[A comparative evaluation of parenteral and oral preparations of gold and D-penicillamine in the treatment of rheumatoid nephropathy]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka parenteral'nykh i oral'nykh preparatov zolota i D-penitsillamina v lechenii revmatoidnoi nefropatii.

Analysis is made of the results of the treatment with parenteral (crysanol and myochrysine) and oral (ridaura) gold drugs as well as with small doses of D-penicillamine (DP) of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with the signs of nephropathy. The latter ones were identified, respectively, in 18 out of 80 patients who began receiving treatment, in 17 out of 72, and in 16 out of 61 patients. The clinical, laboratory, instrumental and morphological manifestations of nephropathy are described and analysis of their dynamics under the treatment impact is provided. It is noted that these types of basic therapy produce a beneficial effect on the manifestations of rheumatoid nephropathy. That referred to a greater measure to the gold drugs than to the small doses of DP. The degree of counteracting the symptoms of renal pathology agreed well with a good clinical effect in respect to the articular syndrome and inflammatory responses of blood. Among patients receiving crysanol, iatrogenic nephropathy was recorded in 8.75% of cases, among those on ridaura, in 2.8%, and those on DP, in 8.2% of cases. The authors provide evidence for the use of gold drugs and DP in patients suffering from rheumatoid nephropathy.

[A comparative evaluation of the efficacy and tolerance of gold and D-penicillamine preparations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. II. The effect on the morphological indices of rheumatoid synovitis]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka éffektivnosti i perenosimosti preparatov zolota i D-penitsillamina u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom. Soobshchenie II. Vliianie na morfologicheskie priznaki revmatoidnogo sinovita.

Morphological signs of rheumatoid synovitis have been analysed on the basis of 130 puncture biopsies taken from 46 patients prior to the beginning and during parenteral therapy with auric preparations (crysanolom and myocrysin) and peroral administration of an auric preparation rhidaura and small doses of D-penicillamine. The most marked morphological effect was reached in 1.5 years. With a favourable clinical effect all the preparations exhibited capacity for suppressing the following basic signs of rheumatoid synovitis: proliferative changes in the layer of synoviocytes, reaction of blast cells.

[Roentgeno-morphological comparisons in rheumatoid arthritis based on data of a long-term prospective study]. / Rentgenomorfologicheskie sopostavleniia pri revmatoidnom artrite po dannym dlitel'nogo prospektivnogo nabliudeniia.

During a prospective observation lasting 6 years 68 patients with rheumatic arthritis (RA) were repeatedly examined (up to 8 times) roentgenologically with parallel puncture biopsy of the synovial fluid of the knee joint made with an atraumatic needle, and numerical evaluation of markedness of 25 morphological signs of synovitis. A comparative analysis of the markedness of morphological signs of synovitis in relation to the degree and dynamics of destructive changes in the knee joint was made on the basis of the findings of 254 puncture biopsies and the same amount of roentgenograms. There is a close relationship between the activity of synovitis and the progress of destructive arthritis except for the morphological signs characterizing the reaction of hypersensitivity of an immediate type that may serve the purpose of prognostication of further articular destruction and of the choice of an early adequate therapy.

[The healing of the bone erosions during therapy with gold preparations and D-penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis patients]. / Zazhivlenie kostnykh érozii na fone terapii preparatami zolota i D-penitsillaminom u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom.

The paper is concerned with the data obtained during 17-year prospective follow-up of over 500 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received individualized treatment mainly with basic drugs. Cases of repair of bone erosions in small joints of the hands and feet are described as are cases of complete or partial repair of osteolysis in 8 patients with significant RA treated for a long time with parenteral or oral gold drugs, or D-penicillamine in different daily doses.

[The effect of Ridaura on cardiac function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (based on echocardiographic data)]. / Vliianie ridaury na funktsiiu serdtsa u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom (po dannym ékhokardiografii).

The method of echocardiography was used to study the effect of ridaura on the functional state of the heart in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) depending on the duration of therapy and its efficacy. A total of 28 patients with RA were examined in the dynamics of therapy. The favourable effect of ridaura on the size of the left ventricle of the heart and its contractile function with the general positive effect of therapy was revealed. A decrease in the size of the left ventricle began 6 months after treatment with ridaura and continued up to the end of the first year, the contractile function considerably rose after two years of treatment. In 1/3 of the patients side effects developed; they manifested themselves in deterioration of the indices of hemodynamics. The unfavourable effect of ridaurotherapy on the myocardium had a latent course and was reversible.

