Patent Application: US-201715628371-A

Abstract:
the invention disclosed provides means of inhibiting , ameliorating , and / or treatment of rheumatoid arthritis through the use of noble gas containing mixtures . in one embodiment , the invention provides means of reducing inflammation and immune associated pathology through administration of noble gas mixtures . in one specific embodiment , xenon gas is administered to a patient in need at concentrations and frequencies sufficient to inhibit inflammatory and autoimmune processes . in another embodiment noble gas mixtures are administered to reduce pain and provide symptomatic relieve to a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis . in another embodiment the use of noble gas containing mixtures is disclosed as a means of reducing joint destruction through inhibition of matrix metalloprotease production and activity .

Description:
the invention teaches the counterintuitive findings that xenon administration induces an increase in anti - inflammatory / immune modulatory processes that are useful in the treatment of , and / or amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis . rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ) is an autoimmune condition characterized by adaptive immune autoreactivity leading to chronic inflammation of the synovium and the presence of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts ( rasfs ) that undergo hyperplasia and invade cartilage and bone [ 1 ]. rasfs exhibit an increased ability to enter into the cell cycle , resulting in hyperplasia [ 2 ], and also show a decreased ability to undergo apoptosis [ 3 ]. rasfs produce proinflammatory cytokines , such as il - 1 and tnf - α which provide further stimulation for the ongoing inflammation [ 4 ]. furthermore , enzymes including stromelysin and collagenase are produced and are capable of invading cartilage and bone [ 5 ]. clinically , ra affects approximately 0 . 5 - 1 % of the global population [ 6 ] with varying degrees of severity . the typical treatment algorithm involves initiation of nsaids , however more recent practice has been concurrent initiation of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs ( dmards ). these agents are slow acting but have been demonstrated to inhibit radiological progression of ra . such agents typically include : 1 ) hydroxychloroquine , which acts in part as a toll like receptor ( tlr ) 7 / 9 antagonist , thus decreasing innate immune activation [ 7 ]; 2 ) leflunomide , an antimetabolite that inhibits pyrimidine synthesis and protein tyrosine kinase activity [ 8 ], which results in suppression of t cell responses [ 9 ], and has been also demonstrated to inhibit dendritic cell ( dc ) activation [ 10 ]; 3 ) injectable gold compounds such as auranofin which directly or through metabolites such as dicyanogold ( i ) have been demonstrated to inhibit t cell and antigen presenting cell activation [ 11 , 12 ], as well as cause th2 deviation [ 13 ]; 4 ) sulfasalazine , was used since 1950 , acts primarily through inhibition of cycloxygenase and lipoxygenase [ 14 ]; and 5 ) methotrexate , an antifolate that inhibits t cell activation and proliferation , that has been one of the golden standards for ra [ 15 ]. typically combinations of dmards with glucocorticoids are used , or alternatively pulse of high dose glucocorticoids are administered to cause a general inhibition of inflammation [ 16 ]. the field of ra therapy has been revolutionized by the introduction of the tnf -✓- targeting agents , remicade , enbrel , and humira , sometimes referred to as “ biological dmards .” these are implemented primarily after response to conventional dmards has failed [ 17 ]. although improvement in quality of life has occurred as a result of biological dmards , substantial progress remains to be made . for example , tnf - alpha blockers have been associated with reactivation of infectious disease , autoantibody formation and the possibility of increased lymphoma risk [ 18 , 19 ]. thus to date , one of the major limitations to ra therapy has been lack of ability to specifically inhibit autoreactive responses while allowing other immune components to remain intact . an “ autoimmune disease ” herein is any non - malignant disease or disorder arising from antibodies that are produced directed against an individual &# 39 ; s own ( self ) antigens and / or tissues . “ immunosuppressive drugs ” are any molecules that interfere with the immune system and blunt its response to foreign or self antigens . cyclophosphamide ( cyc ) and mycophenolate mofetil ( mmf ) are two such kinds of molecules . this term is intended to encompass any drug or molecule useful as a therapeutic agent in downregulating the immune system . this method particularly contemplates drugs that have been used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis , juvenile rheumatoid arthritis , systemic lupus erythematosus ( sle ), lupus nephritis ( ln ), wegener &# 39 ; s disease , inflammatory bowel disease , idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ( itp ), thrombotic throbocytopenic purpura ( ttp ), autoimmune thrombocytopenia , multiple sclerosis , psoriasis , iga nephropathy , igm polyneuropathies , myasthenia gravis , vasculitis , diabetes mellitus , reynaud &# 39 ; s syndrome , sjorgen &# 39 ; s syndrome and glomerulonephritis . antibody “ effector functions ” refer to those biological activities attributable to the fc region ( a native sequence fc region or amino acid sequence variant fc region ) of an antibody , and vary with the antibody isotype . examples of antibody effector functions include : clq binding and complement dependent cytotoxicity ; fc receptor binding ; antibody - dependent cell - mediated cytotoxicity ( adcc ); phagocytosis ; down regulation of cell surface receptors ( e . g . b cell receptor ); and b cell activation . “ antibody - dependent cell - mediated cytotoxicity ” or “ adcc ” refers to a form of cytotoxicity in which secreted ig bound onto fc receptors ( fcrs ) present on certain cytotoxic cells ( e . g . natural killer ( nk ) cells , neutrophils , and macrophages ) enable these cytotoxic effector cells to bind specifically to an antigen - bearing - target cell and subsequently kill the - target cell with cytotoxins . the antibodies -“ arm ” the cytotoxic cells and are absolutely required for such killing . the primary cells for mediating adcc , nk cells , express fc . gamma . riii only , whereas monocytes express fcyri , fcyrii and fcyriii . fcr expression on hematopoietic cells is summarized in table 3 on page 464 of ravetch and kinet , ann . rev . immunol 9 : 457 - 92 ( 1991 ). to assess adcc activity of a molecule of interest , an in vitro adcc assay , such as that described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 500 , 362 or 5 , 821 , 337 may be performed . useful effector cells for such assays include peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc ) and natural killer ( nk ) cells . alternatively , or additionally , adcc activity of the molecule of interest may be assessed in vivo , e . g ., in a animal model such as that disclosed in clynes et al . pnas ( usa ) 95 : 652 - 656 ( 1998 ). “ complement dependent cytotoxicity ” or “ cdc ” refers to the lysis of a target cell in the presence of complement . activation of the classical complement pathway is initiated by the binding of the first component of the complement system ( clq ) to antibodies ( of the appropriate subclass ) which are bound to their cognate antigen . to assess complement activation , a cdc assay , e . g . as described in gazzano - santoroetal ., j . immunol . methods 202 : 163 ( 1996 ), may be performed . the term “ anti - inflammatory agent ” as used herein , refers to any compound having known effectiveness to reduce symptoms of inflammation . for example , reduction in symptoms may include , but are not limited to , reduced swelling , redness and / or local lymphocyte levels . for example , an anti - inflammatory agent may include , but is not limited to , aspirin , acetominophen , ibuprofen , cortiocosterone , or cortisol . the terms “ reduce ,” “ inhibit ,” “ diminish ,” “ suppress ,” “ decrease ,” “ prevent ” and grammatical equivalents ( including “ lower ,” “ smaller ,” etc .) when in reference to the expression of any symptom in an untreated subject relative to a treated subject , mean that the quantity and / or magnitude of the symptoms in the treated subject is lower than in the untreated subject by any amount that is recognized as clinically relevant by any medically trained personnel . in one embodiment , the quantity and / or magnitude of the symptoms in the treated subject is at least 10 % lower than , at least 25 % lower than , at least 50 % lower than , at least 75 % lower than , and / or at least 90 % lower than the quantity and / or magnitude of the symptoms in the untreated subject . the term “ drug ”, “ agent ” or “ compound ” as used herein , refers to any pharmacologically active substance capable of being administered which achieves a desired effect . drugs or compounds can be synthetic or naturally occurring , non - peptide , proteins or peptides , oligonucleotides , or nucleotides ( dna and / or rna ), polysaccharides or sugars . the term “ administered ” or “ administering ”, as used herein , refers to any method of providing a composition to a patient such that the composition has its intended effect on the patient . for example , one method of administering is by an indirect mechanism using a medical device such as , but not limited to a catheter , applicator gun , syringe etc . a second exemplary method of administering is by a direct mechanism such as , local tissue administration ( i . e ., for example , extravascular placement ), oral ingestion , transdermal patch , topical , inhalation , suppository etc . the term “ patient ”, as used herein , is a human or animal and need not be hospitalized . for example , out - patients , and persons in nursing homes are “ patients .” a patient may comprise any age of a human or non - human animal and therefore includes both adult and juveniles ( i . e ., children ). it is not intended that the term “ patient ” connote a need for medical treatment , therefore , a patient may voluntarily or involuntarily be part of experimentation whether clinical or in support of basic science studies . the term “ pharmaceutically ” or “ pharmacologically acceptable ”, as used herein , refer to molecular entities and compositions that do not produce adverse , allergic , or other