Measuring disease activity and response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires suppression of the underlying inflammation. Measurement of such inflammation, the disease activity, is mandatory to target treatment and maximize outcomes. However, this is not as straightforward as it may seem.

Areas covered: The many tools developed to measure disease activity in RA, from composite scores and patient-reported outcomes, to laboratory markers and imaging are discussed, with a focus on their utility in guiding therapy and assessing response. The complex issues in measuring disease activity in RA, whether in clinical trials or normal clinical practice, and in the context of national guidelines and recommendations, available time, and resources are considered.

Expert commentary: The key to effective management of RA is the rapid suppression of inflammation, ideally to remission, with maintenance of such remission. The aim is to prevent disability and maximize quality of life. Central to this is the ability to determine disease activity (potentially open to suppression) as opposed to damage (irreversible). A variety of measures are currently available, allowing better assessment of response to treatment. In the future, the development of predictive biomarkers allowing targeting of drugs may revolutionize this field and render the tools of today redundant.     

养阴益气活血汤对慢性心力衰竭患者心功能及生活质量的影响

目的:研究养阴益气活血汤对慢性心力衰竭患者心功能和生活质量的影响。方法:将慢性心力衰竭患者86例随机分为2组。对照组采用常规西药治疗,观察组联合养阴益气活血汤治疗。观察比较2组左心室射血分数(LVEF)、左心室收缩末期内径(LVESD)、左心室舒张末期内径(LVEDD)、生活质量评分、中医证候积分、疗效和不良反应。结果:治疗后,2组LVEF升高,LVEDD、LVESD降低,且观察组LVEF高于对照组,LVEDD、LVESD低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,2组中医证候积分、生活质量评分均降低,且观察组中医证候积分、生活质量评分低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组总有效率为93.02%,对照组总有效率为76.74%,观察组总有效率高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:养阴益气活血汤治疗慢性心力衰竭,能显著改善患者心功能,提高生活质量,安全可靠。     

翁舌汤灌肠治疗大肠湿热型溃疡性结肠炎临床研究

目的:观察翁舌汤灌肠治疗大肠湿热型溃疡性结肠炎的疗效及其对患者血清炎症因子水平的影响。方法:将80例大肠湿热型溃疡性结肠炎患者按随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组各40例。观察组给予翁舌汤灌肠治疗,对照组给予美沙拉嗪栓肛门塞入治疗,两组均连续治疗8周。比较两组患者的临床疗效、肠黏膜征象积分和血清炎症因子水平。结果:治疗后,观察组和对照组总有效率分别为95.00%、70.00%,两组疗效比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,观察组患者炎症增生、黏膜溃疡、黏膜糜烂、黏膜水肿、黏膜充血积分均下降,与治疗前比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);且观察组各项积分均低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,两组血清白细胞介素-8(IL-8)、肿瘤坏死因子-β(TNF-β)水平均降低,血清白细胞介素-10(IL-10)水平均升高,与治疗前比较,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);且观察组血清IL-8、TNF-β水平明显低于对照组,血清IL-10水平明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:翁舌汤灌肠治疗大肠湿热型溃疡性结肠炎疗效较好,可改善患者肠黏膜征象积分,调节血清炎症因子水平。     

Workplace status and risk of hypertension among hourly and salaried aluminum manufacturing employees

An inverse relationship between workplace status and morbidity is well established; higher job status has been associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, and injury. Most research on job status, however, has focused on salaried populations, and it remains unclear whether job status operates similarly among hourly workers. Our objectives were to examine whether hourly status itself influences risk of hypertension after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders, and to explore the role of fine-scale job grade on hypertension incidence within hourly and salaried groups. We examined data for 14,999 aluminum manufacturing employees in 11 plants across the U.S., using logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity and other individual characteristics. Propensity score restriction was used to identify comparable groups of hourly and salaried employees, reducing confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Job grade (coded 1 through 30, within hourly and salaried groups) was examined as a more refined measure of job status. Hourly status was associated with an increased risk of hypertension, after propensity restriction and adjustment for confounders. The observed effect of hourly status was stronger among women, although the propensity-restricted cohort was disproportionately male (96%). Among salaried workers, higher job grade was not consistently associated with decreased risk; among hourly employees, however, there was a significant trend, with higher job grades more protective against hypertension. Increasing the stringency of hypertension case criteria also increased the risk of severe or persistent hypertension for hourly employees.     

电针对围绝经期综合征患者Kupperman评分的效应

目的观察电针对围绝经期综合征患者Kupperman评分的效应并分析其可能的作用途径。方法将110例患者随机分为关元组（关元、三阴交）、内关组（内关、足三里）,观察治疗前后Kupperman指数（MI）,分析电针效应及其对各项症状的影响。结果电针治疗1星期后两组MI即较初始下降,并随治疗时间的延长逐周递减,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）;电针能显著降低Kupperman指数（P〈0.01）,4星期后关元组评分下降52.6%,内关组下降47.4%,有效率分别为93.6%、85.7%;电针能明显改善围绝经期综合征各类症状（P〈0.05）,各项症状的起效时间从治疗后1星期至4星期不等。但两组间差异不明显（P〉0.05）。结论电针两组精简穴位均能明显降低Kupperman评分,改善围绝经期综合征各类临床症状。     

Labman and Linkman: A data management system specifically designed for genome searches of complex diseases

Two programs have been developed to manage linkage analysis data. The first program, LABMAN, is a comprehensive laboratory data management system organizing pedigrees, blood DNA samples, DNA markers, Southern blot or polyacrylamide gels, autoradiographs, and marker-allele typings generated from these samples. Output includes mendelization checks for genetic incompatibilities in typings and formatted files ready for linkage analysis. LABMAN can also compress highly polymorphic allele systems into smaller allele systems facilitating analysis of large systems. The second program, LINKMAN, provides data management for lod score output from linkage analyses. It reads linkage analysis output files, calculates lod scores by family, associates lod scores with specific marker and family identifiers, and stores these data in a database where they can be combined with lod scores from previous analyses. LINKMAN easily incorporates any of a wide variety of genetic models. It produces formatted output of lod scores by user-specified criteria for reports or as ASCII files for input to other programs. If desired, tests of homogeneity of linkage across families can be run via the HOMOG program [Ott, 1991] and their output included in reports. The programs include features critical for conducting genome searches of complex diseases: They are easy-to-use, well-tested, and reliable. Data from multi-center investigations can be easily combined for analysis. Moreover, they include extensive error-checking capabilities, and they are specifically set up to protect blindness between laboratory workers and data analysts. LABMAN and LINKMAN are currently available free of charge under DOS. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

肿瘤坏死因子α基因多态性与多发性硬化的相关性研究

目的:研究肿瘤坏死因子α(TNFα)基因多态性与多发性硬化(MS)的相关性。方法:①采用聚合酶链式反应-限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)技术对58例MS患者和79名健康人进行TNFα基因多态性分析。②对MS组患者分别进行扩展病残状态评分(expanded disability status scale,EDSS)、首次发病年龄、病程、发病次数临床资料收集。结果:①MS组TNFα基因型分布及等位基因频率与正常对照组比较均无明显差异(χ2=0.466,P=0.495;χ2=0.229,P=0.632)。②基因型为TNFα1/1、TNFα1/2、TNFα2/2的EDSS评分、首次发病年龄、病程及发病次数各组间比较差异均无统计学意义(F=0.53,P=0.5914;F=1.34,P=0.2699;F=0.37,P=0.6914;F=0.49,P=0.6182)。结论:TNFα等位基因多态性与MS的易患性、EDSS评分、首次发病年龄、病程及发病次数均无显著相关性。