bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lack of association between fibromyalgia syndrome and abnormalities in muscle energy metabolism
Authors: Simms Robert W. , Roy Serge H. , Hrovat Mirko , Anderson Jennifer J. , Skrinar Gary , Lepoole Steven R. , Zerbini Cristiano A. F. , Luca Carlo De , Jolesz Ferenc 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To compare parameters of muscle energy metabolism in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and sedentary controls.
Methods. Thirteen female FMS patients and 13 female sedentary controls underwent a standardized clinical assessment (including dolorimeter measurements of the upper trapezius and tibialis anterior muscles) and a standardized aerobic fitness test including measurement of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). Phosphorus (31P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of the upper trapezius and tibialis anterior muscles were then performed in FMS patients and controls, at rest and during and following a musclefatiguing exercise protocol.
Results. FMS patients and controls had similar levels of VO2max and of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the upper trapezius and tibialis anterior muscles. After controlling for VO2max and MVC, measurements of phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and intracellular pH in these muscles were not significantly different in FMS patients versus sedentary controls either at rest, during exercise, or during recovery. In the patients with FMS, no correlation was found between overall or local pain severity and the principal muscle metabolic parameter, PCr/Pi. Inverse correlations between dolorimeter scores at 2 muscle sites and tibialis anterior PCr/Pi were found both in patients and in controls.
Conclusion. This study demonstrates that under the conditions studied, muscle energy metabolism in FMS is no different than that in sedentary controls. These findings do not support the hypothesis that detectable defects in muscle energy metabolism occur in FMS.
Long‐term effect of omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation in active rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Geusens Piet , Wouters Carine , Nijs Jos , Jiang Yebin , Dequeker Jan 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To study the long‐term effects of supplementation with omega‐3 fatty acids (ω3) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods. Ninety patients were enrolled in a 12‐month, double‐blind, randomized study comparing daily supplementations with either 2.6 gm of ω3, or 1.3 gm of ω3 + 3 gm of olive oil, or 6 gm of olive oil.
Results. Significant improvement in the patient's global evaluation and in the physician's assessment of pain was observed only in those taking 2.6 gm/day of ω3. The proportions of patients who improved and of those who were able to reduce their concomitant antirheumatic medications were significantly greater with 2.6 gm/day of ω3.
Conclusion. Daily supplementation with 2.6 gm of ω3 results in significant clinical benefit and may reduce the need for concomitant antirheumatic medication.
Differential expression of two major cytokines produced by neutrophils, interleukin‐8 and the interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist, in neutrophils isolated from the synovial fluid and peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Beaulieu André D. , Mccoll Shaun R. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. Neutrophils have been shown to produce interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) and interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1ra) in large amounts compared with other cytokines. Since IL‐8 has a proinflammatory action whereas IL‐1ra is antiinflammatory, our objective was to examine the relative levels of production of these cytokines by synovial fluid (SF) neutrophils isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods. We measured cytokine production using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed messenger RNA accumulation in cells by Northern blot.
Results. SF neutrophils produced significantly more IL‐8 and IL‐1β, but significantly less IL‐1ra, than peripheral blood neutrophils.
Conclusion. These observations provide new information on the production of pro‐ and antiinflammatory molecules by neutrophils in the SF environment, and their possible role in RA.
Evaluation of memory, learning ability, and clinical neurologic function in pathogen‐free mice with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Vogelweid Catherine M. , Wright Dennis C. , Johnson Jane C. , Hewett John E. , Walker Sara E. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine if neurologic impairment is related to progressive autoimmune disease in 3 murine models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): MRL/lpr, NZB, and NZB/WF1
Methods. Sensorimotor function, learning, and memory were tested within strains at specific ages, before and after the appearance of SLE. These parameters were also compared between strains for young and older lupus mice and their congenic controls with reduced autoimmune disease (MRL/lpr versus MRL/+; NZB versus NZB/xid).
