This article from Wenink and all is from the The Netherlands journal of medicine. It is in the April issue of 2006 on page 103.
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) result from a deregulation of immune responses culminating in immune-mediated tissue injury. In RA, this tissue injury is mainly reflected by synovitis and subsequent joint damage, although involvement of visceral organs (heart, lungs and kidneys) often leads to severe comorbidity.
Accumulating evidence points towards dendritic cells (DC) as the principal regulators of the balance between immunity and tolerance. Recently, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that the balance between activating and inhibitory Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) subtypes is intricately involved in the regulation of DC behaviour.
ED. So it seems that there is a strong relation between dendritic cells and tolerence in rheumatoid arthritis.
In this overview we summarise recent findings from our group and others that suggest an important role for FcγR in arthritis. Furthermore, we postulate novel mechanisms of how triggering of FcγR might be used to manipulate DC function and combat autoimmunity. When DC are envisaged as useful targets in the light of DC immunotherapy in RA, detailed knowledge on the regulatory pathways of FcγR in RA is of paramount importance.
if you are interested in this article then you should be able to find the full article by using pubmed ID: 16609156
Posted in rheumatoid arthritis April 13th, 2006 by admin | No comments
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review addresses recent concerns about the cardiovascular safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the disease-modifying role of these drugs in ankylosing spondylitis, and their use in the understudied pediatric population.
RECENT FINDINGS: Several recent observational and controlled studies highlight the cardiovascular toxicity of rofecoxib, celecoxib, parecoxib, valdecoxib and naproxen. Concerns about cardiovascular safety raise questions about the chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with rheumatic diseases, including children. The risks of these drugs in the pediatric population are not well known and this review addresses the limited data available concerning nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in children. A recent trial in ankylosing spondylitis patients demonstrated continuous nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use reduced the rate of syndesmophyte formation, suggesting that they may have a disease-modifying role in these patients.
SUMMARY: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been in the spotlight this year. While preliminary evidence has supported novel roles for these drugs in ankylosing spondylitis and in cancer prevention, accumulating evidence shows that some cyclooxygenase-2 and perhaps all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with cardiovascular toxicity. Further research is needed to understand the magnitude and mechanism of this risk. Clinicians are compelled to weigh carefully the benefits and risks of therapy. Concerns about safety are balanced by optimism about their potential role in delaying the progression of ankylosing spondylitis.
Abstract taken from Ardoin and Sundy
pubmed ID 16582683
Curr Opin Rheumatol 2006 May;18(3):221-6.
Posted in Detection and Prevention April 11th, 2006 by admin | No comments
This paper by Bauerova and colleagues looks into the Effect of coenzyme Q(10) supplementation in the rat model of adjuvant arthritis.
The Group is based at the Institute of Experimental Physiology in Bratislava.
They state that Adjuvant arthritis (AA) is a model of chronic inflammation and that it is induced by Mycobacterium butyricum, furthermore it is characterised by similar pathophysiological and pathobiochemical changes as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in humans.
They tested to see if supplemental coenzyme Q10 is capable of suppressing inflamation of the hind paw and the effect upon body weight in animals that suffered from the arthritis condition. They found that despite ‘the unfavorable effects on the rheumatic processes observed by monitoring biometric parameters (hind paw volume, relative body weight, relative weight of spleen), a significant protective effect was observed on the level of mitochondrial energetic and antioxidant disbalance’.
This strongly suggests that coenzyme Q10 took as a supplement may be useful for arthritis sufferers, especially if used as part of a combinatory therapy.
Posted in Supplements April 10th, 2006 by admin | No comments
