盐酸氨基葡萄糖联合塞来昔布治疗膝骨性关节炎的随机对照

背景：盐酸氨基葡萄糖被认为具有治疗膝关节骨性关节炎的作用,但其是否对不同程度的骨性关节炎都有效,联合应用非类固醇类抗炎药与单用盐酸氨基葡萄糖是否存在疗效差别,尚需进一步临床研究。 目的：采用前瞻性研究的方法对比单用盐酸氨基葡萄糖以及联合应用塞来昔布治疗不同程度膝关节骨性关节炎的临床疗效。 方法：采用Lequesne评分将152例膝关节骨关节炎患者分为轻、中、重度,然后随机配比法均分为单用盐酸氨基葡萄糖组和盐酸氨基葡萄糖联合塞来昔布用药组,于用药后2,4,6周以及停药8,12周统计患者Lequesne评分,用药前后及组间进行对比并统计盐酸氨基葡萄糖的不良反应。 结果与结论：在轻度骨性关节炎治疗组中,盐酸氨基葡萄糖组治疗4周、停药12周后Lequesne评分与治疗前比较,差异有显著性意义;而联合用药组治疗2周后评分即有改善,两组比较,评分在治疗2,4周差异有显著性意义,说明联合用药组效果改善更显著;中度骨性关节炎患者在治疗2,4,6周和停药8周时,联合用药患者Lequesne评分均低于单纯使用盐酸氨基葡萄糖患者,差异均有显著性意义(P < 0.05),说明在中度骨性关节炎,盐酸氨基葡萄糖联合塞来昔布治疗效果好于单独用药;重度骨性关节炎中,两组治疗后Lequesne评分与治疗前比较,均无明显改善。结果说明对于轻度膝骨性关节炎,单用盐酸氨基葡萄糖口服即可明显改善患者临床症状,对于中度膝骨关节炎,建议联合非类固醇类抗炎药类用药,可以较好改善临床症状,而对于重度膝骨关节炎,两种方法均无效。     

腰椎小关节不对称与椎间盘及小关节退变的关系

背景：腰椎小关节不对称与椎间盘退变程度之间的关系一直存在争议,并且国内在下腰痛患者中对小关节不对称与小关节退变程度之间关系的研究较少。 目的：调查分析腰椎小关节不对称在腰椎间盘退变与小关节退变过程中的作用。 方法：测量312例下腰痛患者共936个脊柱功能单位的小关节角度差值,差值<7°定义为小关节对称,差值≥7°定义为小关节不对称。对936个脊柱节段的椎间盘退变程度及小关节退变程度进行分级。 结果与结论：①小关节是否对称在年龄及性别上差异无显著性(P > 0.05)。②小关节不对称与椎间盘退变程度之间无显著关联(P > 0.05)。③在L4~L5节段小关节不对称组比小关节对称组的小关节退变程度更重(P < 0.01)。提示小关节不对称与椎间盘退变无明显影响,但在腰椎活动度最大的L4~L5节段,小关节不对称可能会引起小关节的退变。     

腰痛患者腰椎小关节退变与椎间盘退变的MRI比较

背景：研究脊柱退变的过程时发现椎间盘与小关节相互关联同时也相互影响,并将影响脊柱的正常功能及稳定,从而引起腰痛,而关于椎间盘和小关节的退变顺序一直存在争议。 目的：分析腰痛患者中腰椎小关节退变与椎间盘退变之间的关系。 方法：回顾性分析186例腰痛患者的腰椎MRI,对每例患者的L2-S1四个运动节段的小关节及椎间盘的退变进行评估。按年龄将入选人群分为3组(< 40岁,40-60岁,>60岁)。 结果与结论：腰椎小关节及椎间盘退变比率均随年龄增长而增加,二者退变均在L4-5、L5-S1节段退变最明显。在小关节与椎间盘的退变比率比较中,在各年龄段的各节段中椎间盘退变比率均大于小关节退变比率,除了年龄< 40岁及40-60岁的抽样人群中L2-3小关节退变多于椎间盘退变,但差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05)。腰椎小关节退变与椎间盘退变之间的相关性呈弱相关(χ2=100.9,P < 0.001,gamma=0.22 )。结果提示椎间盘退变与小关节退变均随年龄增长而增加,二种退变间呈弱相关,而二者在腰椎退变中的退变顺序仍不明确,需进一步研究。 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：组织构建;骨细胞;软骨细胞;细胞培养;成纤维细胞;血管内皮细胞;骨质疏松;组织工程     