Results. Abnormal neurologic features were present at a much higher frequency in MRL/lpr mice than in age‐matched MRL/+ control mice, and sensorimotor function deficits were also seen in NZB/WF1 mice. Strains that develop lupus showed deficits on a water‐escape, distal cue discrimination task and on a food‐rewarded, proximal cue discrimination task, but the cognitive impairments were not global.
Conclusion. MRL/lpr, NZB, and NZB/WF1 mice differed in terms of which behaviors were impaired as well as when those impairments appeared.
The role of cytokines in polymyositis
Authors: Kalovidouris Apostolos E. , Horn Claire A. , Plotkin Zoya 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To investigate the effect of interferon‐γ (IFNγ) on the adhesive interactions between human peripheral blood T cells and human skeletal muscle cells at various stages of muscle cell differentiation and maturation in vitro.
Methods. Human muscle cell cultures were established from normal muscle biopsy material, using the explant technique. T cells were studied for their capacity to adhere to IFNγ‐treated and untreated myoblasts and myotubes. The role of intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM‐1) in cell adhesion to muscle cells was examined in blocking studies, by enzyme‐linked immuno‐sorbent assay (ELISA), and by immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies (MAb).
Results. Treatment of muscle cells (myoblasts and myotubes) with IFNγ resulted in a significant dose‐dependent increase in the number of adherent T cells. Adhesion of T cells to muscle cells was significantly inhibited by MAb to ICAM‐1 and to lymphocyte function–associated antigen type 1, but not by MAb to HLA–DR. There was no difference in the level of T cell adhesion to IFNγ‐treated allogeneic versus autologous muscle cells. By ELISA and immunohistochemical analysis, ICAM‐1 expression on the surface of cultured human muscle cells was either absent or barely detectable, but was strongly induced by treatment of muscle cells with IFNγ.
Conclusion. Induction of cell adhesion molecules on muscle cells by IFNγ may be an important mechanism for the localization of T cells in the affected muscles of patients with autoimmune myositis.
Treatment of stiff‐man syndrome with intravenous immune globulin
Authors: Karlson Elizabeth W. , Sudarsky Lewis , Ruderman Eric , Pierson Susan , Scott Mary , Helfgott Simon M. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in the treatment of stiff‐man syndrome (SMS).
Methods. An open, unblinded study of 3 patients with active disease and/or disease refractory to treatment with diazepam and/or corticosteroids.
Results. All 3 bedridden patients improved substantially shortly after infusion with IVIG and regained function.
Conclusion. IVIG may be useful for the treatment of SMS.
Human t lymphocytes express a member of the matrix metalloproteinase gene family
Authors: Conca Walter , Willmroth Frank 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. T lymphocytes are known to interact with cellular and structural components of the extracellular matrix. We investigated whether T lymphocytes could also contribute to matrix breakdown by expression of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene.
Methods. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized from messenger RNA extracted from cultured peripheral blood T lymphocytes after exposure to phorbol myristate acetate and calcium ionophore A23187 and amplified by the polymerase chain reaction with primers derived from two conserved domains in MMP genes.
Results. An amplification product of 402 basepairs was generated and cloned; sequence analysis revealed identity to human stromelysin‐2 cDNA. Using the amplified stromelysin‐2 cDNA as a probe for Northern analyses, we detected a 1.8‐kilobase transcript in stimulated T lymphocytes.
Conclusion. T lymphocytes are a potential source of stromelysin‐2 transcripts and may have a role in the degradation of extracellular matrix constituents.
