Tissue engineering in the rheumatic diseases.

Arthritis Res Ther. 2009;11(1):211 Authors: Ringe J, Sittinger M Diseases such as degenerative or rheumatoid arthritis are accompanied by joint destruction. Clinically applied tissue engineering technologies like autologous chondrocyte implantation, matrix-assisted chondrocyte implantation, or in situ recruitment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells target the treatment of traumatic defects or of early osteoarthritis. Inflammatory conditions…

Anti-inflammatory effects of atorvastatin on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and synovial fibroblasts in rheumatoid arthritis.

Scand J Rheumatol. 2009;38(4):235-9 Authors: Blaschke S, Viereck V, Schwarz G, Klinger HM, Guerluek S, Müller GA OBJECTIVE: Statins, such as atorvastatin (ATV), are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors known to exert lipid-lowering but also anti-inflammatory, effects. In this study, we analysed the in vitro effects of ATV on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)…

Beneficial effect of total flavonoids of Chrysanthemum indicum on adjuvant arthritis by induction of apoptosis of synovial fibroblasts

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2008 Dec;33(23):2838-41 Authors: Xie XF, Li J, Chen Z, Hu CM, Chen WW OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect on the extract of total flavonoids of Chrysanthemum indicum (TFC) on adjuvant arthritis synovial cells. METHOD: SD rats were divided randomly into six groups including normal, model, TFC (84, 168, 336 mg…

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy after rituximab therapy in HIV-negative patients: a report of 57 cases from the Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports project.

Blood. 2009 May 14;113(20):4834-40 Authors: Carson KR, Evens AM, Richey EA, Habermann TM, Focosi D, Seymour JF, Laubach J, Bawn SD, Gordon LI, Winter JN, Furman RR, Vose JM, Zelenetz AD, Mamtani R, Raisch DW, Dorshimer GW, Rosen ST, Muro K, Gottardi-Littell NR, Talley RL, Sartor O, Green D, Major EO, Bennett CL Rituximab improves…

Anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects of piperine in human interleukin 1beta-stimulated fibroblast-like synoviocytes and in rat arthritis models.

Arthritis Res Ther. 2009;11(2):R49 Authors: Bang JS, Oh da H, Choi HM, Sur BJ, Lim SJ, Kim JY, Yang HI, Yoo MC, Hahm DH, Kim KS INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory, nociceptive, and antiarthritic effects of piperine, the active phenolic component in black pepper extract. METHODS: The in vitro…

Treatment of experimental arthritis by inducing immune tolerance with human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Apr;60(4):1006-19 Authors: González MA, Gonzalez-Rey E, Rico L, Büscher D, Delgado M OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by loss of immunologic self tolerance and characterized by chronic joint inflammation. Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were recently found to suppress effector T cell responses and to have beneficial…

Quantitative measurement of cytokine expression in synoviocytes derived from rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Methods Mol Biol. 2009;512:233-48 Authors: Thomson S, Udalova IA Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by pain, swelling and progressive destruction of synovial joints. The synovial membranes of the affected joints markedly increase in size due to infiltration of several cell types, of which macrophages, lymphocytes and fibroblasts are most abundant. These…

Regenerative potential of human adult precursor cells: cell therapy–an option for treating cartilage defects?

Z Rheumatol. 2009 May;68(3):234-8 Authors: Dehne T, Tschirschmann M, Lauster R, Sittinger M Cell-based therapeutical approaches are already in clinical use and are attracting growing interest for the treatment of joint defects. Mesenchymal stem and precursor cells (MSC) cover a wide range of properties that are useful for the regeneration process of bone and cartilage…

Thrombin-sensitive photodynamic agents: a novel strategy for selective synovectomy in rheumatoid arthritis.

J Control Release. 2009 Sep 15;138(3):225-34 Authors: Gabriel D, Busso N, So A, van den Bergh H, Gurny R, Lange N Protease-sensitive macromolecular prodrugs have attracted interest for bio-responsive drug delivery to sites with up-regulated proteolytic activities such as inflammatory or cancerous lesions. Here we report the development of a novel polymeric photosensitizer prodrug (T-PS)…