腰椎小关节退变的相关因素及生物力学特点

文题释义：腰椎小关节：为相近节段腰椎上位椎体的下关节突与下位椎体的上关节突组成的腰椎后外侧关节,将一个腰椎的椎弓与相邻腰椎的椎弓相连,在腰椎运动中占据着重要的地位。 生物力学：是应用力学原理和方法对生物体中的力学问题定量研究的生物物理学分支,研究范围从生物整体到系统组织,其研究重点是与生理学、医学有关的力学问题。 背景：腰椎小关节退变近年来成为学者们研究的重点,认识腰椎小关节退变的危险因素对于预防以及减少脊柱损害具有关键性作用,并且了解其解剖结构对于治疗脊柱相关疾病及手术实施有着重要的指导意义。 目的：简述腰椎小关节解剖学、组织学特性,总结能够引起腰椎小关节退变的相关危险因素。 方法：利用计算机检索CNKI、万方、维普、PubMed、Elsevier和Web of Science数据库2018年3月至2019年9月有关腰椎小关节退变的文章,检索词为“腰椎小关节,关节囊,关节面方向,神经支配,骨性关节炎,生物力学,下腰痛,椎间盘退变,腰椎滑脱,腰椎退行性脊柱侧弯,lumbar facet joint,joint capsule,articular direction,eneurosis,osteoarthritis,biomechanics,low back pain,intervertebral disc degeneration,umbar spondylolisthesis,lumbar degenerative scoliosis”。查阅相关文章,包括综述、基础研究及临床研究,通过阅读标题及摘要进行初步筛选,排除与主题相关度低的文献,最终共纳入60篇文献进行结果分析。 结果与结论：①腰椎小关节退变的主要危险因素包括年龄、性别、异常应力、关节面方向、关节不对称性、腰椎节段和椎间盘退变;②关节退变后会导致下腰痛、椎间盘退变、腰椎滑脱、退行性脊柱侧弯等临床疾病的发生和发展,严重影响患者的日常生活和工作,降低生活质量。因此,腰椎小关节在脊柱相关疾病的治疗中不应该被忽视。 ORCID: 0000-0002-5700-8674(文王强) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：人工关节;骨植入物;脊柱;骨折;内固定;数字化骨科;组织工程     

腰椎退变与不稳的影像学研究

目的：探讨椎间盘退变、小关节骨关节炎与腰椎退变性不稳3者之间的关系。方法：分析120个下腰痛患者的核磁共振影像与脊柱功能位X线片，腰椎不稳分为成角不稳，旋转不稳和水平不稳；椎间盘退变根据T2加权相被分为5级；小关节骨关节炎在T1加权相上被分为4级。结果：椎间盘退变程度和年龄成正相关，差异有显著性意义（P〈0．01）；有26．8％（93个）节段出现腰椎不稳，其中以椎间盘退变程度为1，2级的节段最为多见，与其他各级相比差异有极显著性意义（P〈0．01）；椎间盘退变和小关节骨关节炎呈正相关（J=0．937，P〈0．05），向前水平不稳和椎间盘退变和小关节骨关节炎明显相关，差异成极显著性（P〈0．01）。结论：放射影像测量的腰椎不稳定和小关节骨关节炎和椎间盘退变有明确的相关性。     

