Evaluation of the clinimetric properties of the Early Inflammatory Arthritis--self-administered comorbidity questionnaire.

Objectives: To adapt the self-administered comorbidity questionnaire (SCQ) into the Early Inflammatory Arthritis-SCQ (EIA-SCQ) and assess its clinimetric properties in EIA.

Methods: The EIA-SCQ and indices of disease activity, function, pain, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health resource utilization were administered to 320 patients with EIA. Twenty patients completed the EIA-SCQ a second time 1 week later.

Symptoms of depression predict the trajectory of pain among patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a path analysis approach to assessing change.

Objective: To assess the longitudinal relationships, including directionality, among chronic pain, symptoms of depression, and disease activity in patients with early inflammatory arthritis (EIA).

Methods: One hundred eighty patients with EIA completed an examination, including swollen joint count, and were administered the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) at 2 timepoints 6 months apart. Cross-lagged panel path analysis was used to simultaneously assess concurrent and longitudinal relationships among pain, symptoms of depression, and number of swollen joints.

The clinimetric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II in early inflammatory arthritis.

Objective: To assess the clinimetric properties of a new health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instrument, the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II), in patients with early inflammatory arthritis.

Methods: Internal consistency as well as criterion, construct, and discriminative validity of the WHODAS II were assessed in 172 patients with early inflammatory arthritis who completed the WHODAS II, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36), and other measures of disease severity, functioning, pain, depression, and resource use. Test-retest reliability of the WHODAS II was assessed by having a subset of 20 patients complete the WHODAS II a second time, 1 week after the first assessment.

Regulation of p38 MAP kinase in CD4+ lymphocytes by infliximab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and most patients treated with anti-TNFalpha agents show significant improvement in both signs and symptoms. While TNFalpha inhibitors rapidly reduce joint inflammation, the mechanisms by which these agents exert their long-term effects remain unclear. The p38 MAP kinase pathway is one of the signaling pathways triggered by TNFalpha and pharmacological inhibitors of this kinase are being developed for use in RA.