The role of HLA‐DQβ1 alleles in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis

Aim: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory erosive joint disease with the worldwide distribution of approximately 0.5–1.0%. Etiology of RA is not exactly known but immunologic and genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Genetic factors such as human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are responsible for many autoimmune diseases; therefore we decided to look for a correlation between RA and the presence of HLA‐DQβ1 alleles as possible genetic markers. Methods: Genomic DNA from the whole blood samples of 25 patients with RA and 86 normal individuals as control group were extracted by salting out method. The genomic DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction‐sequence specific primer (PCR‐SSP) technique. HLA‐typing was done by this method after optimizing the PCR reaction for each allele. In this procedure seven serological subclasses of HLA‐DQβ1 can be detected. Results: Comparing the results between the patients and controls show a significant increase in the frequency of HLA‐DQ8 (*0302, *0305) alleles in RA patients. The P‐values were 0.007 and the relative risk for these alleles was evaluated higher than 1. Conclusions: The results suggest that DQ8 is the dominant HLA‐DQβ1 allele that is associated with susceptibility to RA in north‐eastern Iran.     

Acute pustulosis of the legs in diverticulitis with sigmoid stenosis: an overlap between bowel-associated dermatosis–arthritis syndrome and pustular pyoderma gangrenosum

BACKGROUND: Bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome denotes the occurrence of diarrhoea with arthritis and skin lesions related to bowel disease with or without bowel bypass. In this condition, the histological finding of cutaneous aseptic neutrophilic cell infiltrate is non-specific and common to a wide spectrum of neutrophilic dermatoses, including pyoderma gangrenosum. OBSERVATION: We describe a 78-year-old woman with fever, abdominal discomfort and arthralgias, who developed grouped pustular lesions on her shins with histologically spongiform pustule formation. Aetiological assessment disclosed diverticular disease with sigmoid stenosis. CONCLUSION: Although clinical and histological features in our case fit the diagnosis of bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome, they may also correspond to a pustular variant of pyoderma gangrenosum. Our observation raises the question of the nosological classification of bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome within the spectrum of neutrophilic diseases.     

99Tcm-MIBI显像评价乳腺癌新辅助化疗疗效

目的 探讨^99Tc^m-甲氧基异丁基异腈（MIBI）显像评价乳腺癌新辅助化疗（NCT）疗效的价值。方法 35例局部进展期乳腺癌（LABC）患者术前化疗前后分别触诊估测肿瘤最大垂直长径及行^99Tc^m-MIBI显像，术后对乳腺癌标本行病理检查及P-糖蛋白（P-gP）、增殖细胞核抗原（PCNA）免疫组织化学染色。观察注射^99Tc^m-MIBI后60min显像图。采用目测法和半定量法，以病灶／本底（T／N）放射性比值降低〉35％为有效。临床疗效按WHO标准评价。化疗后肿瘤细胞病理形态学改变以Ⅱ、Ⅲ级定为显效，Ⅰ级定为弱效。结果 病理检查显效与弱效组间，显像目测法分析NCT有效率分别为75％和9％，差异有显著性（P〈0．01），灵敏度、特异性和准确性分别为75％、91％和80％；半定量法评价NCT疗效的灵敏度、特异性和准确性分别为84％、80％和83％；临床测量肿瘤最大垂直长径则分别为50％、64％和54％。^99Tc^m-MIBI显像评价疗效的灵敏度、准确性明显高于临床确诊。24例病理检查示显效的患者中，^99Tc^m-MIBI摄取与PCNA水平相关，与P-gP水平无关。结论 ^99Tc^m-MIBI显像可有效监测LABC患者术前NCT疗效。     

Upper thoracic myelopathy caused by vertebral collapse and subluxation in rheumatoid arthritis: report of two cases

We report two cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with upper thoracic myelopathy and a review of the literature. Clinical data of a 47-year-old woman (case 1) and a 54-year-old woman (case 2) are described. Case 1 showed a transverse-type myelopathy at the T2 segment level of the spinal cord and case 2 had the same type of myelopathy at the T4 segment level. Case 1 had anterior vertebral subluxation of C7 due to marked vertebral collapse and Case 2 had subluxation of T2 with vertebral destruction. These two patients had the mutilating type of RA with multilevel spontaneous fusion in the cervical spine. The lesions in the thoracic spine might be caused by the severe destructive inflammation that is characteristic in mutilating disease. The vertebral collapse might lead to subluxation of the upper thoracic vertebra, resulting in spinal cord compression. Upper thoracic subluxation might be caused by vertebral collapse due to RA and the increased motion as a compensation for decreased mobility caused by spontaneous fusion in the cervical spine.     