小关节源性下腰痛伴发膝骨关节炎:小关节倾斜角度的生物力学意义

背景:下腰痛是骨科患者常见的临床表现,并且很大一部分患者同时伴有膝关节退变的表现。虽然现在已明确提出"腰-膝综合征"这一概念,但目前针对下腰痛病变所涉及到的腰椎小关节及膝关节退变的文献报道并不多见。目的:对于因小关节源性退变导致下腰痛同时伴发膝骨关节炎的相关文献进行总结及分析。方法:计算机检索1998年1月至2014年8月Pub Med数据库、中国期刊全文数据库的相关文章,英文检索词"low back pain,knee osteoarthritis,lumbar facet joint,total knee replacement,block treatment,non-fusion techniques,inflammatory factor,drug treatment";中文检索词"下腰痛,膝骨关节炎,腰椎小关节,膝关节置换,封闭治疗,非融合技术,炎症因子,药物治疗"。排除重复性研究及部分相关性较低的基础类文章。结果与结论:共计检索出157篇中英文文献,最终选择60篇文献进行综述。对于小关节源性下腰痛,目前认为继发性促进骨关节炎进展可能性大。在病理生理中,肿瘤坏死因子α、白细胞介素1β和基质金属蛋白酶等或许起着十分重要的作用。至于生物力学中,小关节倾斜角度的生物力学意义、倾斜角度与关节退行性变的关系是研究的重心。在临床治疗中,早期予以常规封闭治疗明确疼痛来源,轻症者行固定、功能锻炼延缓疾病进展,晚期则行手术治疗以恢复功能,缓解疼痛。     

腰椎柔韧性及关节突关节退变程度对腰椎植入物内固定效果的影响☆

背景：许多腰椎退行性疾病患者内固定后影像学显示获得了充分的神经减压和良好的内固定植骨融合,却残留或出现顽固下腰痛,疗效并不满意,因此可能还存在许多其他因素影响着疗效。 目的：分析腰椎柔韧性及关节突关节退变程度对腰椎植入物内固定疗效的影响。 方法：随访120例行腰4,5单节段内固定患者,内固定前测量前屈、后伸位腰椎前凸角度的变化作为腰椎柔韧性指标,测量腰3,4关节突关节角,并进行退变程度分级,内固定前和内固定后1年对患者进行Oswestry评分,计算改善率。分析腰椎柔韧性及关节突关节退变对内固定后症状改善率的影响。 结果与结论：腰椎柔韧性与内固定后症状改善率呈正相关。关节突关节退变严重组症状改善率差,关节突关节角不对称组症状改善率较差。因此腰椎柔韧性、关节突关节角对称性和关节突关节退变程度是影响腰椎内固定后疗效的重要因素。     

关节软骨及骨破坏模型大鼠经盐酸氨基葡萄糖干预的最佳剂量

背景：研究表明盐酸氨基葡萄糖可减轻骨关节炎的症状并能保护关节软骨,但该药的最佳剂量至今尚无共识。 目的：观察盐酸氨基葡萄糖对由白陶土与鹿角菜胶诱发大鼠关节炎的治疗最低有效剂量。 方法：将SD大鼠分别用蒸馏水,盐酸氨基葡萄糖溶液0.4,0.8及1.6 g/kg灌胃,采用白陶土与鹿角菜胶诱发大鼠单发关节炎模型。建模后1,3,5 d,用容积测量法测定各组大鼠的左右后肢足跖体积,计算足跖肿胀度。用游标卡尺测定其胫跗骨关节最大径;测定足跖伊文思蓝含量,右足跖制备组织切片,染色后镜下观察其病变程度并进行评分。 结果与结论：给予大鼠盐酸氨基葡萄糖1,3和5 d后,盐酸氨基葡萄糖0.8及1.6 g/kg组大鼠右后足跖肿胀度及胫跗骨关节径明显小于模型组(P < 0.05或P < 0.01),足跖肿胀度及胫跗骨关节径均有随给药剂量增大而减小。给药5 d后,盐酸氨基葡萄糖0.8及1.6 g/kg组大鼠右后足跖伊文思蓝含量及组织病理学评分明显小于模型组(P < 0.05或P < 0.01)。结果提示,盐酸氨基葡萄糖能够有效地预防骨关节炎关节软骨和骨的破坏,并可预防关节周围组织炎症,其最低有效剂量为0.8 g/kg。     

