05). During the study, important differences were observed for most of the variables between the two groups. Thirteen (72%) patients in the PPG and three (18%) in the PNG experienced disease exacerbation with challenges. This aggravation continued after elimination. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that individualized dietary revisions may regulate TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels in selected patients with RA.