Current Rheumatology Reviews

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) ranks fifth among all forms of disability affecting 10% of the world population. Current treatments available are associated with multiple side effects and do not slow down the progression of disease. Moreover no such effective treatment is available till date in various systems of medicine to treat osteoarthritis. Curcumin and Arnica have shown evident clinical advances in the treatment of osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to design, optimize and characterize novel herbal transdermal patches of curcumin and Arnica montana using factorial design...

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Interlukin-6 (IL-6) serum level and the severity and activity of RA. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 120 RA patients referred to the rheumatology clinic, the patients were diagnosed by rheumatologists according to ACR / EULAR 2010 criteria. Based on Based on DAS28 score the patients were divided into 4 groups: Remission, Mild, Moderate and Severe. Each group contained 30 patients. Serum levels of ESR, CRP, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) and RF, as well as serum levels of IL-6, were measured in these patients...

BACKGROUND: As a multisystem autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mainly affects women during reproductive age. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the fetal and maternal outcomes of Iranian women with SLE. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory records of 60 pregnancies in 55 SLE patients who attended Hafez hospital, a tertiary referral center for high risk pregnancies and SLE patients affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Science, were reviewed during April 2012 and March 2016...

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of chronic inflammatory arthritis with unknown etiology marked by a symmetric, peripheral polyarthritis. Calprotectin also can be used as a biomarker of disease activity in inflammatory arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated the association between serum calprotectin level and severity of RA activity. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 44 RA patients with disease flare up...

A hot, swollen joint is a common clinical condition encountered in the ED and elective orthopaedic and rheumatology clinics. These patients can be difficult to manage and properly treat. The aim of this study was to report a single centre retrospective analysis of patients presenting to our institution for a hot, swollen joint over a three-month period. The study included patients presenting with a hot, swollen joint to ED or electively to clinics. The synovial fluid was aspirated and sent for microbiological and cytological investigation...

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is systemic autoimmune disease, considered the most common inflammatory articular disease among the general population. However not only the joints are affected; rheumatoid arthritis also has an extra-articular manifestation. As for many other chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis may be exacerbated by poorer lifestyle choices. In fact, recent studies emphasize the role of nutrition and physical activity in this disease. AIM: In the current paper, we aim to describe lifestyle modifications based on diet and physical activity and other recommendations that seem to improve the clinical management and the disease outcome of Rheumatoid arthritis...

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are revolutionized drugs for cancer immunotherapy in the last years. The mechanism of action of CPIs including the limitation of the activation of T-cells, and thus enhancing the self-immune response against tumour cells. Checkpoint-inhibitors(CPIs) may dysregulate the immune system which resulting in some toxicities. This toxicities or side effects called immune-related adverse events (IRAEs) that can potentially affect any organ and tissue. Rheumatic diseases due to checkpoint inhibitors are also reported in the literature...

BACKGROUND: The carpus is a complicated and functionally challenged mechanical system and advancements in the understanding have been compromised by the recognition that there is no standard carpal mechanical system and no typical wrist. This paper cover component of a larger project that seeks to develop a kinetic model of wrist mechanics to allow reverse analysis of the specific biomechanical controls or rule of a specific patient's carpus, and then use those to create a forward mathematical model to reproduce the unique individual's anatomical motion based on the extracted rules...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has a profound impact on quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the quality of life among Egyptian SLE patients and to assess its relationships with demographic and clinical features. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four SLE patients were recruited for this study. Demographic information; clinical parameters; disease activity, as evaluated by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; and organ damage, as assessed by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index, were reported...

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a well-known complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which often results in significant morbidity and mortality. It is often diagnosed late in the disease process via descriptive criteria. Multiple subtypes of RA-ILD exist as defined by chest CT and histopathology [1]. In the absence of formal natural history studies and definitive diagnostics, a conventional dogma has emerged that there are two major subtypes of RA-ILD (nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP))...

The purpose of this study was to investigate scaphoid motion within the scapho-trapezio-trapezoidal (STT) joint during wrist motion in the presence of STT joint osteoarthritis (OA). We studied 11 wrists with STT OA and 5 normal wrists. Computed tomography images were acquired in five wrist positions (maximum active flexion, extension, radial deviation, ulnar deviation, and neutral position). The 3-dimensional surface models of the radius and scaphoid were constructed and the motion of scaphoid relative to the radius was calculated...

BACKGROUND: The process of antigen presentation to immune cells is an undeniable contributor to pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Different studies have indicated several factors that are related to autoimmunity. Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are among such factors, which have a key role in autoimmunity because of their involvement in antigen presentation process. METHODS: Relevant English language literature were searched and retrieved from Google Scholar search engine and PubMed database (1996-2018)...

INTRODUCTION: The definition of remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still difficult to determine. An ultrasound of the hands may be important in helping to confirm clinical remission. This study's aim was to evaluate the interest in using an ultrasound of the hands to confirm clinical remission, as well as comparing the various remission scores (DAS 28 VS, DAS 28 CRP, and SDAI) and the ultrasound data, in order to deduce the most accurate score to confirm this remission. METHODS: In this prospective monocentric study, we studied patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission, according to DAS 28 VS, for at least 3 months without corticosteroid therapy...

BACKGROUND: Scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) injury following a fall on an outstretched hand may lead to carpal instability and in some cases require long term rehabilitation following repair. Rehabilitation, especially in athletes, may include pushups, but little is known as to what type of pushup may be safer. OBJECTIVE: To determine biomechanical differences between two pushup position (neutral or extended). METHOD: Six fresh cadaver wrists with pre-existing SLIL damage were uni-axially loaded in neutral and extension in order to simulate two different pushup styles...

Morphology may provide the basis for the understanding of wrist mechanics. We used classification systems based on cadaver dissection of lunate and capitate types to evaluate a normal database of 70 wrist radiographs in 35 subjects looking for associations between bone shapes. Kappa statistics and a log-linear mixed -effects model with a random intercept were used. There were 39 type-1, 31 type- 2 lunates, 50 spherical, 10 flat and 10 V- shaped capitates. There was a significant difference in lunate and capitate shape between the hands of the same individual p <0...

AIM: To investigate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on clinical disease activity indices and clinical and sonographic remission rates in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-three patients with RA were categorized according to BMI score into three groups: normal (BMI<25), overweight (BMI 25-30) and obese (BMI≥30). Thirty-three of them were treated with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), and 30 with biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs)...

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory dermatologic condition that is often associated with psoriatic arthritis. There are multiple regimens for the treatment of psoriasis including disease modifying anti rheumatics drugs, biologic agents, phototherapy, topical retinoid and steroids creams, as well as apremilast. Apremilast is an oral phosphodiesterase inhibitor that was approved by the FDA in March 2014 for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and September 2014 for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis...

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BACKGROUND: In the last decade, we have come to better understand and manage the vasculitides. The classification of vasculitides has been revised. Genome- wide association studies and linkage analyses have been undertaken in hope of better understanding the pathogenesis of vasculitides. Comprehensive genetic studies have highlighted new pathways that may guide us in more targeted therapies. Description of the monogenic forms of vasculitis, such as deficiency of adenosine deaminase type 2 (DADA2), Haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20), have introduced a new perspective to vasculopathies, and introduced alternative treatments for these diseases...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Concomitant neurologic manifestations and positive antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs) have been investigated in different manners. The present study aimed to investigate the association between neurologic manifestations and APAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 100 consecutive patients with selected neurological manifestations and at least one positive APAs within the age range of 20-50 years, referred to the Rheumatic Diseases Research Center from the Northeast Central Neurology Department of Iran during August 2012 to March 2014...