Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyAntibody levels correlate with creatine kinase levels and strength in anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase-associated autoimmune myopathy.
Autoantibodies recognizing 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) are found in patients with statin-associated immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy and, less commonly, in statin-unexposed patients with autoimmune myopathy. The main objective of this study was to define the association of anti-HMGCR antibody levels with disease activity. ⋯ In the entire cohort, initial anti-HMGCR levels correlated with indicators of disease activity; with immunosuppressive treatment, antibody levels declined and arm strength improved. Statin-exposed patients had significant improvements in CK levels and strength whereas statin-unexposed patients did not, suggesting a phenotypic difference between statin-exposed and statin-unexposed anti-HMGCR-positive patients.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2012
Clinical TrialBrief report: effect of ambrisentan treatment on exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension in systemic sclerosis: a prospective single-center, open-label pilot study.
Exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension (ePH) may represent an early, clinically relevant phase in the spectrum of pulmonary vascular disease. The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the changes in hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) spectrum-associated ePH treated with open-label daily ambrisentan. ⋯ Exercise hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with SSc spectrum-associated ePH improved over 24 weeks with exposure to ambrisentan. Placebo-controlled studies are needed to confirm whether this is a drug-related effect and to determine optimal therapeutic regimens for patients with ePH.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2012
Identification of a susceptibility locus in STAT4 for Behçet's disease in Han Chinese in a genome-wide association study.
To identify susceptibility loci for Behçet's disease (BD) and elucidate their functional role. ⋯ These findings strongly suggest that STAT4 is a novel locus underlying BD. We propose a model in which up-regulation of STAT4 expression and subsequent STAT4-driven production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, constitute a potential pathway leading to BD.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2012
Comparative StudySarcopenic obesity is more closely associated with knee osteoarthritis than is nonsarcopenic obesity: a cross-sectional study.
Sarcopenic obesity is a body composition category in which obesity is accompanied by low skeletal muscle mass, offsetting the increase in body weight caused by increased adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between knee osteoarthritis (OA) and 4 different categories of body composition: normal, sarcopenic nonobesity, nonsarcopenic obesity, and sarcopenic obesity. ⋯ Sarcopenic obesity was more closely associated with knee OA than was nonsarcopenic obesity, although both groups had equivalent body weight. This finding supports the importance of the systemic metabolic effect of obesity in knee OA.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2012
Interleukin-17 sensitizes joint nociceptors to mechanical stimuli and contributes to arthritic pain through neuronal interleukin-17 receptors in rodents.
Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is considered a proinflammatory cytokine, but whether neuronal IL-17 receptors contribute to the generation of arthritic pain is unknown. This study was undertaken to explore whether IL-17A acts on neurons, whether it sensitizes joint nociceptors, and whether neutralization of IL-17 is antinociceptive. ⋯ Our findings indicate that IL-17A has the potential to act as a pain mediator by targeting IL-17 receptors in nociceptive neurons, and these receptors are particularly involved in inflammation-evoked mechanical hyperalgesia.