BACKGROUND This study was aimed at identifying the criteria for the diagnosis of Radiocarpal instability in rheumatoid arthritis RA). METHODS The main databases were searched to identify studies describing the pathophysiology of Radiocarpal instability in patients with RA. We focussed on the epidemiology, radiographic parameters, criteria for instability and on treatment options. Results. In ...

BACKGROUND The Digital X-ray Radiogrammetry (DXR) method measures the cortical bone thickness in the shafts of the metacarpals and has demonstrated its relevance in the assessment of hand bone loss caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to validate a novel approach of the DXR method in comparison with the original version considering patients with RA. METHOD The study ...

Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody is a useful marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently, clinical significance of follow-up in anti-CCP antibody titer has been pointed out. Thus, we investigated the serial determination in anti-CCP antibodies titer in RA patients. Six patients with RA, who were followed up for longer than 5 years, were assessed...

Understanding how users think of personal information, and how they mentally categorise or classify the objects they work with, should inform the design of personal information management (PIM) or personal retrieval systems. However, most investigations of this topic predate widespread multimedia, websites, and social media—objects that a contemporary PIM or retrieval system should work with. W...

History and clinical findings A 12-year-old boy presented to a paediatric rheumatology clinic with a 2-month history of painful knees. He had been referred from the paediatric oncology department with a previous diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukaemia, in remission for 5 years. The pain was felt just below the patella, especially after a game of soccer, climbing stairs or walking for long dist...

BACKGROUND Soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) is a marker of activation of vascular endothelium. OBJECTIVE To examine serum levels of sE-selectin in a cohort of 85 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed up for five years. METHODS sE-selectin levels were assessed annually using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and related to simultaneously obtained clinical and labo...

BACKGROUND Use of scored radiographs as an outcome measure can help estimate the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Radiographs not only provide permanent records with which to evaluate RA serially, but can also be randomised and blinded, a major advantage in clinical trials. OBJECTIVES AND METHOD Medline was searched for information about the principal methods of assessing joints affe...

The effect of intranasal salmon calcitonin on pain, erosion progression, and bone loss in 40 women with rheumatoid arthritis was investigated. The study design was double blind, placebo controlled for the first four months and open for the next 36 months, allowing for cross over to active drug treatment or to the control group. Morning stiffness was reduced in the group treated with salmon calc...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether glutathione S-transferase GSTM1, GSTM3, GSTT1, and GSTP1 genotypes influence susceptibility or outcome in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS 277 RA patients were compared with 577 controls to examine any associations between GST genotypes and susceptibility to RA. The effect of genotypes on outcome (Larsen and functional scores) and time integrated acute phase r...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate radiographically the glenohumeral (GH) joint space in patients with long-term rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A cohort of 74 patients with RA were followed prospectively for 15 yr. At the end point, 148 shoulders were radiographed using a standard method. The GH joint space was examined from the radiographs using a method developed previously for population studies; t...