腰椎小关节不对称与小关节退变程度的关系及其临床意义

目的探讨退行性腰椎滑脱(Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis,DLS)腰椎小关节不对称与小关节退变程度的关系及其临床意义。方法随机从2004年5月～2009年8月我院收治的102例DLS患者中选取60例作为观察组,从300名在我院行体检无脊柱疾患的人员中选取与DLS组年龄、性别相匹配的60名作为对照组。在MRI上测量L3/4、L4/5、L5/S1两侧小关节角并计算出小关节不对称角度,同时观察小关节的退变程度,将其分为4度。并对所测参数进行相关性分析。结果腰椎左侧小关节方向比右侧更偏向矢状位,但这仅在DLS组L3/4(P=0.003)、L4/5(P=0.000)两个节段有统计学意义。两组L4/5小关节不对称与L3/4、L5/S1相比更严重,DLS组小关节不对称角度与对照组相应节段相比更大,小关节的退变程度更加严重,小关节不对称随着小关节退变程度的增加而增加。结论 (1)小关节不对称在下腰椎中普遍存在;(2)小关节不对称与小关节的退变程度呈正相关;(3)小关节不对称不仅是小关节骨性关节炎重塑的结果,而且是小关节先天存在的形态学异常;(4)小关节不对称增加了DLS的危险性,小关节不对称及退变程度对DLS具有病因学意义。     

前交叉韧带切断诱导兔膝骨性关节炎模型:阿仑膦酸钠与盐酸氨基葡萄糖对其关节软骨和软骨下骨的保护作用

背景:氨基葡萄糖是骨关节炎特异性的治疗药物,有研究表明骨吸收抑制剂阿伦膦酸钠对骨性关节炎具有潜在的治疗作用。目的:探讨阿仑膦酸钠联合盐酸氨基葡萄糖对前交叉韧带切断诱导的兔膝骨性关节炎模型关节软骨和软骨下骨的保护作用及其作用机制。方法:将3月龄新西兰大白兔随机分为假手术组,模型组,盐酸氨基葡萄糖组,联合治疗组。除假手术组外,其余3组动物均右侧膝关节行前交叉韧带切断建立兔膝骨性关节炎模型。建模成功后,模型组用生理盐水治疗;盐酸氨基葡萄糖组给予盐酸氨基葡萄糖灌胃;联合治疗组给予盐酸氨基葡萄糖组灌胃同时,皮下注射阿仑膦酸钠。8周后观察膝关节外观,取所有组兔胫骨去除软骨后行软骨下骨生物力学检测,测定最大载荷和弹性模量,取股骨测量远端1/4骨密度后,用苏木精-伊红染色及"Mankin评分"观察关节软骨退变情况。结果与结论:建模后盐酸氨基葡萄糖组和联合治疗组膝关节出现了轻度骨性关节炎的表现。盐酸氨基葡萄糖组和联合治疗组Mankin评分显著低(P0.05)。联合治疗组股骨远端骨矿物质密度最高(P0.05)。盐酸氨基葡萄糖组的最大载荷和弹性模量均显著低于联合治疗组(P0.05)。实验结果提示,阿仑膦酸钠与盐酸氨基葡萄糖组联合应用可通过保护关节软骨及改善软骨下骨代谢的双重作用,抑制前交叉韧带切断术后兔膝骨性关节炎的发展,且效果优于单纯用盐酸氨基葡萄糖治疗。     

Evaluation of Lumbar Facet Joint Nerve Blocks in Managing Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized,Double-Blind,Controlled Trial with a 2-Year Follow-Up

Study Design: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.Objective: To determine the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks with or without steroids in managing chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.Summary of Background Data: Lumbar facet joints have been shown as the source of chronic pain in 21% to 41% of low back patients with an average prevalence of 31% utilizing controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks. Intraarticular injections, medial branch blocks, and radiofrequency neurotomy of lumbar facet joint nerves have been described in the alleviation of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin.Methods: The study included 120 patients with 60 patients in each group with local anesthetic alone or local anesthetic and steroids. The inclusion criteria was based upon a positive response to diagnostic controlled, comparative local anesthetic lumbar facet joint blocks.Outcome measures included the numeric rating scale (NRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), opioid intake, and work status, at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.Results: Significant improvement with significant pain relief of ≥ 50% and functional improvement of ≥ 40% were observed in 85% in Group 1, and 90% in Group II, at 2-year follow-up.The patients in the study experienced significant pain relief for 82 to 84 weeks of 104 weeks, requiring approximately 5 to 6 treatments with an average relief of 19 weeks per episode of treatment.Conclusions: Therapeutic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks, with or without steroids, may provide a management option for chronic function-limiting low back pain of facet joint origin.     

