The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of the 4-methylesculetin with those produced by prednisolone and sulphasalazine and to elucidate the mechanisms involved in its action. Colitis was induced in rat by instillation of trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS). The colon damage was evaluated using macroscopic, microscopic and biochemical analysis. In addition, in vitro studies wer...

A group of 54 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (31 fast, 23 slow acetylators) treated with sulphasalazine 3 g/day were studied retrospectively. At 24 weeks no difference in the efficacy of the drug could be shown between fast and slow acetylators. In a second prospective study 40 fast acetylators were allocated to 3 g/day and 20 slow acetylators to 1.5 g/day. At 24 weeks marked improvement wa...

The effect of 5-ASA and 4-ASA, drugs used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, on modulation of experimental colitis and on colonic generation of interleukin-1 was evaluated. Three weeks of treatment with 5-ASA or 4-ASA (50 micrograms/kg) and one week of treatment with 5-ASA significantly decreased colonic interleukin-1 generation and the extent and severity of inflammation in a rat...

BACKGROUND The Combinatietherapie Bij Reumatoide Artritis (COBRA) trial has proved that combination therapy with prednisolone, methotrexate and sulphasalazine is superior to sulphasalazine monotherapy in suppressing disease activity and radiological progression of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, 5 years of follow-up proved that COBRA therapy results in sustained reduction of the r...

OBJECTIVE To examine if a correlation exists between cytochrome P-450 enzyme induction and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), measuring urinary excretion of D-glucaric acid (GA) as an index of phase II drug metabolism. METHODS Patients with RA were treated with sulphasalazine, sodium aurothiomalate, or D-penicillamine in standard dose regimens, for 24 weeks. Patients...

OBJECTIVE To study further the Klebsiella specific serum antibody response in patients with axial and peripheral types of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS IgA1 and IgA2 subclass antibodies to Klebsiella pneumoniae were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in the sera of 171 patients with axial or peripheral type AS, and in sera of 100 healthy controls. The effect of 26 weeks of s...