Etanercept reduces the serum levels of macrophage chemotactic protein-1 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Mod Rheumatol. 2009;19(4):372-8 Authors: Kageyama Y, Kobayashi H, Kato N, Shimazu M This study was performed to analyze the effect of etanercept, the soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) receptor, on the serum levels of several chemokines including monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), regulated upon activation normal T expressed and presumably secreted (RANTES), and granzyme B in…

Potentiation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated signaling by the immunosuppressant tacrolimus in rheumatoid synoviocytes.

Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2009 Mar-Apr;27(2):246-52 Authors: Torigoshi T, Motokawa S, Miyashita T, Maeda Y, Koga T, Nakamura M, Komori A, Aiba Y, Uemura T, Yatsuhashi H, Ishibashi H, Eguchi K, Shindo H, Migita K OBJECTIVE: The immunosuppressant tacrolimus is known to enhance many aspects of glucocorticoid. In this study, we investigated the effects of tacrolimus…

Will Jill come tumbling after? The case for a JAK2-type mutation as a prequel to the connective tissue disorders.

Med Hypotheses. 2009 Nov;73(5):651-4 Authors: McQueen FM, Dalbeth N The JAK2 [V617F] mutation has recently been recognised as critical to the pathogenesis of the myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs). Thus, a common mutation affecting a haematopoietic precursor stem cell is capable of giving rise to diverse clinical phenotypes. In this hypothesis paper, we propose that a similar…

Alpha9 integrin and its ligands constitute critical joint microenvironments for development of autoimmune arthritis.

J Immunol. 2009 Jun 15;182(12):8015-25 Authors: Kanayama M, Kurotaki D, Morimoto J, Asano T, Matsui Y, Nakayama Y, Saito Y, Ito K, Kimura C, Iwasaki N, Suzuki K, Harada T, Li HM, Uehara J, Miyazaki T, Minami A, Kon S, Uede T Osteopontin is critically involved in rheumatoid arthritis; however, the molecular cross-talk between osteopontin…

Vasculopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2009 Jun;48 Suppl 3:iii54-7 Authors: Guillevin L Vasculitis can occur either as a primary condition or secondary to CTDs, infection, medication or malignancy. This article reviews the clinical presentation and management of vascular disease associated with SLE and SS, as well as the primary necrotizing vasculitides. Although pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has traditionally…

Geranylgeranylacetone, a non-toxic inducer of heat shock protein, induces cell death in fibroblast-like synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Mod Rheumatol. 2009;19(4):379-83 Authors: Nanke Y, Kawamoto M, Yago T, Chiba J, Yamanaka H, Kotake S Fluvastatin (Fluv) is reported to induce apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synoviocytes through the blocking of protein geranylgeranylation. We report here our investigation of whether geranylgeranylacetone (GGA) induces cell death in RA synoviocytes. Synovial tissues were obtained from patients…

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells and rheumatoid arthritis: risk or benefit?

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2009 Oct;48(10):1185-9 Authors: Bouffi C, Djouad F, Mathieu M, Noël D, Jorgensen C Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have raised interest mainly because of cartilage/bone differentiation potential which is now partly eclipsed by their capacity to counteract inflammation and suppress host immune responses as well as to prevent fibrosis. MSCs have been identified…

Mesenchymal stem cells: innovative therapeutic tools for rheumatic diseases.

Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2009 Jul;5(7):392-9 Authors: Djouad F, Bouffi C, Ghannam S, Noël D, Jorgensen C Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), or multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells as they are also known, have been identified in bone marrow as well as in other tissues of the joint, including adipose, synovium, periosteum, perichondrium, and cartilage. These cells are…

Imatinib mesylate inhibited rat adjuvant arthritis and PDGF-dependent growth of synovial fibroblast via interference with the Akt signaling pathway.

Mod Rheumatol. 2009;19(5):522-9 Authors: Terabe F, Kitano M, Kawai M, Kuwahara Y, Hirano T, Arimitsu J, Hagihara K, Shima Y, Narazaki M, Tanaka T, Kawase I, Sano H, Ogata A Overgrowth of the synovium plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is one of the most potent…

Delayed acquisition of somatic hypermutations in repopulated IGD+CD27+ memory B cell receptors after rituximab treatment.

Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Aug;60(8):2284-93 Authors: Muhammad K, Roll P, Einsele H, Dörner T, Tony HP OBJECTIVE: Transient B cell depletion by rituximab has been used with clinical efficacy in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous studies of B cell repopulation have shown long-term numerical reduction in memory B cells. Non-class-switched IgD+CD27+ memory…