盐酸/硫酸氨基葡萄糖治疗膝骨关节炎的成本效果分析

背景：膝骨关节炎的治疗通常是一个长期用药的过程,所需费用较高,因此选用合理的治疗方案至关重要。 目的：比较盐酸氨基葡萄糖、硫酸氨基葡萄糖治疗膝骨关节炎的成本-效果,进行经济学评价,为临床提供有效、实用治疗方案。 方法：将78例膝骨关节炎患者随机均分为口服盐酸氨基葡萄糖组和硫酸氨基葡萄糖组。观察治疗第3,6周两组骨关节炎指数和Lequesne疼痛与功能指数并运用药物经济学方法进行成本-效果分析。 结果与结论：膝骨关节炎治疗后两组患者各指标进行比较：①总有效率：第3周分别为83.8%和82.1%,第6周的总有效率分别为91.9%和90.7%。②成本-效果比：第3周分别为6.24和5.37,第6周分别为11.38和9.70。③敏感度分析：第3周分别为5.30和4.55,第6周分别为9.67和8.24。说明盐酸氨基葡萄糖与硫酸氨基葡萄糖均能明显地改善膝骨关节炎患者的关节炎指数及膝关节功能,但硫酸氨基葡萄糖有更好的成本-效果比。因此,硫酸氨基葡萄糖能比盐酸氨基葡萄糖以更少治疗成本获得更大的效益。     

Image-guided facet joint injection

Chronic spine pain poses a peculiar diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to multiple pain sources, overlapping clinical features and nonspecific radiological findings. Facet joint injection is an interventional pain management tool for facet-related spinal pain that can be effectively administered by a radiologist. This technique is the gold standard for identifying facet joints as the source of spinal pain. The major indications for facet injections include strong clinical suspicion of the facet syndrome, focal tenderness over the facet joints, low back pain with normal radiological findings, post-laminectomy syndrome with no evidence of arachnoiditis or recurrent disc disease, and persistent low back pain after spinal fusion. The contraindications are more ancillary, with none being absolute. Like any synovial joint degeneration, inflammation and injury can lead to pain on motion, initiating a vicious cycle of physical deconditioning, irritation of facet innervations and muscle spasm. Image-guided injection of local anesthetic and steroid into or around the facet joint aims to break this vicious cycle and thereby provide pain relief. This outpatient procedure has high diagnostic accuracy, safety and reproducibility but the therapeutic outcome is variable.     

A controlled trial of corticosteroid injections into facet joints for chronic low back pain.

BACKGROUND. Chronic low back pain is a common problem with many treatments, few of which have been rigorously evaluated. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of injections of corticosteroid into facet joints to treat chronic low back pain. METHODS. Patients with chronic low back pain who reported immediate relief of their pain after injections of local anesthetic into the facet joints between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebrae were randomly assigned to receive under fluoroscopic guidance injections of either methylprednisolone acetate (20 mg; n = 49) or isotonic saline (n = 48) in the same facet joints. Ninety-five patients were followed for six months and their condition assessed with scales of pain severity, back mobility, and limitation of function. RESULTS. After one month, none of the outcome measures evaluating pain, functional status, and back flexion differed clinically or statistically between the two study groups. Forty-two percent of the patients who received methylprednisolone and 33 percent of those who received placebo reported marked or very marked improvement (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -11 to 28 percentage points; P = 0.53). The results were similar after three months. At the six-month evaluation, the patients treated with methylprednisolone reported more improvement, less pain on the visual-analogue scale, and less physical disability. The differences were reduced, however, when concurrent interventions were taken into account. Moreover, only 11 patients (22 percent) in the methylprednisolone group and 5 (10 percent) in the placebo group had sustained improvement from the first month to the sixth month (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -2 to 26; P = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS. We conclude that injecting methylprednisolone acetate into the facet joints is of little value in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain.     

