Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder frequently comorbid with autoimmune disorders. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated that repeated corticosterone (CORT) injections in rats reliably increase depressive-like behavior, impair hippocampal-dependent memory, reduce the number and complexity of adult-generated neurons in the dentate gyrus, decrease hippocampal reelin expression, and a...

Results A total of 33 patients initially treated with Etanercept were switched to Adalimumab after a mean of 25.9 months (range 3–87 months). Reasons for discontinuation of Etanercept were inefficacy (n = 23, 65.8%), uveitis (n = 6, 17.1%), intolerance (n = 3, 8.6%) and patients' request (n = 6, 17.1%). Follow up data on Adalimumab were obtained from 12 patients for a range of 2 to 26 months (m...

OBJECTIVE To assess the changes in inflammatory lesions of the spine and the sacroiliac (SI) joints as detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) with predominant axial symptoms during treatment with etanercept. METHODS MRI of the spine and/or the SI joints of patients with active AS or axial uSpA was...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The treatment for steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) needs to be standardized. We report our clinical experience with etanercept for steroid-refractory acute GVHD. METHODS Eighteen patients who underwent allo-SCT and presented with steroid-refractory acute GVHD at Ajou University Hospital were studied...

BACKGROUND Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is produced by macrophages and other cells, and is believed to participate in granulomatous inflammation. Targeted antagonism of TNF-alpha has been proposed as a novel treatment strategy for sarcoidosis. Etanercept is a dimeric fusion protein that binds specifically to TNF-alpha, rendering it biologically inactive. OBJECTIVE To assess whether etane...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Osteochondral defects have a limited capacity for repair. We therefore investigated the effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signal blockade by etanercept (human recombinant soluble TNF receptor) on the repair of osteochondral defects in rabbit knees. MATERIAL AND METHODS Osteochondral defects (5 mm in diameter) were created in the femoral patellar groove in rabbits. ...

Etanercept, a subcutaneously administered fully human soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor, was initially approved for the treatment of psoriasis at a dose of 25 mg twice weekly in repeated 24-week cycles with the possibility to double the dose in the first 12 weeks of the first cycle. During intermittent treatment, patients retain their ability to respond to etanercept. Recently, a new...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Should blockade of TNF-α be avoided after orthopedic surgery? Healing of injuries in soft tissues and bone starts with a brief inflammatory phase. Modulation of inflammatory signaling might therefore interfere with healing. For example, Cox inhibitors impair healing in animal models of tendon, ligament, and bone injury, as well as in fracture patients. TNF-α is expressed ...

OBJECTIVES Adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab are effective TNF inhibitors (TNFis) in the treatment of RA, but no randomized clinical trials have compared the three agents. Prior observational data are not consistent. We compared their effectiveness over 1 year in a prospective cohort. METHODS Analyses were performed on subjects' first episode of TNFi use in the Rheumatic Diseases Portugue...