Search results for "Rheumatoid"

A classification study of kinematic gait trajectories in hip osteoarthritis

2014

The clinical evaluation of patients in hip osteoarthritis is often done using patient questionnaires. While this provides important information it is also necessary to continue developing objective measures. In this work we further investigate the studies concerning the use of 3D gait analysis to attain this goal. The gait analysis was associated with machine learning methods in order to provide a direct measure of patient control gait discrimination. The applied machine learning method was the support vector machine (SVM). Applying the SVM on all the measured kinematic trajectories, we were able to classify individual patient and control gait cycles with a mean success rate of 88%. With th…

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors – current status and future prospects

2001

Prostaglandins are formed from arachidonic acid by the action of cyclooxygenase and subsequent downstream synthetases. Two closely related forms of the cyclooxygenase have been identified which are now known as COX-1 and COX-2. Both isoenzymes transform arachidonic acid to prostaglandins, but differ in their distribution and their physiological roles. Meanwhile, the responsible genes and their regulation have been clarified. COX-1, the pre-dominantly constitutive form of the enzyme, is expressed throughout the body and performs a number of homeostatic functions such as maintaining normal gastric mucosa and influencing renal blood flow and platelet aggregation. In contrast, the inducible for…

Experience of the dispensing of plant and sea animal extract-based rheumatoid arthritis drugs

2007

Anti-arthritic activity of a lipophilic woad (Isatis tinctoria) extract

2006

A dichloromethane extract of Isatis tinctoria was tested in the adjuvant-induced arthritis model in rats. The extract (150 mg/kg p. o.) leads to a significant reduction of paw oedema. Radiographic, histological and clinical assessment confirmed reduced damage of cartilage and signs of inflammatory response in comparison to untreated control. No significant differences were observed in the tissular levels of cyclooxygenases 1 and -2, and of inducible nitric oxide synthase in Isatis treated and untreated animals. High dose treatment with Isatis extract for two weeks did not result in macroscopic lesions of the gastric mucosa.

Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecules: A Pharmacological Expedient to Counteract Inflammation

2008

Carbon monoxide (CO) mediates many of the biological effects that are attributed to heme oxygenase (HO), the enzyme responsible for CO production in mammals. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of HO-1, the inducible isoform of heme oxygenase, have been demonstrated in a variety of disease models and a therapeutic exploitation of this pathway is currently under scrutiny. In this context, the liberation of CO from CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) is extremely attractive as these compounds may form the basis of a new class of pharmaceuticals. Recent investigations indicate that HO-1 and CO modulate important processes in chronic inflammation; these include the control of immune respon…

Two-site ELISA for quantification of the terminal C5b-9 complement complex in plasma

1993

Abstract A quantitative ELISA procedure using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against neoantigens of the terminal C5b-9 complement complex has been developed. The ELISA was demonstrated to be both sensitive and reproducible. The normal range for C5b-9 determinations, defined as 2.5–97.5% interval of the values obtained in 76 healthy blood donors, was 3.12–10.3 AU/ml. The presence of rheumatoid factor did not affect the determination of C5b-9 as demonstrated by immunoabsorption studies.

Activation of nitric oxide signaling by the rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope

2006

Objective. Susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is closely associated with HLA–DRB1 alleles encoding a shared epitope (SE) in positions 70–74 of the HLA–DR chain. The mechanistic basis for this association is unknown. Given the proposed pathogenic role of nitric oxide (NO) in RA, this study was undertaken to examine whether the SE can trigger NO signaling events. Methods. The intracellular levels of NO were measured with the fluorescent NO probe 4,5diaminofluorescein diacetate and by the 2,3diaminonaphthalene method. NO synthase activity was determined by measuring the rate of conversion of radioactive arginine to citrulline. Levels of cGMP were measured with a commercial enzyme-link…

The rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope increases cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress by antagonizing an adenosine-mediated anti-oxidative pa…

2006

We have recently demonstrated that the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) shared epitope (SE) acts as a ligand that triggers nitric oxide (NO) signaling in opposite cells. Given the known pro-oxidative effect of NO and the proposed role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of RA, this study explores whether SE-triggered signaling can increase cellular oxidative stress. cAMP levels, adenylyl cyclase activity, and protein kinase A activity were measured using commercial kits. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was quantified using the fluorochrome dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Oxidative DNA damage was quantified using the single-cell electrophoresis technique. Here, we report that cells e…

Letter to the Editor Regarding "Biologic Agents Preserve the C-2 Pedicle in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comparative Imaging Study Using Thr…

2022

The anti-inflammatory fungal compound (S)-curvularin reduces proinflammatory gene expression in an in vivo model of rheumatoid arthritis.

2012

In previous studies, we identified the fungal macrocyclic lactone (S)-curvularin (SC) as an anti-inflammatory agent using a screening system detecting inhibitors of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether SC is able to decrease proinflammatory gene expression in an in vivo model of a chronic inflammatory disease. Therefore, the effects of SC and dexamethasone were compared in the model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Total genomic microarray analyses were performed to identify SC target genes. In addition, in human C28/I2 chondrocytes and MonoMac6 monocytes, the effect of SC on proi…