Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Feb 2004
Association of radiographic hand osteoarthritis with radiographic knee osteoarthritis after meniscectomy.
To evaluate the association between radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA), a disease with marked heredity, and radiographic knee OA in patients treated with meniscectomy. ⋯ The presence of radiographic hand OA is associated with an increased frequency of radiographic knee OA after meniscectomy. This finding confirms and extends that of a single previous study showing an interaction between hereditary and environmental risk factors for OA, a common and genetically complex disease. Accordingly, the development of OA following a meniscal tear and the resulting meniscal surgery should not be regarded to be of secondary origin only.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Feb 2004
Interleukin-18 enhances monocyte tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1beta production induced by direct contact with T lymphocytes: implications in rheumatoid arthritis.
At sites of inflammation, T cells exert pathologic effects through direct contact with monocyte/macrophages, inducing massive up-regulation of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). We examined the regulatory effects of IL-18 on monocyte activation by direct contact with T lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ IL-18 augments monocyte activation induced by contact with activated T cells in RA synovitis, which is dependent on activation of the NF-kappaB and PI 3-kinase pathways. IL-18 up-regulates the expression of the TNF receptors VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 on monocytes, which mediate the enhancing effects of IL-18 on T cell-monocyte contact.