An investigation about chronic prostatitis in ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: Chronic prostatitis has been a common disease reported with high frequency in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) even from decades ago. Infectious (Chlamydia trachomatis) or non-infectious (uric acid) prostatitis can hypothetically trigger vertebral inflammation in AS. This study aimed to assess the features of chronic prostatitis in patients with AS compared to healthy controls.

Determinants of quality of life in Paget's disease of bone.

Objective: To evaluate the parameters associated with quality of life in patients with Paget's disease of bone.

Methods: Patients with Paget's disease of bone were evaluated with SF-36 and WHOQOL-bref questionnaires. Patients with other diseases that could cause significant impairment of their quality of life were excluded.

Association of PDCD1 polymorphism to systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship of programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1) gene polymorphism (PD1.3G/A - rs11568821) with features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Southern Brazilian population.

Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed in 95 SLE and 87 RA patients and 128 control group individuals from Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.

Association of PDCD1 polymorphism to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis susceptibility.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship of programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1) gene polymorphism (PD1.3G/A - rs11568821) with features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Southern Brazilian population.

Methods: Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed in 95 SLE and 87 RA patients and 128 control group individuals from Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.

An investigation into the relationship between anti-Helicobacter pylori and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in patients with axial spondyloarthritis and Crohn disease.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a musculoskeletal inflammatory disease linked with immune responses to intestinal microbiota, and subclinical intestinal ulcerations that are closely related to inflammatory bowel diseases. Helicobacter pylori is a common cause of gastroduodenal ulceration, and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) are associated with intestinal inflammation in both Crohn disease (CD) and SpA. We investigated the relationship between H.

Update on etiopathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease of multifactorial etiology, triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Its varied clinical expression results from the complex physiopathogenic interaction of three main elements: proliferative vasculopathy, immune dysregulation and abnormal deposition and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), of which the characteristic disease fibrosis is the result. Early physiopathogenic events appear to be endothelial injury and imbalance in vascular repair with the activation of endothelial cells, the immune system and platelets, with the release of multiple mediators such as TH2 proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors, triggering a sequence of simultaneous or cascading events that involve several intracellular signaling pathways.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis: is there a role for inflammation?

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in comparison to controls with similar cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: Forty-two consecutive patients with AS and 42 controls matched for age (43.3 ± 11.

Lack of association between interleukin-18 polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To assess the association of the polymorphisms of the interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Methods: This sample comprised 97 patients with RA and 151 healthy controls. In the patients, risk factors for CVD were analyzed, such as cholesterol levels, arterial hypertension, smoking habit, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and rheumatoid factor.

Neuro-Behçet's disease, its mimickers and anti-TNF therapy: a case-based review.

When the central nervous system is the primary affected site in an initial attack of Behçet's disease (BD), the differential diagnosis is particularly challenging. Because the specificity of immunobiologic therapy is growing, the specific diagnosis may impact the chosen therapy. For instance, anti-tumour necrosis factor agents are efficacious in BD but may be harmful in multiple sclerosis or systemic lupus erythematosus.

Thoracic myelopathy due to calcification of the ligamentum flavum with hyperproteinorachia and responsive to steroid therapy: case report.

Calcification and ossification of the ligamentum flavum or of the posterior longitudinal ligament are causes of compressive myelopathy, more frequent in the lower thoracic levels, and extremely rare in Western populations. Surgical decompression is the only therapy, but the disease is usually progressive, and its recurrence after surgery is common. Inflammatory mediators might play a role in the progression of compressive myelopathy, but, to our knowledge, the therapeutic approach involving anti-inflammatory agents has never been tried before.

Mycophenolate mofetil in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a treatment option for agranulocytosis.

The Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by a lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands. Hematological manifestations of primary SS (pSS) usually consist of mild anemia, thrombocytopenia, moderate neutropenia, and lymphopenia. Agranulocytosis is rarely reported and usually responds to immunosuppression.