untoward reactions when administered to an animal or a human . the term , “ pharmaceutically acceptable carrier ”, as used herein , includes any and all solvents , or a dispersion medium including , but not limited to , water , ethanol , polyol ( for example , glycerol , propylene glycol , and liquid polyethylene glycol , and the like ), suitable mixtures thereof , and vegetable oils , coatings , isotonic and absorption delaying agents , liposome , commercially available cleansers , and the like . supplementary bioactive ingredients also can be incorporated into such carriers . the term “ biologically active ” refers to any molecule having structural , regulatory or biochemical functions . for example , biological activity may be determined , for example , by restoration of wild - type growth in cells lacking protein activity . cells lacking protein activity may be produced by many methods ( i . e ., for example , point mutation and frame - shift mutation ). complementation is achieved by transfecting cells which lack protein activity with an expression vector which expresses the protein , a derivative thereof , or a portion thereof . in one aspect of the invention , noble gas mixtures are administered to treat autoimmunity . further , it is preferable if the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of : type i diabetes mellitus , rheumatoid arthritis , multiple sclerosis , chronic gastritis , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , basedow disease , bechterew disease , psoriasis , myasthenia gravis , autoimmune hepatitis , apeced , chrug - strauss syndrome , ulcerative colitis , glomerulonephritis , guillain - barre syndrome , hashimoto thyroiditis , lichen sclerosus , systemic lupus erythematosis , pandas , rheumatic fever , sarcoidosis , sjorgren syndrome , stiff - man syndrome , scleroderma , wegener &# 39 ; s granulomatosis , vitiligo , wegener &# 39 ; s disease , inflammatory bowel disease , idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ( itp ), thrombotic throbocytopenic purpura ( ttp ), autoimmune thrombocytopenia , multiple sclerosis , psoriasis , iga nephropathy , igm polyneuropathies , myasthenia gravis , vasculitis , diabetes mellitus , reynaud &# 39 ; s syndrome , sjorgen &# 39 ; s syndrome and glomerulonephritis , autoimmune enteropathy , goodpasture syndrome , dermatomyositis , polymyositis , autoimmune allergy , asthma and autoimmune reaction after organ transplantations . amounts effective will depend , of course , on the particular subject being treated ; the severity of a condition , disease or disorder ; the individual patient parameters including age , physical condition , size and weight ; the duration of the treatment ; the nature of concurrent therapy ( if any ); the specific route of administration and like factors within the knowledge and expertise of the health practitioner . these factors are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and can be addressed with no more than routine experimentation . it is generally preferred that a maximum dose be used , that is , the highest safe dose according to sound medical judgment . it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art , however , that a patient may insist upon a lower dose or tolerable dose for medical reasons , psychological reasons or for virtually any other reason . in one embodiment of the invention , patients suffering from ra are administered xenon at a concentration of 25 % xenon in 75 % air . various concentrations may be performed and adjusted based on immunological and clinical responses . in a preferred embodiment administration of xenon is performed 3 times per week in a volume of 10 liters , with a concentration of 25 % xenon and 75 % air . other gases such as argon , helium , neon and krypton may be utilized . additionally , other excipients may be added to alter immunological parameters . in order to guide of skill in the art in the practice of the invention , a table of some of the immunological intervention clinical trials for ra is provided below . this table may serve to guide a practitioner of the invention in choosing immunological and clinical parameters for assessment . for monitoring ra disease activity for this rheumatoid arthritis trial , a 28 - joint count for tenderness and swelling is employed . to assess the tender joint count , the examiner documents which joints the patient indicates are painful on palpation with enough pressure to blanch the nail bed of the examiner &# 39 ; s thumb and index fingers . to assess the swollen joint count , the examiner documents which joints have palpable soft tissue swelling or fluctuance , excluding joints affected only by deformity or bony hypertrophy . the 28 - joint count includes the shoulders , elbows , wrists , first to fifth metacarpophalangeal joints , first to fifth proximal interphalangeal joints , and knees on both sides of the body . compared to more extensive joint counts , the 28 - joint count has the advantage of being quick and easy to perform ; however , it is limited by the fact that the ankles and metatarsophalangeal joints are not included , so active disease in the feet may be underestimated . the 28 - joint count is used to calculate the disease activity score 28 ( das28 ), which is a validated instrument to monitor disease activity . 