Chondroitin sulfate efficacy versus celecoxib on knee osteoarthritis structural changes using magnetic resonance imaging: a 2-year multicentre exploratory study.

Background: In osteoarthritis (OA) treatment, although chondroitin sulfate (CS) was found in a number of studies using radiography to have a structure-modifying effect, to date CS use is still under debate. A clinical study using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is therefore of the utmost importance. Here we report data from a 24-month, randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled, comparative exploratory study of knee OA.

The presence of meniscal lesions is a strong predictor of neuropathic pain in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional pilot study.

Introduction: Pain in osteoarthritis (OA) has been classically attributed to joint structural damage. Disparity between the degree of radiographic structural damage and the severity of symptoms implies that factors other than the joint pathology itself contribute to the pain. Peripheral and central sensitization have been suggested as two of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to pain in OA.

Brodalumab, an anti-IL17RA monoclonal antibody, in psoriatic arthritis.

Background: We assessed the efficacy and safety of brodalumab, a human monoclonal antibody against interleukin-17 receptor A (IL17RA), in a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients with active psoriatic arthritis to receive brodalumab (140 or 280 mg subcutaneously) or placebo on day 1 and at weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. At week 12, patients who had not discontinued their participation in the study were offered open-label brodalumab (280 mg) every 2 weeks.

Effect of interleukin-6 receptor blockade on surrogates of vascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis: MEASURE, a randomised, placebo-controlled study.

Objectives: The interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) blocker tocilizumab (TCZ) reduces inflammatory disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but elevates lipid concentrations in some patients. We aimed to characterise the impact of IL-6R inhibition on established and novel risk factors in active RA.

Methods: Randomised, multicentre, two-part, phase III trial (24-week double-blind, 80-week open-label), MEASURE, evaluated lipid and lipoprotein levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle composition, markers of coagulation, thrombosis and vascular function by pulse wave velocity (PWV) in 132 patients with RA who received TCZ or placebo.

Efficacy and safety of golimumab as add-on therapy to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: results of the GO-MORE study.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous golimumab as add-on therapy in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment. To evaluate an intravenous plus subcutaneous (IV+SC) golimumab strategy in patients who had not attained remission.

Methods: GO-MORE was an open-label, multinational, prospective study in patients with active RA in typical clinical practice settings.

Buprenorphine transdermal system for opioid therapy in patients with chronic low back pain.

Objective: The present randomized, double-blinded, crossover study compared the efficacy and safety of a seven-day buprenorphine transdermal system (BTDS) and placebo in patients with low back pain of moderate or greater severity for at least six weeks.

Methods: Prestudy analgesics were discontinued the evening before random assignment to 5 microg/h BTDS or placebo, with acetaminophen 300 mg/codeine 30 mg, one to two tablets every 4 h to 6 h as needed, for rescue analgesia. The dose was titrated to effect weekly, if tolerated, to 10 microg/h and 20 microg/h BTDS.

The C-type lectin surface receptor DCIR acts as a new attachment factor for HIV-1 in dendritic cells and contributes to trans- and cis-infection pathways.

The dynamic interplay between dendritic cells (DCs) and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is thought to result in viral dissemination and evasion of antiviral immunity. Although initial observations suggested that the C-type lectin receptor (CLR) DC-SIGN was responsible for the trans-infection function of the virus, subsequent studies demonstrated that trans-infection of CD4(+) T cells with HIV-1 can also occur through DC-SIGN-independent mechanisms. We demonstrate that a cell surface molecule designated DCIR (for DC immunoreceptor), a member of a recently described family of DC-expressing CLRs, can participate in the capture of HIV-1 and promote infection in trans and in cis of autologous CD4(+) T cells from human immature monocyte-derived DCs.

A randomized, double-blind, 8-week crossover study of once-daily controlled-release tramadol versus immediate-release tramadol taken as needed for chronic noncancer pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of controlled-release (CR) tramadol and immediate-release (IR) tramadol in patients with moderate or greater intensity chronic noncancer pain.

Methods: A total of 122 patients underwent washout from all opioids 2 to 7 days before randomization to 1 of 2 groups: active CR tramadol 200 mg every morning plus placebo IR tramadol 50 mg every 4 to 6 hours PRN rescue, or placebo CR tramadol 200 mg every morning plus active IR tramadol 50 mg every 4 to 6 hours PRN rescue. After 2 weeks, the doses were increased to CR tramadol 400 mg or placebo and IR tramadol 100 mg every 4 to 6 hours PRN or placebo, as rescue.

Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor reduces the affinity of SHP-2 for the ITIM of CLECSF6 in neutrophils: a new mechanism of action for SHP-2.

Proteins that bear immunoreceptor tyrosine based inhibitory motifs (ITIM) are believed to participate in the repression of cell activation via phosphatases such as SHP-1, SHP-2 and/or SHIP-1. CLECSF6, also called DCIR, is a transmembrane protein expressed on leukocytes and predominantly on neutrophils that bears one ITIM pattern. This feature confers to CLECSF6 a role in the repression of cell activation.

Efficacy and safety of a single intra-articular injection of non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Objective: Non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) is a novel hyaluronan (HA) preparation with a 4-week intra-articular half-life. This study compared the efficacy of a single injection of NASHA with placebo in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.

Design: This was a 26-week randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of a single intra-articular knee injection with either NASHA or placebo (saline).

The ITIM-bearing CLECSF6 (DCIR) is down-modulated in neutrophils by neutrophil activating agents.

The recently discovered CLECSF6 protein displays the features of a receptor involved in the down-modulation of leukocyte activation. Although CLECSF6 has been the focus of the interest of many researchers lately, a Western blot characterization of the protein is still lacking. This highly reduces our ability to gain full knowledge of the biological relevance of this protein in cell responses.

Human plasma fibronectin potentiates the mitogenic activity of platelet-derived growth factor and complements its wound healing effects.

Integrin-mediated cell adhesion and growth factor stimuli are both required for optimal control of cell proliferation. In the context of skin injury, cell-derived fibronectin and platelet-derived growth factor play important roles in the stimulation of cell proliferation and migration, activities that are crucial to the healing process. To assess the ability of exogenously supplied plasma-derived fibronectin to stimulate wound repair and to study its ability to cooperate with platelet-derived growth factor-BB during healing, we devised a novel topical delivery formulation that allows the controlled release of both molecules to a wound.

The expression pattern of the ITIM-bearing lectin CLECSF6 in neutrophils suggests a key role in the control of inflammation.

In our study of the modulation of the expression of inflammation-related genes in neutrophils, we have found a gene called CLECSF6 (C-type lectin superfamily 6). CLECSF6 expresses two mRNA species at low levels in resting neutrophils. Here, we describe for the first time the sequence of the short mRNA version.