rheumatoid arthritis is the most common inflammatory joint disease with 1 percent prevalence in community which presents with symmetrical polyarthritis of hands with inflammatory behavior. several studies in recent years were conducted for evaluation of inflammatory cytokines such as il1-α (interlukin 1α) and tnf- α (tumor necrosis factor) in rheumatologic disorders including rheumatoid arthrit...

In a previous publication (de Blcourt, Polman, and de Blcourt-Meindersma, 1961), we drew attention to the familial occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, each of which shows a special hereditary factor, but we did not report on the presence or absence of the so-called rheumatic factor in probands and members of the family. The "epidemiology" of various rheumatic conditio...

OBJECTIVE To study the prognostic value of the antiperinuclear factor (APF), determined by an indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF) and a recently developed anti-citrullinated cyclic peptide (CCP) ELISA, in combination with rheumatoid factor (RF) status, in early RA (< 1 year). METHODS A total of 249 participants in a randomized trial of treatment strategies were divided into 4 groups accord...

These studies demonstrate that Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC), a protein A-positive Staphylococcal strain, is a potent and consistent inducer of IgM rheumatoid factor production by normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The frequency and magnitude of this response greatly exceeded that of parallel cultures stimulated with pokeweed mitogen or the protein A-negative S. aureus Wood ...

OBJECTIVE to evaluate changes in the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α in patients with rheumatoid arthritis submitted to phototherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was an open label study, enrolling ten patients. The phototherapy scheme within a range of 425 to 650 nm, 11.33 Joules/cm2, 30 cm above the chest was as follows: a) 45-min daily sessions from Monday to Friday for 2 to 3 months; ...