Syndemic and syndemogenesis of low back pain in Latin-American population: a network and cluster analysis

Clinical Rheumatology - Although low back pain (LBP) is a high-impact health condition, its burden has not been examined from the syndemic perspective. To compare and assess clinical,...     

PADI4 polymorphisms and the functional haplotype are associated with increased rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility: A replication study in a Southern Mexican population

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease with a complex genetic background. The peptidyl arginine deiminase type IV (PADI4) gene has been associated with RA susceptibility in several populations. We addressed the relationship between three exonic PADI4 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) PADI4_89 (rs11203366), PADI4_90 (rs11203367) and PADI4_92 (rs874881) and related haplotypes with RA in a population from Southern México. This study included 200 RA patients and 200 control subjects. The SNPs were evaluated using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique, and antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In this population, the minor alleles of PADI4_891G, PADI4_901T and PADI4_921G gene polymorphisms were associated with RA susceptibility (OR = 1.34, p = 0.04; OR = 1.35, p = 0.03; OR = 1.34, p = 0.04; respectively). The GTG haplotype was also significantly associated with RA (OR = 2.27 95%CI = 1.18–4.41; p = 0.008), but did not show association with levels of anti-CCP antibodies and clinical parameters. In conclusion, our replication study in a Southern Mexican population suggests that PADI4 individual polymorphisms and the related susceptibility haplotype (GTG) are also genetic risk markers for RA.     

A survey of anatomical items relevant to the practice of rheumatology: pelvis,lower extremity,and gait

Clinical Rheumatology - This study aimed to generate a minimum list of structural and functional anatomical items about the pelvis/hip, knee, ankle/foot, gait, and lower limb innervation, which are...     

PON-1 haplotype (-108C>T,L55M,and Q192R) modulates the serum levels and activity PONase promoting an atherogenic lipid profile in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Clinical Rheumatology - Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) promotes antioxidant and antiatherogenic activity related to the hydrolysis of oxidized lipids of low-density lipoproteins. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...     

PRL -1149T allele (rs1341239) is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis in population from southern Mexico: analysis of mRNA expression and PRL serum levels

Clinical Rheumatology - Prolactin (PRL) is a sex hormone with immunomodulatory properties, and it is associated with the clinical activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The -1149G>T...     

A survey of anatomical items relevant to the practice of rheumatology: upper extremity,head, neck,spine, and general concepts

Clinical Rheumatology - This study aimed to identify the anatomical items of the upper extremity and spine that are potentially relevant to the practice of rheumatology. Ten rheumatologists...     

TNFA -308G>A and -238G>A polymorphisms and risk to systemic sclerosis: impact on TNF-α serum levels,TNFA mRNA expression,and autoantibodies

Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease with high mortality, characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis, which are processes associated...     

Educational impact of a clinical anatomy workshop on 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows in Mexico City

We aim to study the educational impact of a clinical anatomy workshop in 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows. First-year rheumatology fellows (N?=?17) and a convenience sample of 1st-year orthopedic fellows (N?=?14) from Mexico City in the 9th month of training participated in the study. The pre- and the post- workshop tests included the same 20 questions that had to be answered by identification or demonstration of relevant anatomical items. The questions, arranged by anatomical regions, were asked in five dynamic stations. Overall, the 31 participants showed an increase of correct answers, from a median of 6 (range 1 to 12) in the pre-workshop test, to a median of 14 (range 7 to 19) in the post-workshop test. In the pre-workshop test, the correct median answers were 7 (range 2 to 12) in the orthopedic fellows and 5 (range 1 to 10) in the rheumatology fellows (p?=?0.297). Corresponding scores in the post-workshop were 15 (range 10 to 19) and 12 (range 7 to 18) (p?=?0.026) showing a significant difference favoring the orthopedic group. Our clinical anatomy workshop was efficacious, in the short term, as a teaching instrument for 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows. The post-workshop scores, although significantly improved in both groups, particularly in the orthopedic fellows, were still suboptimal. Further refinements of our workshop might yield better results.     

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor polymorphisms are a potential susceptibility marker in systemic sclerosis from southern Mexican population: association with MIF mRNA expression and cytokine profile

Clinical Rheumatology - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease, characterized by microvascular lesions, autoimmunity, and fibrosis. It is suggested that MIF participates in the...