[The effect of parenteral gold preparations on heart function in rheumatoid arthritis patients (based on echocardiographic data)]. / Vliianie parenteral'nykh preparatov zolota na funktsional'noe sostoianie serdtsa u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom (po dannym ékhokardiografii).

A total of 30 patients were treated by chrisanolum and myocrisin. The course of treatment lasted more than 2 years. The authors observed clear positive effect of parenteral preparations of gold on the contractile and pumping function of the heart in RA patients; clinical and laboratory manifestations of the disease were decreased.

[Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of gold preparations and D-penicillamine and their tolerance in rheumatoid arthritis. I. The effect on the indicators of their activity and tolerance]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka éffektivnosti pri revmatoidnom artrite preparatov zolota i D-penitsillamina i ikh perenosimost'. I. Vliianie na pokazateli aktivnosti i perenosimost'.

In the period of 5 years the authors observed 213 patients with RA. Of this number 80 patients got Au parenteral preparations and 61--D-penicillamin in the average daily dose of 450 mg. The efficacy of the drugs was assessed by its effect of the indices of the activity (quantitative assessment of clinical manifestations of vascular syndrome) which had been determined by the time of treatment and on the 3, 6, 12, and 18th month of subsequent therapy.

[The potentials of a peroral gold preparation (Ridaura) in treating rheumatoid arthritis based on prospective observation data]. / Vozmozhnosti peroral'nogo preparata zolota (ridaury) v lechenii revmatoidnogo artrita po dannym prospektivnogo nabliudeniia.

Ridaura was given to 72 patients with true rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the period of 6 mos to 2 yrs. Patients with I-II degree of activity and II-III x-ray stage of RA prevailed. Extraarticular RA manifestations were detected in 79% of the patients. The efficacy of Ridaura was assessed by its effect on the indices of activity (clinical manifestations of the articular syndrome, ESR, morphological signs of rheumatoid synovitis) and progression (the rates of erosive arthritis development in the hand and foot joints, the time course of the level of the serum rheumatoid factor and RA systemic manifestations). The drug efficacy was assessed with relation to the preceding variant of a RA course by the onset of treatment and after 3, 6, 12 and 18 mos. The results obtained indicated a high clinical efficacy of the drug and the presence of its basal activity which manifested itself in a good clinical effect by a decrease in the rates of x-ray progression, a serum RF level, the expression of morphological signs of synovitis and extraarticular RA manifestations, in particular myocarditis, diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, fever, and Aschoff's nodules. The therapeutic effect of the drug was on an increase in the period over 1 year. The highest efficacy of the drug was noted in RA with persistent activity of I-II degree or with activation up to II degree. Side-effects were revealed in 19% of the patients. Good tolerance of the drug was observed in 63% of the patients with a previous history of intolerance to parenteral gold drugs.

[Comparative analysis of the effectiveness and tolerance of chrysanol and myochrysine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (preliminary report)]. / Sravnitel'nyi analiz éffektivnosti i perenosimosti krizanola i miokrizina u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom (predvaritel'noe soobshchenie).

Fifty patients with a significant rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were treated with gold salts for 6 months to 4 years. Patients with highly active conditions (stages II-III) and with erosive arthritis (stages IIb-IV) prevailed. Extraarticular manifestations were recognized in 76% of the patients. The efficacy of chrisanol given in a dose of 1.5 ml of a 5% solution was compared to that of myocrisin in a dose of 50 mg, i. e. 25 mg metallic gold once a week. The efficacy of the drugs was evaluated from their effects on the disease activity (clinical manifestations of the articular syndrome, ESR, morphological signs of rheumatoid synovitis) and progression (the rate of the development of erosive arthritis in hand and foot joints, the time course of serum RF content, and systemic disease manifestations). These characteristics were examined with the aid of modern ultrasonic and radionuclide research methods. The evaluations were made by the treatment onset and by months 3, 6, 12 and 18 of the treatment. Analysis of the data obtained attests to a high clinical efficacy of both the drugs exhibiting basic activity which is confirmed by a decrease in the degree of the morphological manifestations of synovitis and extraarticular signs of RA, particularly of myocarditis. A method for following up outpatients to prevent grave complications of chrysotherapy is offered.