Bone mineral density of the hand in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Peel N. F. A. , Spittlehouse A. J. , Bax D. E. , Eastell R. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine the reproducibility, accuracy, and linearity of hand bone mineral content (BMC) measurements, and to evaluate the influence of hand posture; to determine the relationship of hand bone mineral density (BMD) to generalized osteopenia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and to determine the relationship between hand BMD and disease severity in early RA.Methods. Hand BMD was measured by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). We studied 70 postmenopausal women with steroid‐treated RA (established RA), ages 49–79, and 20 age‐matched healthy controls to determine the relationship to generalized osteoporosis; we also studied 20 patients ages 23–74 years with early RA to determine the relationship between disease severity and hand BMD.Results. Reproducibility of hand BMD was to within 1%. In established RA, there was a greater decrease in juxtaarticular BMD (23% at the hand) than in generalized BMD (16% at the femoral neck, 11% at the lumbar spine, and 11% total body) compared with that in age‐matched controls. Hand BMD correlated with skeletal size and BMD at other skeletal sites. In established RA, there was no effect of disease duration, disability, or steroid therapy. In early RA, hand BMD correlated with age and disease activity.Conclusion. Measurement of hand BMD by DXA is accurate and precise. Hand BMD reflects BMD at other skeletal sites in patients with RA, and is a marker of disease severity in patients with early disease. It may be a sensitive marker of disease progression and response to therapeutic intervention.
Circulating and synovial fluid hyaluronan levels
Authors: Pitsillides Andrew A. , Will Robert K. , Bayliss Michael T. , Edwards JO C. W. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To assess the effect of intraarticular (IA) corticosteroid on hyaluronan (HA) concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) and serum and the clearance of 131I‐labeled albumin from the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Methods. SF and serum were collected before and 2 weeks and 2 months after IA steroid injection. The HA concentration was assessed using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and 131I‐albumin clearance from joints was assessed using an external gamma counter.Results. In RA patients, HA concentrations in the SF were increased following IA steroids, while the serum concentrations were decreased. In OA patients, HA concentrations in SF tended to increase initially (decreasing thereafter), and were associated with increased HA concentrations in serum. There were less marked alterations in the AS patients. Albumin clearance rates were decreased significantly (2 weeks postinjection) only in the RA patients. Estimated HA flux revealed discrepancies between the HA concentration and the rate of flux in RA and AS patients.Conclusions. These findings suggest that IA steroid injection is associated with a restoration in the relationship between SF and serum HA concentrations toward normal levels.
Expression of granzyme a in salivary gland biopsies from patients with primary sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Alpert Susan , Kang Ho‐Il , Weissman Irving , Fox Robert I. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine whether the destruction of salivary gland epithelial cells in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) could be mediated by granzyme A, a serine protease that is contained in the granules of activated lymphocytes.Methods. We used in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction amplification to determine the expression of granzyme A messenger RNA (mRNA) in salivary gland biopsy samples.Results. Granzyme A mRNA expression was detected in salivary glands from SS patients, but not in those from normal controls. Granzyme A mRNA content was significantly correlated (P < 0.001) with the size of lymphocytic infiltrates in the salivary glands and with the clinical activity of the disease.Conclusion. Cells that express granzyme A mRNA may play a role in the destruction of the target organ (i.e., the salivary gland) in patients with SS. The strong association of granzyme A mRNA expression and larger lymphoid infiltrates in the patients' salivary glands suggests that granzyme A mRNA is expressed at a relatively late stage of the local inflammatory process. Therapies designed to modulate or block granzyme A induction and action should be investigated in SS patients.
Immediate hypersensitivity reaction to cyclophosphamide
Authors: Knysak David J. , Mclean James A. , Solomon William R. , Fox David A. , Joseph Mccune W. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractWe report a case of an acute anaphylactic reaction to intravenous cyclophosphamide in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. Skin testing for reactivity to cyclophosphamide and one of its metabolites, 4‐hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, was performed on the patient and on 6 controls. The patient exhibited positive skin test responses; all controls had negative responses. The results suggest an acute hypersensitivity reaction related to sensitivity to cyclophosphamide and to 4‐hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, through a shared antigenic determinant or dual sensitization.
Hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome in identical twins
Authors: Wisnieski Jeffrey J. , Emancipator Steven N. , Korman Neil J. , Lass Jonathan H. , Zaim Tarif M. , Mcfadden E. R. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractHypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome (HUVS) is a syndrome of recurrent urticarial vasculitis, arthralgia/arthritis, and hypocomplementemia. Angioedema, ocular inflammation, glomerulonephritis, and obstructive lung disease are other clinical findings. Although the etiology of HUVS is unknown, its resemblance to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) suggests a similar pathogenesis. SLE is known to occur in identical twins. This is the first report of a pair of identical twins with HUVS. Concordance for HUVS in identical twins suggests that the pathogenesis of the disease involves abnormal genetic immunoregulation.
Decreasing incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in pima indians over a twenty‐five—year period
Authors: Jacobsson Lennart T. H. , Hanson Robert L. , Knowler William C. , Pillemer Stanley , Pettitt David J. , Mccance David R. , Bennett Peter H. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To evaluate temporal trends in the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods. Incident cases of RA were identified among a population‐based cohort of Pima Indians in Arizona over the period 1965–1990.Results. Among 2,894 subjects, 78 incident cases of RA were identified. The age‐adjusted incidence declined by 55% in men (Ptrend = 0.225), and by 57% in women (Ptrend = 0.017) after controlling for oral contraceptive or estrogen use and for pregnancy experience. During the same period, age‐adjusted prevalence rates of active RA decreased by 29% in men (Ptrend = 0.63) and by 40% in women (Ptrend = 0.02). Fewer than 17% of subjects with known RA were taking slow‐acting antirheumatic drugs (SAARDs) in 1990.Conclusion. The decrease in incidence and prevalence of RA in this population over such a short period implicates the involvement of an environmental factor(s), other than exogenous estrogens, in the pathogenesis of the disease. However, the possibility that the observed decrease might be explained by an increased use of SAARDs in subjects with RA cannot be excluded.
Serum levels of soluble adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and E‐selectin in patients with wegener's granulomatosis. Relationship to disease activity and relevance during followup
Authors: Stegeman Coen A. , Tervaert Jan Willem Cohen , Huitema Minke G. , Jong Paul E. De , Kallenberg Cees G. M. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective, To assess the value of measuring serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM‐1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM‐1), and soluble E‐selectin for monitoring disease activity in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG).Methods. A sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure levels of soluble adhesion molecules at the time of diagnosis in 22 consecutive patients with WG, in 12 WG patients studied serially prior to disease relapse, at the time of upper airways infection in 18 patients with inactive WG, and in 57 controls. Disease activity was assessed by disease activity score and C‐reactive protein levels.Results. At diagnosis of WG, sICAM‐1 and sVCAM‐1 levels were significantly elevated and correlated with disease activity. At the time of relapse, a significant increase in all 3 soluble adhesion molecules was found compared with levels at 6 months prior to relapse, but only sVCAM‐1 levels were significantly elevated compared with those in controls. Levels of soluble adhesion molecules at the time of relapse did not differ from those measured during an upper airways infection without disease activity.Conclusion. Elevated serum levels of sICAM‐1 and sVCAM‐1 can be found in active WG and correlate with disease activity. However, their clinical relevance for followup is limited due to lack of sensitivity and specificity for WG disease activity.
Well‐imaged large vessel vasculitis attributed to anticardiolipin antibody
Authors: Roberts W. Neal , Demeo Jonathan H. , Breitbach Sarah A. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. We report a case of large vessel vasculitis, compare imaging techniques, and briefly review the literature.Methods. Anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute‐phase response, and ischemic symptoms in a 50‐year‐old man admitted for treatment of vasculitis‐related ischemia of the fingers were monitored over a 14‐month period. Images from serial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were compared with images from conventional arteriography in the evaluation of peripheral arterial circulation.Results. The acute‐phase response and anticardiolipin antibody levels were found to vary in parallel with slow resolution of ischemic symptoms following monthly treatment with pulse methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide.Conclusion. Attribution of ischemic symptoms to anticardiolipin antibody is supported by the correlation of anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute‐phase response parameters, and ischemic symptoms. The serial images from MRA demonstrate its usefulness as a noninvasive tool for followup studies of both large and medium‐sized vessels affected by vasculitis.
