British journal of rheumatology最新文献

The purpose was to study tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-a, -b and -c microsatellites as potential new susceptibility markers for reactive arthritis (ReA). Fifty-nine patients typed for HLA-B27 were studied for frequencies of TNF microsatellite alleles and compared with allele frequencies determined from 285 random haplotypes and 46 healthy HLA-B27-positive controls. TNFa, -b and -c microsatellite sequences were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, and the size of the product was defined by an automated sequencer. The frequencies of TNFa6 and -c1 alleles were found to be increased in patients with ReA, whereas TNFa11 and -c2 frequencies were decreased as compared to control haplotypes. The increase in the c1 allele in patients with ReA independently from HLA-B27 suggests that it might be a new susceptibility marker for the disease. The association of ReA with other alleles was due to a linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B27.

The family of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) includes a heterogeneous population of autoantibodies whose specificity is directed against not only phospholipids, but their complex with plasma proteins. Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and lupus anticoagulant (LA) tests are widely performed to screen the aPL family which is associated with thrombotic complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The clinical significance of other aPL tests, including antibodies against phosphatidylserine (aPS), phosphatidylinositol (aPI), phosphatidic acid (aPA), phosphatidylcholine (aPC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (aPE), has not been established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether multiple aPL tests have enhanced diagnostic value for APS. We tested IgG/M/A aPS, aPI, aPA, aPC and aPE by ELISA using 10% bovine serum as blocking and sample diluent in 26 SLE patients with clinical manifestations of APS, but negative for both aCL and LA (Group 1). The results were compared with 32 SLE patients without any features of APS (Group 2) and 24 SLE patients with APS (aCL and/or LA positive) (Group 3). In Group 1, 1/26 (4%) was positive for IgA aPE, less frequent than in other groups, and none of the patients had any other aPL. In Group 2, 1/32 (3%) was positive for aPS, two (6%) for aPI, one (3%) for aPA and four (12.5%) for aPE. None was positive for aPC. In the third group, 13/24 (54%) were positive for aPS, 11 (46%) for aPI, 15 (63%) for aPA, four (17%) for aPC and seven (29%) for aPE. Since aPE was found in some patients, we extended the study, including 207 SLE patients, and tested aPE. IgG/M/A aPE was found in six (3%), 10(5%) and 21 (10%), respectively, but no association was found between aPE and any clinical features of APS. This study suggests that screening by multiple aPL tests does not increase the diagnostic yield in APS.

Lipoma arborescens is a villous lipomatous proliferation of the synovial membrane characterized by chronic and painless synovial effusion. The aetiology is unknown. It has to be included in the differential diagnosis of chronic monoarticular disease in childhood. Magnetic resonance imaging provides a highly efficient tool for the diagnosis of this very rare condition. This is indeed the fourth paediatric case reported. Rather than resorting to the often inconvenient surgical synovectomy commonly recommended, we chose to treat the knee of this 13-yr-old boy with intra-articular osmic acid.

Objective: Low bone mass, vertebral osteopenia and fractures have been described in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but the aetiology of this osteoporosis (OP) remains unknown. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a bone-promoting peptide, may be considered as reflecting osteoblast function as well as its main binding protein, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). Both were found to be decreased in post-menopausal women and male patients with idiopathic OP. In this study, we aimed to measure the circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in AS patients.

Methods: Thirty-three AS patients were compared to 23 healthy controls. Bone mineral density (dual X-ray absorptiometry) was measured at the spine and the femoral neck. We determined the serum levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin, glycaemia, and the IGF-I and IGFBP-3 serum concentrations.

Results: A lowered lumbar spine bone mineral density was found in the AS group (AS: 0.946 g/cm2, controls: 1.02 g/cm2; P = 0.05). AS patients had a higher glycaemia than controls, but results were in the normal range. There were no significant differences in the mean values for GH and insulin. Mean IGF-I serum levels were 218.3 ng/ml (+/-72.4) in patients and 212.1 (+/-71.1) in controls (P = 0.75). The serum concentrations of IGFBP-3 were significantly lower in AS (3.29+/-0.6 microg/ml) than in healthy subjects (3.63+/-0.6 microg/ml; P = 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the serum IGFBP-3 concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = -0.39; P = 0.025).

Conclusions: Since IGFBP-3 is an important cofactor for IGF-I and modulates its bioavailability and activity in bone, these data suggest that osteoblast cell function could be impaired in AS. Inflammation could play a role in this IGFBP-3/IGF-I axis involvement. However, further studies are warranted to determine the role of the other growth factors and their binding proteins in the OP of AS.

Objective: To determine the serum levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Method: Serum samples from 80 patients with SSc and 20 healthy control subjects were examined by a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: The serum levels of sVCAM-1 and sE-selectin were significantly higher in the patients with SSc than in the healthy controls. The serum levels of sVCAM-1 were correlated with the presence of pulmonary fibrosis, joint involvement and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels. The serum levels of sE-selectin were correlated with the presence of pulmonary fibrosis.

Conclusion: These results suggest that endothelial activation is involved in the development of this disease.

The value of ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and plain radiography (PR) in detecting bone erosions on the humeral head was evaluated in a study of 26 in-patients (26 shoulders) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MRI depicted humeral erosions in 25 (96%), US in 24 (92%), CT in 20 (77%) and PR in 19 (73%) of the 26 shoulders. MRI and US were superior to CT in detecting small erosions. US was the most sensitive method to show surface erosions on the greater tuberosity. US, CT and MRI detected large erosions quite similarly. PR frequently missed small erosions. In the evaluation of early erosions in the rheumatoid shoulder, US and MRI are more sensitive methods than the traditionally used PR. US and MRI are suitable for the evaluation of soft-tissue involvement in the rheumatoid shoulder, but also for the detection of bone erosions of the humeral head.

Typical manifestations of Behcet's disease (BD) and a positive pathergy reaction were observed in a few patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) on interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy and the significance of this observation was assessed in a prospective study. The skin pathergy test was applied to 15 patients with CML prior to IFN-alpha therapy, 29 patients with CML following IFN-alpha therapy and 30 patients with BD. Twenty-five patients with inflammatory arthropathies (IA), 20 patients with recurrent oral ulcers (ROU), 23 patients treated with IFN-alpha for various disorders and 20 normal individuals were also studied as control groups. The pathergy reaction was positive in nearly a quarter of IFN-alpha-treated CML cases (24%) as well as one-half of the patients with BD (50%). All CML patients prior to IFN-alpha treatment and all patients using IFN-alpha for other diseases were negative for the pathergy reaction. These results may indicate a similarly altered neutrophil function in both BD and IFN-alpha-treated CML patients.