Musculoskeletal system assessment in an emergency room.

Objective: Musculoskeletal conditions have an enormous and growing impact worldwide. In spite of that, some clinicians are not confident in their own musculoskeletal examination skills. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in an emergency room, and the frequency of musculoskeletal physical examination description on those cases.

Liver toxicity is rare in rheumatoid arthritis patients using combination therapy with leflunomide and methotrexate.

Objective: Some studies have reported that adding leflunomide (LEF) to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who do not respond to methotrexate (MTX) improved efficacy but increased the risk of liver toxicity. This study aimed at assessing the incidence of liver toxicity in patients with active RA using the LEF and MTX combination therapy in comparison with that of patients on MTX monotherapy.

Methods: Between February and September 2009, 97 consecutive patients followed up at the University Hospital of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil, were enrolled.

Potential drug interactions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: The term polypharmacy, meaning the concomitant use of multiple medications by one individual, has been widely reported in institutionalized or elderly patients. It can, however, occur in patients with chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objective: To quantify polypharmacy in a group of RA patients and to assess the risk of potential undesirable interactions between medications used for managing RA and those used for non-chronic diseases.

Resolution of adalimumab-induced psoriasis after vitamin D deficiency treatment.

Tumoral necrosis factor alpha blockers are very efficient in the treatment of many inflammatory systemic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. However, a paradoxical arouse of psoriasiform lesions may occur in a few patients taking anti-TNFα. The etiology of this rare side effect is still a mystery, and its treatment may be difficult.

Paget's disease of bone: analysis of 134 cases from an island in Southern Brazil: another cluster of Paget's disease of bone in South America.

Paget's disease of bone (PDB) exhibits a marked geographic variation. In Brazil, the prevalence of PDB is unknown and only a few clinical data are available. The aim is to determine clinical, laboratory, imaging and response to treatment data in a large PDB case series in the city of Florianopolis, Brazil.

Takayasu arteritis: anti-TNF therapy in a Brazilian setting.

The aim of this study was to describe clinical features and response to different therapeutic interventions, including anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, in a case series of Takayasu arteritis (TA) from Brazil. A retrospective observational chart-review study was performed including all patients meeting the American College of Rheumatology TA classification criteria followed at the rheumatology outpatient clinic of a Brazilian university hospital. Fifteen patients were included, of which 14 (93.

Intractable acquired autoimmune angioedema in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Acquired angioedema is caused by different drugs and lymphoproliferative diseases, and rarely it has also been related to the presence of auto-immune disorders. We report the case of a 47 year old female with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and severe cutaneous involvement who developed recurrent localized angioedema of the face, including lips and eye lids, upper limbs, and thorax, not associated with urticaria, and with reduced levels of C1 esterase inhibitor. Treatment with antimalarials, glucocorticoids, and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone associated with azathioprine did not improve her condition.

Infliximab treatment in pachydermoperiostosis: a rare disease without an effective therapeutic option.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is characterized by periostitis of tubular bones, thickened skin, and digital clubbing. Its pathogenesis is unknown but an inflammatory factor and increased bone remodeling have been implicated. It is a very rare disease, usually diagnosed late with few therapeutic options.

Pulmonary amyloidosis in Sjögren's syndrome: a rare diagnosis for nodular lung lesions.

Lung involvement in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) can affect trachea, bronchus, small airways, pleura and may cause interstitial lung injury. It may also be associated with malignancies, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a well-recognized complication of this disease. Here we describe the occurrence of localized amyloidosis presenting as pulmonary nodules in a patient with newly diagnosed SS.

Single measurements of C-reactive protein and disease activity scores are not predictors of carotid atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Background: Although inflammation has a defined role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) parameters of disease activity and atherosclerotic findings are not defined.

Objective: To investigate the association between subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and clinical/laboratorial parameters of RA systemic inflammatory activity.

Methods: Seventy-one RA patients were consecutively selected and compared to 53 healthy controls.