Arthritis Secret Revealed

IntroductionEpidemiological studies of rheumatic diseases have been conducted during the past 20 years in China. The aim of this study was to clarify prevalence rates of common rheumatic diseases in China. Methods: Relevant reports of population-based surveys conducted from 1980 to 2006 were retrieved. Studies using the World Health Organization-International League of Associations for Rheumatology COPCORD (Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases) protocol and those that did not employ this protocol but were published in recognized journals were identified and analyzed. Results: Thirty-eight surveys including 241,169 adults from 25 provinces/cities were pooled for analysis. The prevalence of rheumatic complaints ranged from 11.6% to 46.4%, varying by locality, study protocol and age of the people surveyed. Prevalence of symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) varied from 5.1% to 20.8%, with common sites of involvement being the lumbar spine, knee joint and cervical spine. Compared with rates of radiographic and symptomatic knee OA in the USA, elderly men in Beijing exhibited similar prevalence rates and elderly women exhibited a higher prevalence. The prevalence of hip OA and hand OA was much lower in Chinese than in Caucasian populations, but both kinds of OA were more common in coal miners. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis ranged from 0.2% to 0.54% among Han ethnic Chinese and were lower among mixed ethnic populations. The prevalence of psoriatic arthritis ranged from 0.01% to 0.1%, and that of reactive arthritis was 0.02%; undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy was identified in 0.64% to 1.2% of the individuals included in the surveys. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ranged from 0.2% to 0.93%, with the highest rate being reported from a Taiwan urban area. In mainland China there were no significant differences in prevalence of RA between the northern and southern parts of China, or between different ethnic groups. The prevalence of hyperuricemia increased after the 1980s. The prevalence of gout was found to have increased in recent decades from 0.15% to 1.98%, apart from in the Taiwan aborigines, among whom the highest prevalence rate of 11.7% was recorded. The prevalence of primary Sjogrenas syndrome in Beijing was 0.77% by the Copenhagen criteria and 0.33% by the San Diego criteria. The prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism was 2.5% to 5.7%. Fibromyalgia was seldom observed in China. Conclusion: Rheumatic diseases are common in China. The prevalence of rheumatic complaints varied with the locality surveyed. The prevalence of OA is comparable with that in Western countries but varies in terms of joint involvement. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis is similar to that in Caucasians. Except in Taiwan, the prevalence of RA in China is lower than that in developed countries. The prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout increased after the 1980s, but it remains lower than that in developed countries. More studies are required to evaluate prevalence rates among minority groups in the west and northwest parts of China, and further study is needed to address fibromyalgia in China.

Serum keratan sulfate transiently increases in early stage of osteoarthritis during strenuous running of rats: protective effect of intraarticular hyaluronan injection
Background: Osteoarthritis is influenced by genetic and environment factors including mechanical stress; however the relationship between running and the development of osteoarthritis remains a matter of controversy. We investigated (i) whether osteoarthritic change could be obtained in a rat strenuous running model, (ii) whether serum keratan sulfate in rats could be detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and was associated with onset or progression of osteoarthritis, and (iii) whether hyaluronan injection suppressed development of osteoarthritis and elevation of serum keratan sulfate. Methods: Wistar rats were forced to run 30 km in 6 weeks on a treadmill machine. Articular cartilage of the knees was evaluated macroscopically and immunohistologically. Serum keratan sulfate was examined every week by HPLC. The effect of weekly knee injection of hyaluronan was also investigated. Results: Cartilage surfaces stained with India ink became irregular, metachromasia by safranin-O staining appeared to be almost lost, and Mankinas score significantly worsened after 30 km of running. Serum keratan sulfate in rats was detected by HPLC and transiently increased (peaked at 3 a 4 weeks) along with depletion of keratan sulfate in cartilage tissue. Hyaluronan treatment suppressed morphological progression of osteoarthritis and elevation of serum keratan sulfate. Conclusions: Rat strenuous running induced osteoarthritis. Serum keratan sulfate was associated with progression of osteoarthritis. Weekly intraarticular injection of hyaluronan controlled the development of osteoarthritis, and the effect was reflected by serum keratan sulfate.

undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy, caucasian populations, world health organization, symptomatic osteoarthritis, coal miners, rheumatoid arthritis, prevalence rates, mainland china, ethnic populations, cervical spine, lumbar spine, rheumatic diseases, rheumatic complaints, study protocol, knee oa, relevant reports, oriented program, different ethnic groups, elderly men, elderly women
undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy, caucasian populations, world health organization, symptomatic osteoarthritis, coal miners, rheumatoid arthritis, prevalence rates, mainland china, ethnic populations, cervical spine, lumbar spine, rheumatic diseases, rheumatic complaints, study protocol, knee oa, relevant reports, oriented program, different ethnic groups, elderly men, elderly women

Background: The aim of our study was to investigate the association between disease activity and antibodies to mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV), since such a relation has been suggested. Methods: Anti-MCV was measured in 162 patients with early arthritis (123 rheumatoid (RA) and 39 undifferentiated (UA)) at baseline and at one and two years of follow up. Disease activity was measured by the disease activity score (DAS28) and serum C-reactive protein (CRP). General estimation equations (GEE)-analysis was used to assess the relation between anti-MCV levels and DAS28 in time. Results: Both, anti-MCV levels and DAS28 showed a significant decrease in the first and second year. However association between anti-MCV levels and DAS28, adjusted for dependency of several measurements within one subject, was very low (I^2 =0.00075). In a population of RA and UA patients, anti-MCV had a specificity of 92.3% and a sensitivity of 59.3% when using the recommended cut-off of 20 U/ml. Specificity and sensitivity of anti-CCP2 using the recommended cut-off value of 25 U/ml was 92.1 and 55.3%, respectively. Anti-MCV positive early arthritis patients had significantly higher Sharp-van der Heijde score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and CRP levels than anti-MCV negative patients at all time points (p<0.005) but DAS28 was higher in anti-MCV positive patients at two years follow-up only (p<0.05). Conclusion: Since the correlation of anti-MCV levels and parameters of disease activity is very low, it is not useful to monitor disease activity with anti-MCV levels. Read More

Osteoporosis can manifest in two ways in rheumatoid arthritis: generalized bone loss, which may result from immobility, the inflammatory process per se and/or treatments such as steroids; and periarticular demineralization, which is probably due to local release of inflammatory agents. Digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR) is an effective and sensitive modality for monitoring periarticular osteoporosis, which is among the earliest features of rheumatoid arthritis, preceding bone erosions. DXR is a promising technique, which can provide quantitative data that allow early diagnosis. During the course of rheumatoid arthritis it can be deployed in combination with established X-ray scoring methods to inform decisions regarding the optimal therapy to prevent joint destruction. Read More

IntroductionEpidemiological studies of rheumatic diseases have been conducted during the past 20 years in China. The aim of this study was to clarify prevalence rates of common rheumatic diseases in China. Methods: Relevant reports of population-based surveys conducted from 1980 to 2006 were retrieved. Studies using the World Health Organization-International League of Associations for Rheumatology COPCORD (Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases) protocol and those that did not employ this protocol but were published in recognized journals were identified and analyzed. Results: Thirty-eight surveys including 241,169 adults from 25 provinces/cities were pooled for analysis. The prevalence of rheumatic complaints ranged from 11.6% to 46.4%, varying by locality, study protocol and age of the people surveyed. Prevalence of symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) varied from 5.1% to 20.8%, with common sites of involvement being the lumbar spine, knee joint and cervical spine. Compared with rates of radiographic and symptomatic knee OA in the USA, elderly men in Beijing exhibited similar prevalence rates and elderly women exhibited a higher prevalence. The prevalence of hip OA and hand OA was much lower in Chinese than in Caucasian populations, but both kinds of OA were more common in coal miners. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis ranged from 0.2% to 0.54% among Han ethnic Chinese and were lower among mixed ethnic populations. The prevalence of psoriatic arthritis ranged from 0.01% to 0.1%, and that of reactive arthritis was 0.02%; undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy was identified in 0.64% to 1.2% of the individuals included in the surveys. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ranged from 0.2% to 0.93%, with the highest rate being reported from a Taiwan urban area. In mainland China there were no significant differences in prevalence of RA between the northern and southern parts of China, or between different ethnic groups. The prevalence of hyperuricemia increased after the 1980s. The prevalence of gout was found to have increased in recent decades from 0.15% to 1.98%, apart from in the Taiwan aborigines, among whom the highest prevalence rate of 11.7% was recorded. The prevalence of primary Sjogrenas syndrome in Beijing was 0.77% by the Copenhagen criteria and 0.33% by the San Diego criteria. The prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism was 2.5% to 5.7%. Fibromyalgia was seldom observed in China. Conclusion: Rheumatic diseases are common in China. The prevalence of rheumatic complaints varied with the locality surveyed. The prevalence of OA is comparable with that in Western countries but varies in terms of joint involvement. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis is similar to that in Caucasians. Except in Taiwan, the prevalence of RA in China is lower than that in developed countries. The prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout increased after the 1980s, but it remains lower than that in developed countries. More studies are required to evaluate prevalence rates among minority groups in the west and northwest parts of China, and further study is needed to address fibromyalgia in China. Read More

