J Rheumatol
-
To evaluate the contributions of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and knee pain severity to self-reported disability performing upper and lower extremity tasks in a rural, population based sample. ⋯ Knee pain severity was the strongest risk factor for self-reported difficulty performing tasks of upper and lower extremity function. Future studies of disability should include data on knee pain severity.
-
Comparative Study
Differences in synovial fluid cytokine levels between juvenile and adult rheumatoid arthritis.
To evaluate quantitative or qualitative differences in synovial fluid (SF) cytokine levels among patients with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), antinuclear antibody positive pauciarticular JRA, or adult RA. ⋯ In systemic JRA, SF levels of IL-6 are significantly higher than in pauciarticular JRA or in RA; IL-1alpha is present in a significant proportion of patients with pauciarticular JRA, but not in those with RA or systemic JRA.
-
To determine short and longterm outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with systemic rheumatic diseases admitted to intensive care units in 4 teaching hospitals. ⋯ The short term outcome for patients with systemic rheumatic diseases in intensive care units was poor. The longterm prognosis after hospital discharge appeared fair, although the standardized mortality ratio was 5-fold that of a nonselected population. Short and longterm prognoses were similar for different systemic rheumatic disease groups.
-
To define the dose-response relationship of the therapeutic effects of tenidap in experimental osteoarthritis (OA) and relate this to the effects on interleukin 1 (IL-1) and metalloprotease activity. ⋯ This study confirms that tenidap is an effective anti-osteoarthritic drug in this ACLS model where therapy was begun 4 weeks after surgery. We have defined doses that gave graded therapeutic effects, and under these conditions the effectiveness coincided with the suppression of IL-1 and metalloprotease activity, processes known to play a major role in the pathophysiology of OA lesions.