Genetic variation in the SLC19A1 gene and methotrexate toxicity in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Aim: We investigated the clinical relevance of SLC19A1 genetic variability for methotrexate (MTX) toxicity in rheumatoid arthritis patients using a haplotype-based approach.

Patients & Methods: Two hundred and twelve unrelated rheumatoid arthritis patients and 89 lymphoblastoid cell lines were used to investigate the effect of SLC19A1 SNPs and haplotypes on MTX adverse events and treatment discontinuation.

Results: Two putatively functional SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium, rs1051266 and rs1131596, were associated with protection (hazard ratio: 0.

Autoimmune response following influenza vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease.

Vaccines have undoubtedly brought overwhelming benefits to mankind and are considered safe and effective. Nevertheless, they can occasionally stimulate autoantibody production or even a recently defined syndrome known as autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). There is scarce data regarding autoimmune response after seasonal/influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIRD).

Osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis are higher in osteoarthritic than in osteoporotic bone tissue.

Background And Aims: New data show that increased adipogenesis in bone marrow may decrease osteoblastogenesis, resulting in osteoporosis (OP). Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) are two main transcriptional regulators controlling osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis from the same precursor cell in bone-the mesenchymal stem cell. Because osteoarthritis (OA) and OP present the opposing bone phenotype, our aim was to determine whether the expression of selected adipogenic genes is lower in OA compared to OP bone tissue.

A microarray based identification of osteoporosis-related genes in primary culture of human osteoblasts.

Genetic factors influencing the pathogenesis of osteoporosis are still largely unknown. We employed genome-wide gene expression approach in order to discover novel genes involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. To this end, primary cultures of osteoblasts isolated from osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic human bone tissue samples were prepared.