Background: Osteoarthritis is influenced by genetic and environment factors including mechanical stress; however the relationship between running and the development of osteoarthritis remains a matter of controversy. We investigated (i) whether osteoarthritic change could be obtained in a rat strenuous running model, (ii) whether serum keratan sulfate in rats could be detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and was associated with onset or progression of osteoarthritis, and (iii) whether hyaluronan injection suppressed development of osteoarthritis and elevation of serum keratan sulfate. Methods: Wistar rats were forced to run 30 km in 6 weeks on a treadmill machine. Articular cartilage of the knees was evaluated macroscopically and immunohistologically. Serum keratan sulfate was examined every week by HPLC. The effect of weekly knee injection of hyaluronan was also investigated. Results: Cartilage surfaces stained with India ink became irregular, metachromasia by safranin-O staining appeared to be almost lost, and Mankinas score significantly worsened after 30 km of running. Serum keratan sulfate in rats was detected by HPLC and transiently increased (peaked at 3 a 4 weeks) along with depletion of keratan sulfate in cartilage tissue. Hyaluronan treatment suppressed morphological progression of osteoarthritis and elevation of serum keratan sulfate. Conclusions: Rat strenuous running induced osteoarthritis. Serum keratan sulfate was associated with progression of osteoarthritis. Weekly intraarticular injection of hyaluronan controlled the development of osteoarthritis, and the effect was reflected by serum keratan sulfate. Read More

Background: CP-690550 is a small molecule inhibitor of Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) , a critical enzyme in the signaling pathway of multiple cytokines (IL-2, -7, -15 & -21) in T Cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate CP-690550 in murine collagen-induced (CIA) and rat adjuvant-induced (AA) models of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: CIA and AA were induced using standard protocols and animals received the Jak3 inhibitor via osmotic minipump infusion at doses ranging from 1.5-15 mg/kg/d following disease induction. Arthritis was assessed by clinical scores in the CIA models and paw swelling monitored using a plethysmometer in the AA model until study conclusion at which time animals were terminated and evaluated histologically. Results: CP-690550 dose-dependently decreased endpoints of disease in both RA models with greater than 90% reduction observed at the highest administered dose. An approximate ED50 of 1.5 mg/kg/d based upon disease endpoints was determined for the compound and corresponds to CP-690550 serum levels of 5.8 ng/ml in mice (day 28) and 24 ng/ml in rats (day 24). CP-690550 also reduced inflammation and joint damage determined histologically with no evidence of disease following administration of 15 mg/kg/d. Conclusion: These data support evaluation of CP-690550 as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Read More

serum c reactive protein, das28, sedimentation rate, c reactive protein, arthritis patients, ccp2, specificity and sensitivity, mcv, crp levels, negative patients, time results, antibodies, rheumatoid, estimation, arthritis, aim, ml, ra, measurements, baseline
serum c reactive protein, das28, sedimentation rate, c reactive protein, arthritis patients, ccp2, specificity and sensitivity, mcv, crp levels, negative patients, time results, antibodies, rheumatoid, estimation, arthritis, aim, ml, ra, measurements, baseline