A herbal medicine used in the treatment of addiction mimics the action of amphetamine on in vitro rat striatal dopamine release

Human low back pain sometimes originates from lumbar facet joints. In human lumbar facet joint inflammation or degeneration, the referred pain is not only expanded into the low back area but also into the leg or foot. The rat L5-L6 facet joint is innervated by the L1-L5 dorsal root ganglia. The presence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating the L5-L6 facet joint has been confirmed, but changes in the number and distribution of these neurons caused by inflammation have not been studied. Of fluorogold-labeled neurons innervating the L5-L6 facet joint, the proportion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive dorsal root ganglion neurons was 16% in the control group and 26% in the inflammatory group. The proportion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive dorsal root ganglion neurons labeled by fluorogold was significantly higher in the inflammatory group than in the control group (P<0.05). The mean cross-sectional area of fluorogold-labeled brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive cells increased from 580 to 915 microm(2) in the inflammatory group (P<0.01). Associated with inflammation in facet joints, the increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-immunoreactive neurons and the phenotypic switch to large neurons may induce the expansion of facet joint inflammatory pain.     

单侧腰椎弓根螺钉及经椎板关节突螺钉固定与双侧固定的比较

背景：经椎板关节突关节螺钉固定、椎间植骨融合治疗脊柱疾患是一种独特的固定方法,可用于退变性腰椎的融合。 目的：比较采用微创经腰椎间孔椎体融合联合单侧椎弓根螺钉及经椎板关节突螺钉固定与常规开放后路腰椎体间融合术联合双侧椎弓根螺钉固定治疗下腰痛疾病的临床效果。 方法：纳入2010年6月至2012年6月于武警广东总队医院就诊的腰椎间盘突出伴腰椎轻度不稳患者49例,均采用后路减压椎间融合器植骨内固定治疗。其中24例采用微创经椎间孔椎体融合术联合单侧椎弓根螺钉及经椎板关节突螺钉固定,25例采用常规开放后路腰椎体间融合术联合双侧椎弓根螺钉固定,比较两种固定方法的临床疗效。 结果与结论：两种固定方法术后椎体融合率、日本矫形外科协会评分及疼痛目测类比评分改善率差异均无显著性意义(P > 0.05)。可见对无严重不稳的单节段退变性腰椎疾病患者,两种治疗方法的效果相当,均能有效提高椎间融合率,使小关节稳定,解除临床症状,门诊随访满意。但采用微创经椎间孔椎体融合术联合单侧椎弓根螺钉及经椎板关节突螺钉固定的患者手术切口长度、手术时间、术中出血量、术后切口引流液量明显减少(P < 0.05),说明该方法具有创伤小、操作简单的优势。     

Preventive actions of a high dose of glucosamine on adjuvant arthritis in rats

Objective: Glucosamine, a naturally occurring amino monosaccharide has been used to treat or prevent osteoarthritis in humans. In this study, we evaluated the effect of glucosamine on rat adjuvant arthritis, a model of rheumatoid arthritis.Materials and methods: Adjuvant arthritis was induced in male Wistar rats by injection of Freunds complete adjuvant (FCA) into the right hind paw, and 300 mg/kg of glucosamine, an extra-dose compared with a regular dose for osteoarthritis patients (1.5 g/day, approximately 25 mg/kg), was orally administered once a day to the arthritic rats for 22 days.Results: Glucosamine significantly suppressed the increase in arthritis score (p < 0.05) after day 10 of adjuvant injection, and inhibited the swelling of FCA-injected right and -uninjected left hind paws (p < 0.01) after day 18. In addition, histopathological examination of the arthritic joints revealed that glucosamine suppressed synovial hyperplasia, cartilage destruction and inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, glucosamine reduced the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E₂ in plasma (p < 0.05).Conclusions: These observations suggest that glucosamine is able to suppress the progression of adjuvant arthritis in rats. Glucosamine may be expected as a novel anti-inflammatory agent for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Received 4 July 2004; returned for revision 8 October 2004; accepted by M. Katori 10 November 2004