1 . perform a swollen and tender joint examination of your patient , noting each affected joint on form a . when complete , add all of the swollen and tender joints and record the totals in the appropriate boxes on form b . 2 . obtain and record the patient &# 39 ; s erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( esr ) in mm / h in the appropriate box on form b . note : c - reactive protein ( crp ) levels may be used as a substitute for an esr . 3 . obtain and record the patient &# 39 ; s general health on a visual analog scale ( vas ) of 100 mm in the appropriate box on form b . note : das28 calculations may be performed without a vas measurement . 4 . plug the appropriate values into the formula : das28 = 0 . 56 *√{ square root over ( )}( tender joints )+ 0 . 28 *√{ square root over ( )}( swollen joints )+ 0 . 70 * ln ( esr / crp )+ 0 . 014 * vas 5 . a das28 score of higher than 5 . 1 is indicative of high disease activity , whereas a das28 below 3 . 2 indicates low disease activity . a patient is considered to be in remission if they have a das28 lower than 2 . 6 . the eular response criteria include not only change in disease activity but also current disease activity . to be classified as responders , patients should have a significant change in das and also low current disease activity . three categories are defined : good , moderate , and non - responders . eular response criteria combine the das28 score at the time of evaluation with the change in das28 score between two time points , and enable the user to define improvement or response to treatment . the thresholds for low disease activity and remission and the eular response criteria provide a standardised guide on how to interpret the das28 scores the haq was developed as a comprehensive measure of outcome in patients with a wide variety of rheumatic diseases , including rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , juvenile rheumatoid arthritis , lupus , scleroderma , ankylosing spondylitis , fibromyalgia , and psoriatic arthritis . it has also been applied to patients with hiv / aids and in studies of normal aging . it should be considered a generic rather than a disease - specific instrument . its focus is on self - reported patient - oriented outcome measures , rather than process measures . thus , in one embodiment of the invention , therapeutic noble gas compositions are administered in a manner to alter immunological factors in the body . specifically , the invention teaches that various concentrations of xenon gas , when delivered into circulation , either by inhalation [ 25 - 27 ], or administration of echogenic xenon liposomes [ 28 , 29 ], can be utilized to induce a t regulatory cell phenotype and suppression of th17 or other arthritogenic cells . the use of xenon has been reviewed by numerous authors in the art , which provide guidance as to details of administration [ 30 - 32 ]. importantly , the new and non - obvious aspect of the current invention is that xenon , as well as other noble gases , are capable of inducing immune modulation to inhibit autoimmunity , as well as to inhibit pain associated with ra . examples of gases or gas mixtures employed as medicament for radiation protection : 1 .) 100 % by volume xenon ; 2 .) 70 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen ; 3 .) 65 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 5 % by volume nitrogen ; 4 .) 65 % by volume xenon / 35 % by volume oxygen ; 5 .) 60 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 10 % by volume nitrogen ; 6 .) 60 % by volume xenon / 35 % by volume oxygen / 5 % by volume nitrogen ; 7 .) 60 % by volume xenon / 40 % by volume oxygen ; 8 .) 55 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 20 % by volume nitrogen ; 9 .) 55 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 15 % by volume nitrogen ; 10 .) 55 % by volume xenon / 35 % by volume oxygen / 10 % by volume nitrogen ; 11 .) 55 % by volume xenon / 40 % by volume oxygen / 5 % by volume nitrogen ; 12 .) 55 % by volume xenon / 45 % by volume oxygen ; 13 .) 50 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen ; 14 .) 50 % by volume xenon / 45 % by volume oxygen / 5 % by volume nitrogen ; 15 .) 50 % by volume xenon / 40 % by volume oxygen / 10 % by volume nitrogen ; 16 .) 50 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 20 % by volume nitrogen ; 17 .) 50 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 25 % by volume nitrogen ; 18 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 55 % by volume oxygen ; 19 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 5 % by volume nitrogen ; 20 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 45 % by volume oxygen / 10 % by volume nitrogen ; 21 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 40 % by volume oxygen / 15 % by volume nitrogen ; 22 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 35 % by volume oxygen / 20 % by volume nitrogen ; 23 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 25 % by volume nitrogen ; 24 .) 45 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 25 % by volume nitrogen ; 25 .) 40 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 30 % by volume nitrogen ; 26 .) 