Severe restrictive lung disease in systemic sclerosis
Authors: Steen Virginia D. , Conte Claudia , Owens Gregory R. , Medsger Thomas A. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. We sought to identify risk factors for developing severe restrictive lung disease and to determine the time of onset and rate of progression in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).Methods. Using the University of Pittsburgh Scleroderma Databank, we grouped patients according to their lowest forced vital capacity (FVC) value: <75% predicted, 50—75% predicted, and > 50% predicted. In patients with severe restrictive disease, we examined serial pulmonary function test (PFT) results to determine the rate of loss of lung volume over time.Results. Of 890 SSc patients, 60% (n = 531) never had an FVC ⩽75% predicted; 27% (n = 243) had moderate restrictive disease, with an FVC value of 50—75% predicted; and only 13% (n = 116) of the patients had severe restrictive disease, with FVC ⩽50% predicted. Black race, male sex, early disease, and primary cardiac involvement due to SSc were the features most frequently associated with severe restrictive lung disease (by multiple logistic regression). Fifty–five patients with severe restrictive lung disease had their first of at least 2 PFTs during the first 5 years after onset of any SSc (not pulmonary) symptoms. In 30 patients, the FVC declined by 32% per year in the first 2 years of illness, in 16 patients the annual loss was 12% in years 2—4 after disease onset, and in 9 patients annual loss was 3% during years 4—6 of disease (P < 0.005 by 1–way analysis of variance).Conclusion. In SSc patients, black men with early disease who have cardiac involvement are the most likely to have factors associated with the development of severe restrictive lung disease (which is increasingly becoming a major cause of death). Disease subtype (diffuse versus limited cutaneous) and serum antitopoisomerase I antibody do not differentiate between moderate and severe restrictive disease. Careful monitoring of pulmonary function early in the disease, when the greatest loss of lung function occurs, may help identify patients likely to respond to new therapy.
alteration in multijoint dynamics in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Pai Yi–Chung , Chang Huan J. , Chang Rowland W. , Sinacore James M. , Lewis Jack L. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To document the alterations of joint motion and torque in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis (OA), using a well–defined functional maneuver, the sit–to–stand (STS) task.Methods. Twelve patients with bilateral knee OA and 12 age–, sex–, and height–matched control subjects performed the STS maneuver from a stool of a standard height at their natural speeds. A motion analysis system and 2 force platforms were employed to determine the dynamic joint motion and the resultant joint torques at the ankle, knee, and hip joints.Results. The results showed that OA patients exhibited substantially reduced knee extension torques, accompanied by other alterations in initial sitting posture (more extended knee and more plantar–flexed ankle), movement duration (increased), dynamic range of motion at the knee (reduced), and extension torques at the hip (increased).Conclusion. The alterations in joint dynamics among patients with knee OA may have revealed an adaptive motor behavior characterized by redistributing the load from impaired to less–impaired or nonimpaired joints through multijoint dynamics. Two major potential pitfalls of such a movement strategy have subsequently been postulated.
An open study of dehydroepiandrosterone in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Van Vollenhoven Ronald F. , Engleman Edgar G. , Mcguire James L. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective. To determine if dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has clinical benefits in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. Ten female patients with mild to moderate SLE and various disease manifestations were given DHEA (200 mg/day orally) for 3—6 months. The patients were given other medications as clinically indicated, and followed with respect to overall disease activity and specific outcome parameters.Results. After 3—6 months of DHEA treatment, indices for overall SLE activity including the SLEDAI (SLE Disease Activity Index) score and physician's overall assessment were improved, and corticosteroid requirements were decreased. Of 3 patients with significant proteinuria, 2 showed marked and 1 modest reductions in protein excretion. DHEA was well tolerated, the only frequently noted side effect being mild acneiform dermatitis.Conclusion. DHEA shows promise as a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of mild to moderate SLE. Further studies of DHEA in the treatment of SLE are warranted.