Rare diseases mimicking acute vertebrobasilar artery thrombosis

Acute ischaemia of the vertebrobasilar circulation leads to a variety of clinical manifestation and is mostly due to cardiogenic or artery-to-artery embolism. We describe four neurological emergency situations involving vertebrobasilar artery aclusion of other origins: basilar migraine, extrinsic compression by rheumatoid inflammatory tissue, generalized vasculitis in subacute rheumatic fever and basilar artery dissection. The differential diagnosis of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion may have an important impact on patient management.     

RA-spezifische Autoantikörper gegen ein 68k-Antigen

Zusammenfassung Die Diagnostik vieler rheumatischer Systemerkrankungen wird heute durch den Nachweis von Autoantik?rpern unterstützt und erleichtert. Für die Serodiagnostik der Rheumatoiden Arthritis (RA) stehen nur die doch wenig spezifischen Rheumafaktoren zur Verfügung. Mit dem Ziel, neue krankheitsspezifische Autoantik?rper nachzuweisen, erfolgte eine besondere Proteinaufarbeitung aus Synovialisbiopsien und anderen Geweben. Western Blots der gewonnenen Proteine wurden eingesetzt, um Seren von RA-Patienten und solchen mit anderen rheumatischen Erkrankungen zu untersuchen. Die signifikanteste Immunreaktion von RA-Patienten richtete sich gegen ein 68k-Antigen, welches vermutlich ubiquit?r exprimiert wird, da es nicht nur in Synovialis, sondern in allen weiteren untersuchten Humangeweben und HeLa-Zellen nachgewiesen werden konnte. Der isoelektrische Punkt liegt bei 5,1, das Protein ist O-glykosyliert und im endoplasmatischen Retikulum und/oder Cytoplasma lokalisiert. Antik?rper gegen dieses 68k-Antigen waren bei 110 von 167 RA-Patienten nachzuweisen, was einer Sensitivit?t von 66% entspricht. Ihr Vorkommen war unabh?ngig vom Rheumafaktornachweis, da sie auch bei 7 von 12 seronegativen RA-Patienten zu finden waren, dagegen nur bei einem Patienten aus einer Kontrollgruppe von 98 Patienten mit anderen rheumatologischen Krankheitsbildern, bei einem von 22 HIV-Patienten und überhaupt nicht bei 55 Gesunden. Daraus resultiert eine RA-Spezifit?t für diesen Antik?rper von 99%. Wegen der auff?lligen Krankheitsspezifit?t der anti-68k-Antik?rper liegt es nahe, nach korrespondierenden autoreaktiven T-Zellen zu suchen, um die Rolle dieser neuen Autoreaktivit?t in dem Pathomechanismus der RA zu analysieren. Eingegangen: 20. Mai 1996 Akzeptiert: 13. Februar 1997     

类风湿性关节炎药物治疗的进展

近年来,随着类风湿性关节炎发病机制及某些致炎因子的发现,出现了一系列新药。环氧合酶-Ⅱ特异性抑制剂与传统的非甾体类抗炎药相比具有疗效好、副作用小的优点;早期联合使用改变病情性抗风湿药在近期内有较好的临床疗效。此外重组可溶性肿瘤坏死因子受体融合蛋白 (etanercept)、人体抗肿瘤坏死因子-α单克隆抗体(adalimumab)和阿那白滞素(anakinra)等生物学治疗及中药治疗均显示了新的治疗前景。     

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.     