40 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 10 % by volume nitrogen ; 27 .) 35 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 40 % by volume nitrogen ; 28 .) 35 % by volume xenon / 65 % by volume oxygen ; 29 .) 30 % by volume xenon / 70 % by volume oxygen ; 30 .) 30 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 20 % by volume nitrogen ; 31 .) 30 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 40 % by volume nitrogen ; 32 .) 20 % by volume xenon / 80 % by volume oxygen ; 33 .) 20 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 50 % by volume nitrogen ; 34 .) 15 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 55 % by volume nitrogen ; 35 .) 15 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 35 % by volume nitrogen ; 36 .) 10 % by volume xenon / 90 % by volume oxygen ; 37 .) 10 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 40 % by volume nitrogen ; 38 .) 10 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 60 % by volume nitrogen ; 39 .) 10 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 65 % by volume nitrogen ; 40 .) 5 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 70 % by volume nitrogen ; 41 .) 5 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 65 % by volume nitrogen ; 42 .) 5 % by volume xenon / 50 % by volume oxygen / 45 % by volume nitrogen ; 43 .) 5 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 65 % by volume nitrogen ; 44 .) 5 % by volume xenon / 95 % by volume oxygen ; 45 .) 1 % by volume xenon / 99 % by volume oxygen ; 46 .) 1 % by volume xenon / 30 % by volume oxygen / 69 % by volume nitrogen ; 47 .) 1 % by volume xenon / 25 % by volume oxygen / 74 % by volume nitrogen . in an expanded use of the invention , a wider variety of autoimmune conditions may be treated , said conditions may be treated by said noble gas containing compositions , or may be treated by combinations with existing immune modulator drugs and noble gas containing compositions . in a more selected manner , the invention may be utilized by administration of antigen - specific tolerogenic vaccines with said noble gas containing compositions . autoimmune diseases include refers to any disease or disorder in which an immune response is generated in response to a substance , such as a protein or a tissue , that is normally present in the body and such response is undesirable . generally , such a disease or disorder includes undesired immune responses to one or more self antigens . autoimmune disease and autoimmune disorder may be used interchangeably through the disclosure and are considered to be synonymous . the list of autoimmune diseases may include , but is not limited to , multiple sclerosis , rheumatoid arthritis , type 1 diabetes , crohns disease , ulcerative colitis , psoriasis , etc . autoimmune diseases may also include diseases induced by foreign antigens , such as celiac disease . non - limiting examples of autoimmune diseases also include acute disseminated encephalomyelitis ( adem ), addison &# 39 ; s disease , agammaglobulinemia , alopecia areata , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , ankylosing spondylitis , antiphospholipid syndrome , antisynthetase syndrome , atopic allergy , atopic dermatitis , autoimmune aplastic anemia , autoimmune cardiomyopathy , autoimmune enteropathy , autoimmune hemolytic anemia , autoimmune hepatitis , autoimmune inner ear disease , autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome , autoimmune peripheral neuropathy , autoimmune pancreatitis , autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome , autoimmune progesterone dermatitis , autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura , autoimmune uveitis , behcet &# 39 ; s disease , celiac disease , cold agglutinin disease , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , dermatomyositis , dermatomyositis , diabetes mellitus type 1 , eosinophilic fasciitis , goodpasture &# 39 ; s syndrome , graves &# 39 ; disease , guillain - barre syndrome ( gb s ), hashimoto &# 39 ; s encephalopathy , hashimoto &# 39 ; s thyroiditis , idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura , lupus erythematosus , miller - fisher syndrome , mixed connective tissue disease , multiple sclerosis , myasthenia gravis , narcolepsy , pemphigus vulgaris , pernicious anaemia , polymyositis primary biliary cirrhosis , psoriasis , psoriatic arthritis , relapsing polychondritis , rheumatoid arthritis , rheumatic fever , sjogren &# 39 ; s syndrome , temporal arteritis , transverse myelitis , ulcerative colitis , undifferentiated connective tissue disease , vasculitis , and wegener &# 39 ; s granulomatosis . in some embodiments , the autoimmune disease is multiple sclerosis ( ms ). generally , the autoimmune disease or disorder is t - cell - mediated . 