Certain studies have suggested that the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) -857 C/T polymorphism is associated with risk of ankylosing spondylitis. However, the conclusions remain controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to provide a more precise conclusion. Such databases as PubMed, Embase, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched to identify relevant studies up to August 26, 2015....

We have used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis comparing 41 healthy control subjects and 33 patients with either mild or advanced ankylosing spondylitis. A Norland XR-28 bone densitometer was used to measure the BMD of the lumbar spine and that of the head, trunk, arms, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, legs, pelvis, and ...

Intraoperative blood loss is frequently an overarching concern during total hip arthroplasty (THA) for patients who have ankylosing spondylitis with hip involvement. However, the factors that affect blood loss have not been identified. The goal of this study was to investigate these factors among patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Patients in the authors' department who had ankylosing spondy...

OBJECTIVE To examine the therapeutic effect of the interleukin 1 (IL1) receptor antagonist anakinra in ankylosing spondylitis in an open label trial. METHODS Anakinra (100 mg) was given subcutaneously daily over 24 weeks to 20 NSAID refractory patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Thirteen completed the study. Clinical outcome assessments included disease activity, function, metrology, patien...

Following a study reporting a fourfold increase in the occurrence of chronic otitis media in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, this prospective study examines this association with respect to severity, duration of disease, and acute phase in ankylosing spondylitis. Forty two consecutive patients with classical ankylosing spondylitis seen at the rheumatology clinic of a teaching hospital whe...

BACKGROUND Genetic factors are thought to be crucial in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a key role in inflammation. Two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TGFB1 gene have been described: TGFB1 T869C and TGFB1 G915C. OBJECTIVE To determine whether these SNPs contribute to a...

Thalidomide is an effective drug for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis but might induce peripheral neuropathy. This major adverse reaction has attracted much concern. The current study aimed to observe the incidence of thalidomide-induced peripheral neuropathy among ankylosing spondylitis patients for 1 year after treatment. In this study, 207 ankylosing spondylitis cases received thalido...

Ankylosing spondylitis, formerly known as Bechterew’s disease or MarieStrümpell disease, is a type of inflammatory rheumatic disease which affects mostly the spine. In the end-stage of this disease, patients suffer from complete fusion and rigidity of the spine—the so-called "bamboo spine". Here, you will find all the relevant facts on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that you need for your rheumato...

The goal of this study was to identify potential transcriptomic markers in developing ankylosing spondylitis by a meta-analysis of multiple public microarray datasets. Using the INMEX (integrative meta-analysis of expression data) program, we performed the meta-analysis to identify consistently differentially expressed (DE) genes in ankylosing spondylitis and further performed functional interp...

Objective: To examine the therapeutic effect of the interleukin 1 (IL1) receptor antagonist anakinra in ankylosing spondylitis in an open label trial. Methods: Anakinra (100 mg) was given subcutaneously daily over 24 weeks to 20 NSAID refractory patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Thirteen completed the study. Clinical outcome assessments included disease activity, function, metrology, patien...