芪胆通痹汤治疗类风湿性关节炎作用机理的实验研究

目的　研究芪胆通痹汤对大鼠Ⅱ型胶原类风湿性关节炎 (RA)模型的作用机理 ,观察“清少阳、益肝肾”治法的疗效。方法　免疫学实验方法。结果　该方能有效减轻大鼠局部足肿胀程度及降低炎症组织中前列腺素 (PGE2 )含量 (P <0 0 1) ,并且具有镇痛作用 ;能显著抑制DNFB所致的小鼠DTH反应 (P <0 0 1)、抑制DTH小鼠脾脏T细胞增殖 (P <0 0 1) ,血清在 1∶2比例稀释下能显著抑制脾细胞IL 2的分泌 (P <0 0 1)。结论　芪胆通痹汤能有效缓解RA症状 ,并通过抑制Ⅳ型免疫变态反应治疗RA。     

带血管蒂岛状筋膜瓣移植治疗晚期类风湿性髋关节炎

目的：阐明带血管蒂岛状筋膜瓣移植治疗晚期类风湿性髋关节炎的疗效。材料和方法：对４２例４８髋晚期类风湿性髋关节炎病人采用以旋股外侧血管降支为蒂的股前外侧筋膜瓣移植行患髋成形术。结果：术后随访４～１０．５年，平均４．５年，髋关节活动范围术前平均１６．５°，术后２２８．６°，按照Ｃｈａｒｎｌｅｙ和吴之康人工髋关节置换术后的疗效评定标准，优良２９髋、很好１３髋、好６髋，尚可、差、很差无。结论：患者年龄在１５～４０岁之间为合适的治疗年龄。与人工髋关节置换术相比，本方法对髋关节正常结构破坏小；一旦手术失败仍可选用其它治疗方法弥补；且并发症少、费用低、远期效果好。     

Normal morphology of sacroiliac joints in children: magnetic resonance studies related to age and sex

Objective. To determine in a prospective study the normal MRI morphology of the sacroiliac joints (SIJs) in relation to age and sex during adolescence. Design and patients. A total of 98 children (63 boys, mean age 12.7±2.8 years; 35 girls, mean age 13.7±2.3 years), ranging in age from 8 to 17 years, with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) but without signs of sacroiliitis fulfilled the study prerequisites (no back pain and no pathologic changes of the SIJs on physical examination before MRI in a 1.5-year follow-up). An additional eight HLA-B27-negative boys and eight HLA-B27-negative girls without arthritis served as controls. The MRI protocol comprised a T1-weighted SE sequence, an opposed-phase T2*-weighted GE sequence, and a dynamic contrast-enhanced study in single-section technique. Results. Noncontrast MRI permitted differentiation of “open” from ossified segmental and lateral apophyses of the sacral wings, with a significant difference in age (P <0.05) between children with open and ossified apophyses. Ossification of the apophyses of the sacral wings was seen significantly earlier (P <0.05) in girls than in boys. Girls also had a significantly higher incidence of transitional lumbosacral vertebrae, pelvic asymmetries, and accessory joints. In the contrast-enhanced opposed-phase MRI study, normal cartilage of the SIJs showed no contrast enhancement whereas the joint capsule showed a moderate enhancement. Conclusion. There are significant age- and sex-related differences in the normal MRI morphology of juvenile SIJs. Our findings might serve as a standard of comparison for the evaluation of pathologic changes – in particular for the early identification of juvenile sacroiliitis.     

Arthroscopic synovectomy of rheumatoid shoulder and elbow

Surgical Principles Radical arthroscopic synovectomy of rheumatoid shoulder and elbow. Revised Version from: Operat. Orthop. Traumatol. 4 (1992), 112–129 (German Edition).     

Monospecific but not polyreactive human hybridoma rheumatoid factors exhibit preferential binding specificities for IgG3 and IgG4

Summary Among 38 human hybridoma-derived monoclonal rheumatoid factors (RFs) generated from patients with either rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), two groups of RFs can be identified. Monospecific RFs were derived primarily from patients with RA and are characterized by a binding specificity for IgG3 and/or IgG4. Polyreactive RFs were derived largely from patients with SLE and show a broader pattern of reactivity to all four isotypes of IgG. Neither population of RFs was exclusive to either disease. The binding specificities identified appear to be different from the RFs isolated from patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia and may reflect a different antigen selection mechanism.