20 patients with disease modifying antirheumatic drug ( dmard )- resistant rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ) are chosen for a clinical trial assessing safety and efficacy of 25 % xenon administration with 75 % air . a total of 10 liters of gas inhaled . administration is performed 3 times per week . the number of 20 patients has been chosen based on previous clinical trials aiming to identify a signal of efficacy with demonstration of feasibility and safety [ 20 - 24 ]. safety is determined by assessment of hematological biochemical , and coagulation parameters on baseline , and days 30 , 60 , and 90 . efficacy is assessed by crp , esr , anti - citrulline antibody , rf , quality of life questionnaire , 28 - joint disease activity score ( das28 ), european league against rheumatism ( eular ) response criteria and immunological parameters . men and women at least 18 years of age are eligible to participate if they meet the american college of rheumatology ( acr ) criteria for ra for at least one year and are in functional class i , ii , or iii [ 33 ]. all patients will have to have had at least one failed trial of a dmard and must have at least 10 painful and 10 swollen joints at entry . no dmard therapy is allowed within 4 weeks of study entry . patients receiving nonsteroidal anti - inflammatory drugs , corticosteroids (& lt ; 10 mg per day ), or both will be allowed in the trial if they have been on stable doses for at least four weeks before study entry . required baseline laboratory values include serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen & lt ; 1 . 5 × the upper limit of normal and alanine aminotranferase and aspartate aminotransferase & lt ; 2 . 0 × the upper limit of normal . exclusionary laboratory values include a platelet count of & gt ; 500 , 000 / mm3 , hematocrit & lt ; 30 %, and a white - blood - cell count & lt ; 3000 / mm3 . other exclusionary criteria include history of cancer , use of intravenous or intraarticular corticosteroids within four weeks of randomization , any prior use of cyclosporine or cyclophosphamide , use of any investigational agent within 30 days of study entry , severe extra - articular manifestations of ra , acute infection requiring antibiotic therapy within two weeks of study entry , other concurrent autoimmune disease ( e . g . systemic lupus erythematosus ), or any other condition that the investigator thought might have placed the patient at undue risk if they had participated in the trial . men and women of childbearing potential are to use approved methods of birth control . women have to have a negative result on a test of serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin at screening . medications including cyclosporine , cyclophosphamide , and any dmard will not allowed . the use of intravenous or intra - articular corticosteroids will not be permitted . the following analgesics are permitted : acetaminophen , acetaminophen with codeine , acetaminophen with oxycodone , and propoxyphene . patients will be instructed not to take analgesics within 12 hours of their planned study visit . the primary objective of this feasibility study is to provide clinical data to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of xenon administration 10 liters at 25 % xenon , 3 times per week for the duration of the trial in treating patients diagnosed with dmard - resistant rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ). the secondary objectives are to demonstrate that xenon administration impacts the clinical course of ra resistant to dmards as measured by qol questionnaire , 28 joint das and eular criteria , and to assess the effect of the xenon therapy on immunological / inflammatory parameters including crp , rf , anti - citrulinated antibodies . safety will be assessed throughout the study with the use of direct evaluation and patient reporting during study visits or patient - initiated telephone contacts . the types , frequencies , severity , and duration of any reported adverse event or abnormalities in clinical laboratory values , physical examinations , vital signs , or special cardiovascular evaluations will be assessed . the changes from baseline will be summarized . adverse events / serious adverse events complete blood count physical assessment / vital signs ecg to assess preliminary evidence of efficacy , the following assessments will be analyzed at following time points and compared to baseline values : changes in 28 - joint disease activity score ( das28 ) changes in european league against rheumatism ( eular ) response criteria reduction in rf , esr , crp and anti - citrulinated fibrinogen antibody quality of life assessment at 1 , 2 , and 3 months measured by : subsequent to therapy , patients demonstrate no significant treatment associated adverse events and reduction of clinical and immunological parameters of ra is noted in a statistically significant manner . 1 . ziff , m ., rheumatoid arthritis — its present and future . j rheumatol , 1990 . 17 ( 2 ): p . 127 - 33 . 2 . perlman , h ., l . j . pagliari , and m . v . volin , regulation of apoptosis and cell cycle activity in rheumatoid arthritis . curr mol med , 2001 . 1 ( 5 ): p . 597 - 608 . 3 . zhang , h . g ., et al ., regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha - mediated apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts by the protein kinase akt . arthritis rheum , 2001 . 44 ( 7 ): p . 1555 - 67 . 4 . firestein , g . s . and m . m . paine , stromelysin and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases gene expression in rheumatoid arthritis synovium . am j pathol , 1992 . 140 ( 6 ): p . 1309 - 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502 . the references provided herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirties .