Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0003873 (rheumatoid arthritis)
 53,068 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 37 year old nurse with the rare combination of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was reported. In 1983, six years before her final diagnosis was made, she presented with purpura over her extremities and swelling of the cervical lymph nodes. Laboratory findings showed the following: platelet count 15 x 10(3)/microliters, the number of megakaryocyte without platelet production in bone marrow was increased, platelet life span (T1/2) 11 min. A diagnosis of ITP was made. In 1984 goiter was noticed. Laboratory data were as follows: T3 502ng/ml, T4 27.0 micrograms/dl, thyroid test x 1,600, microsome test x 409,600. She was diagnosed as having ITP and Hashimotoxicosis. She had been uneventful except temporary hyperthyroidism until 1989 when she developed morning stiffness, polyarthralgia, swelling of PIP joints, contracture of elbow joints and hallux valgus. Laboratory investigation were reported as follows. ESR 111mm/h, platelet count 31 x 10(3)/microliters, platelet associated IgG 800ng/10(7) pl, antinuclear antibody x 2,560, rheumatoid factor 1+, microsome test x 1,600, anti-DNA antibody 3U/ml. Anti-Sm antibody and anti-RNP antibody were not detected. The LE cell test was negative. Schirmer test and sialography were interpreted as normal. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of RA in addition to ITP and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The combination of RA, ITP and Hashimoto's thyroiditis is extremely rare although these three disorders are classified as autoimmune disease.
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PMID:[A case of rheumatoid arthritis complicated with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and Hashimoto's disease]. 194 58

The changes in the levels of GGT activity in various body fluids, ESR, SF-protein concentration, and SF-WBC count were determined in 59 RA patients and 18 control subjects. The SF-GGT and UGGT were markedly elevated in all RA patients investigated. The increase of SF-GGT is more pronounced than UGGT. The observation of comparable levels of SGGT in RA patients and control subjects indicates that SGGT does not gain entry into synovial fluid or urine. No differences were noticed in SF-protein concentration whereas ESR levels and SF-WBC counts were significantly higher in RA patients than in control subjects. Statistically significant correlations were observed between SF-GGT versus UGGT, SF-WBC, and ESR in females, and between SF-GGT and SF-protein and SGGT in male RA patients. The correlation coefficient values between UGGT versus SF-protein, SF-WBC, and ESR were found to be significant in male RA patients. UGGT levels correlated strongly with SGGT in all RA patients. These findings suggest that the measurement of SF-GGT and UGGT might be useful in understanding the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.
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PMID:Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in synovial fluid, serum, and urine of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 197 51

An attempt was made to audit the clinical usefulness of sulphasalazine and penicillamine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) managed in a routine out-patient setting with assistance from general practitioners and to ascertain whether clinically significant differences can be shown between these two 'second-line' agents. The degree and extent of change in, and the usefulness of, various parameters of disease activity were also evaluated. Two hundred patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were randomly allocated to either sulphasalazine or penicillamine and monitored for a minimum of two years. Fifty-one percent of the 102 patients who received sulphasalazine continued treatment for two years, compared with 40 per cent of the 98 patients allocated to penicillamine. The proportion of patients stopping therapy because of adverse reactions or due to lack or loss of effect was similar in the two groups. There was no difference between the two groups in the extent of improvement in clinical and laboratory variables at one and two years. The majority of patients showed improvement in most measured parameters; very few showed global improvement. The degree of improvement varied with the parameter assessed, being greatest in relatively easily measured variables such as duration of morning stiffness and ESR, and least for functional index. The effect and toxicity of these two agents in this setting was as anticipated. No clinically relevant difference could be demonstrated between the two drugs.
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PMID:Degree and extent of response to sulphasalazine or penicillamine therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: results from a routine clinical environment over a two-year period. 197 23

Hepatobiliary dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis has been suggested on the basis of raised serum activity of alkaline phosphatase, 5-nucleotidase, lactic dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyl transferase, but a specific pathological lesion has not been demonstrated and serum transaminases and bilirubin are almost invariably normal. This paper reports a series of studies designed to determine the tissues of origin of the enzymes and offers an alternative interpretation of the enzymological findings. The results suggest that only alkaline phosphatase originates from the liver, while lactic dehydrogenase and 5-nucleotidase originate from synovial fluid polymorphs and synovial lining cells, respectively. Serum alkaline phosphatase may be induced by inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 because it correlates with the acute phase response. Serum lactic dehydrogenase is an integrated measure of polymorph lysis in all joints and offers a marker of joint inflammation more specific than measures such as the ESR. Levels of serum 5-nucleotidase provide information about the activity of the synovium. Finally, because hepatic necrosis does not normally occur, the transaminases may be used to monitor drug toxicity.
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PMID:The source and significance of raised serum enzymes in rheumatoid arthritis. 197 86

