Annals of the rheumatic diseases
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Lumiracoxib is effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a 13 week, randomised, double blind study versus placebo and celecoxib.
To compare the efficacy and safety of lumiracoxib with placebo and celecoxib for osteoarthritis OA in a 13 week, multicentre, randomised, double blind study. ⋯ Lumiracoxib demonstrated significant improvement in OA pain intensity, patients global assessment of disease activity, and the WOMAC pain subscale and total scores compared with placebo. Lumiracoxib was well tolerated in this study, with overall tolerability similar to that of placebo and celecoxib.
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Review Case Reports
Late neonatal lupus erythematosus onset in a child born of a mother with primary Sjögren's syndrome.
The neonatal lupus syndrome can be present as congenital heart block (CHB) or as neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE), both seldom passively acquired autoimmune diseases. CHB starts around week 20 of pregnancy and is a lifelong event, whereas NLE is self limiting and usually starts at the 6th week of the child's age-the maximum recorded up to week 20. ⋯ Our case of NLE, starting at week 20+1 of age, seems to be the latest reported clinical case of NLE. Development of CHB and NLE in two consecutive boy pregnancies is unusual.
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Comparative Study
Correlation and sex differences between ankle and knee cartilage morphology determined by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging.
To study the correlation between ankle and knee cartilage morphology to test the hypothesis that knee joint cartilage loss in gonarthritis can be estimated retrospectively using quantitative MRI analysis of the knee and ankle and established regression equations; and to test the hypothesis that sex differences in joint surface area are larger in the knee than the ankle, which may explain the greater incidence of knee osteoarthritis in elderly women than in elderly men. ⋯ Only moderate correlations in cartilage morphology of healthy subjects were found between knee and ankle. It is therefore impractical to estimate knee joint cartilage loss a posteriori in cross sectional studies by measuring the hind foot and then applying a scaling factor. Sex differences in cartilage morphology do not explain differences in osteoarthritis incidence between men and women in the knee and ankle.
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Comparative Study
Interleukin (IL) 18 stimulates osteoclast formation through synovial T cells in rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with IL1 beta and tumour necrosis factor alpha.
To determine whether IL18 has any indirect effects on osteoclastogenesis mediated by T cells in RA synovium, and compare its effects with those of IL1 beta and TNF alpha. ⋯ IL18, IL1 beta, or TNF alpha can indirectly stimulate osteoclast formation through up regulation of RANKL production from T cells in RA synovitis; IL18 is as effective as IL1 beta, but less potent than TNF alpha.