激光穴位点射疗法对痛风急性期的疗效观察

目的:观察500MW激光风湿治疗机穴位点射治疗痛风急性期的疗效,探讨其作用原理。方法:痛风急性期患者48例,随机分为激光组和对照组,每组24例。激光组用输出波长为810 NM,功率为500 MW激光风湿治疗机,通过穴位点射方法治疗。对照组口服非甾体类消炎药。疗程均为3~7 d,观察患者关节疼痛肿胀情况及不良反应表现。结果:激光组疗效优于对照组,且毒副作用明显小于对照组。结论:激光穴位点射治疗对痛风急性期有良好的治疗作用,且无明显不良反应,患者依从性好。     

High-resolution imaging of progressive articular cartilage degeneration.

The objective of this study was to develop and verify a new technique for monitoring the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) by combining a rat model with the imaging modality optical coherence tomography (OCT). Time-sequential, in vivo, OCT imaging was performed on the left femoral condyles of 12 Wistar rats following sodium-iodoacetic acid-induced OA progression. The right femoral condyles (untreated) were also imaged and served as controls. Imaging was performed on days 0, 10, 20, 30, and 60 with an OCT system capable of acquiring images at four frames per second and an axial resolution of 5 microm. Progressive changes were analyzed using an OA scoring system. OCT successfully identified progressive cartilage degeneration as well as alteration of the cartilage/bone interface. Significant changes to both of these structures were observed in the sodium-iodoacetic acid-injected condyles. Structural changes detected with OCT were confirmed histologically. OCT in combination with a well-known model used in arthritis research represents a powerful tool for following degenerative joint disease progression in a given animal by detecting changes to the cartilage/bone interface and articular cartilage.     

Effect of Tripterygium Vilfordii on Adrenal Cortex in Rat with Adjuvant Arthritis

(张明敏)(刘沛霖)(叶望云)ＥｆｆｅｃｔｏｆＴｒｉｐｔｅｒｙｇｉｕｍＶｉｌｆｏｒｄｉｉｏｎＡｄｒｅｎａｌＣｏｒｔｅｘｉｎＲａｔｗｉｔｈＡｄｊｕｖａｎｔＡｒｔｈｒｉｔｉｓ￥ＺＨＡＮＧＭｉｎｇ－ｍｉｎ；ＬＩＵＰｅｉ－ｌｉｎ；ＹＥＷａｎｇ－ｙｕｎ（Ｔｏｎｇｊｉ...     

The HLA-DQ7 and -DQ8 associations in DR4-positive rheumatoid arthritis patients A combined analysis of data available in the literature

Several different lines of evidence have demonstrated that inherited susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with the DRB1 genes encoding the HLA-DR4 and HLA-DR1 molecules. A contrasting hypothesis has recently been proposed, suggesting that, in general, the DRB1 locus is associated with protection to RA and that the RA-associated DRB1 alleles are not responsible for the primary disease association but merely permissive for the susceptibility conferred by the HLA-DQ alleles with which they are in linkage disequilibrium. We have performed a critical review of the literature on the HLA association in RA with special emphasis on studies in which both an HLA-DR and -DQ association has been investigated. Our analyses provide strong evidence against the hypothesis that HLA-DQ molecules play a major role in the general susceptibility to RA. Thus, the strongest association in rheumatoid arthritis is with DRB1 genes rather than DQB1 genes.     

Sequential Adjuvant CMF Chemotherapy Followed by Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer: The Lankenau Hospital Experience

Abstract: The optimal timing of systemic cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil (CMF) chemotherapy and local radiation in adjuvant breast cancer has been a debatable subject. To evaluate the Lankenau Hospital experience with sequential CMF chemotherapy followed by radiation in the adjuvant therapy of stage I and stage II breast cancer we reviewed the records of patients at our center. This group of 34 patients was treated in a homogenous manner, all receiving standard CMF for six cycles followed by radiotherapy after lumpectomy with axillary lymph node dissection. The radiation course was 5040cGy to the entire breast (28 fractions in 45 elapsed days) followed by a boost to the tumor site of 1800cGy in 10 fractions. Thirty-four patients were identified and followed for an average of 5 years (range 1.5–11.5 years). One patient had local recurrence and with subsequent treatment is disease-free at 5 years postrecurrence (8 years from initial diagnosis). Two deaths were not breast-cancer related (1 myocardial infarction at year 3, 1 melanoma at year 7.5). The estimated probability of no relapse at 5 years and 8 years by Kaplan-Meier analysis is 79% and 60% respectively. Overall and disease-free survival in this group of patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and CMF chemotherapy followed by radiation is excellent. There appears to be no detriment to delaying radiotherapy until full doses of systemic treatment are given as local recurrence was rare (6%) and was amenable to further treatment.