Sialic acids, derivatives of neuraminic acid, are present as structural components of mucoprotein mainly in the alpha 1 and alpha 2-globulin regions, and they are known to change in diseases associated with acute inflammation or tissue necrosis. The present study was performed to clarify the significance of measurements of sialic acids in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with diseases in the field of orthopaedic surgery. 1. Serum sialic acids were markedly high in cases of acute pyogenic diseases and showed moderately high values in stage 2 or 3 of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There was a close correlation with ESR in RA cases and with CRP in cases of acute pyogenic diseases. Differences in the correlation with ESR and CRP were seen in proportion to the severity of the inflammation. 2. Synovial fluid sialic acids were high in cases of RA, and within the normal range in cases of osteoarthritis. The values changed within this range in accordance with treatment. In RA cases, there was a significant correlation with monocytes in the synovial fluid. 3. Serum sialic acids appeared to be sufficiently useful as a parameter of inflammation independent of ESR and CRP, and synovial fluid sialic acids were also considered to be useful for differentiation between RA and OA.
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PMID:[Clinical relevance of sialic acids determination in serum and synovial fluid in orthopaedic disorders]. 204 Dec 17

The effect of intra-articular (i-a) steroid injection on ESR and C-reactive protein (CRP) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was investigated. One week following injection of 1 or 2 knees there was a significant fall in ESR (p less than 0.0001) and CRP (p less than 0.01) in a cohort of 20 RA patients. The mean drop for both ESR and CRP was 46%. This effect lasted over a variable period up to 6 months. A survey of 50 published drug efficacy studies in RA revealed that, while 44 used ESR and 20 CRP as efficacy measures, 37 neither excluded nor recorded i-a steroid injections during the study. Steroid injections were excluded in 8 studies and recorded in 5, being used as an outcome measure in 2 of these. It is recommended that the frequency with which i-a injections are used in drug efficacy studies is reported and that they are avoided in the 3 months preceding an outcome measurement if ESR or CRP are being used as outcome measures.
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PMID:Intra-articular steroids: confounder of clinical trials. 206 6

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to the CD4 surface molecule inhibit the function of CD4+ T cells in vitro and have been used for treatment of autoimmune diseases in several animal models. Recently, an anti-CD4 mAb has been described that improved the clinical situation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients although no change in laboratory parameters could be observed. Here, we report on a different high-affinity anti-CD4 mAb (MAX.16H5) and its use for treatment of RA. Reduction of the Ritchie index, morning stiffness and the number of swollen joints demonstrated the clinical benefits of the therapy. In addition, laboratory parameters like ESR, CRP, and rheumatoid factor were reduced in 6/12 treatments. A rapid depletion of CD4+ T cells was observed in all patients which reached a minimum 1 hour after administration. However, efficacy of treatment did not correlate with T cell depletion. The antibody accumulates at the site of inflamed joints as detected by 99m-Tc-labelling. Affected digital joints were detected earlier by virtue of helper T cell imaging than by conventional bone scans.
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PMID:An anti-CD4 antibody for treatment of chronic inflammatory arthritis. 206 85

Human fibroblasts in primary culture released reactive oxygen species upon exposure to synovial fluid obtained by joint aspiration from twelve patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The primary radical produced was O2- as determined by ESR spin trapping and cytochrome c reduction. In contrast to the oxidative burst in granulocytes and monocytes, radical formation proceeded continuously for at least four hours. Low-level chemiluminescence was increased upon exposure to inflammatory human synovial fluids. Spectral characteristics and effects of azide and 1,4-diazabicyclo-(2,2,2)-octane led to the conclusion that the photoemissive species were excited carbonyls. Radical production and light emission were not altered either by xanthine or allopurinol, nor by azide, cyanide or rotenone. The O2- production increased in the presence of NADH or NADPH, making an NAD(P)H oxidase a likely source. The liberation of reactive oxygen species correlated with the number of leukocytes present in the inflammatory joint fluids, but not with the concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement factor C3.
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PMID:Human fibroblasts release reactive oxygen species in response to treatment with synovial fluids from patients suffering from arthritis. 215 76

BG-104 is a compound of Chinese herbs which were treated with infrared ray-heating and brewed with microorganisms resulting in activation of actual principles contained in the herbs, and its effectiveness has been reported on various inflammatory disorders such as Behcet's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bacterial infections and so on. In addition, it is noted as an effective agent to retard cancer progress. This report shows a superoxide scavenging activity of BG-104 using an ESR spin trapping method. For the measurement of superoxide scavenging activity, recombinant human superoxide dismutase is used as a standard. Superoxide scavenging activity of BG-104 increases in a dose-dependent manner and activity is significantly augmented by its sonication.
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PMID:Superoxide scavenging activity of BG-104 before and after sonication--determined by ESR spin trapping method. 216 83

The serum concentration of type III procollagen N-terminal peptide (P III P) level is known to reflect the activity of collagen biosynthesis. To analyze the correlation between the disease activity and serum P III P levels in collagen diseases, serum P III P levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), and other collagen diseases were measured. In some patients serum levels of prolyl++-hydroxylase, which is an intra-cellular enzyme of collagen biosynthesis, were measured. Serum P III P levels were elevated in patients with PSS and MCTD/overlap syndrome, suggesting a high rate of collagen biosynthesis by fibroblasts. Patients with RA showed no significant elevation of serum P III P compared with normal control group. But the group of RA patients with elevated ESR and/or serum CRP values showed high levels of serum P III P. The correlation between the disease activity and serum P III P levels was observed in RA patients with positive rheumatoid factor (RF), but not patients without RF. In addition we measured P III P levels in synovial fluid of RA and osteoarthritis patients. The levels were one to three hundred times higher than serum levels, and they showed the positive correlation with serum levels, suggesting that serum P III P might be originated from synovial P III P.
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PMID:[Serum type III procollagen N-terminal peptide in patients with collagen diseases]. 217 57


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