Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2007
Clinical TrialSafety and efficacy of additional courses of rituximab in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: an open-label extension analysis.
To determine the safety and efficacy of additional courses of rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ These findings indicate that patients treated with repeated courses of rituximab have sustained clinical responses with no new adverse events.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2007
Acute Kawasaki disease is associated with reverse regulation of soluble receptor for advance glycation end products and its proinflammatory ligand S100A12.
Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) serves as a pattern recognition receptor for several endogenous ligands that are potent inducers of inflammation. By activating endothelial cells and leukocytes, RAGE augments recruitment of leukocytes to sites of inflammation, which is a key process, especially in vasculitis. Soluble RAGE (sRAGE) acts as a naturally occurring inhibitor of RAGE by neutralizing proinflammatory ligands, e.g., S100A12. This neutrophil-derived protein has been reported to be associated with Kawasaki disease (KD) and to provoke proinflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to investigate circulating sRAGE in an acute inflammatory disorder and to compare these data directly with concentrations of the proinflammatory RAGE ligand S100A12. ⋯ Inverse regulation of both sRAGE and its proinflammatory ligand S100A12 seems to be a relevant molecular mechanism promoting systemic inflammation. Calculating the S100A12:sRAGE ratio might help to detect patients with KD who are at risk of being unresponsive to IVIG therapy.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2007
Persistence of abnormal bronchoalveolar lavage findings after cyclophosphamide treatment in scleroderma patients with interstitial lung disease.
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a procedure for sampling the terminal airspace cell population to diagnose alveolitis, a condition that predicts changes in lung function in scleroderma patients. Cyclophosphamide (CYC) stabilizes the progression of lung disease in some, but not all, patients with active alveolitis. However, it is unknown whether the BAL fluid cell count obtained after CYC treatment of alveolitis predicts long-term lung function outcomes and can therefore be used to assist in therapeutic decision-making. The purpose of this study was to determine whether CYC therapy for active lung disease alters BAL fluid neutrophil and eosinophil counts and whether the persistence of abnormal BAL findings after CYC therapy predicts a decline in lung function in patients with scleroderma and interstitial lung disease (ILD). ⋯ Persistently abnormal results on BAL fluid analysis following CYC treatment is a common finding and does not predict a subsequent decline in lung function.