Circulating Adipokines and Response to Treatment in Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if baseline adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels are associated with response to antirheumatic treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This study included 341 participants of the Nordic Rheumatic Diseases Strategy Trials and Registries trial with untreated early RA, randomized at baseline into four treatment arms: methotrexate combined with (1) prednisolone, (2) certolizumab, (3) abatacept, or (4) tocilizumab. Follow-up was up to 48 weeks.

Robotic assisted and exoskeleton gait training effect in mental health and fatigue of multiple sclerosis patients. A systematic review and a meta-analysis.

Purpose: Robotic and Exoskeleton Assisted Gait Training (REAGT) has become the mainstream gait training module. Studies are investigating the psychosocial effects of REAGT mostly as secondary outcomes. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the effects of REAGT in MS patients' mental health and fatigue.

Obesity is a risk factor for poor response to treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis: a NORD-STAR study.

Objective: This report from the NORD-STAR (Nordic Rheumatic Diseases Strategy Trials and Registries) trial aimed to determine if obesity is associated with response to conventional and biological antirheumatic treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This report included 793 participants with untreated early RA from the randomised, longitudinal NORD-STAR trial, all of whom had their body mass index (BMI) assessed at baseline. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m.

Adipokines and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: A two-sample multivariable Mendelian randomisation study.

Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the causal relationship between these adipokines and the risk for RA is unclear. We performed a range of two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses to assess the causal effect of circulating adiponectin, leptin, and resistin on RA risk in European and East Asian individuals.

Adipocytokines in Untreated Newly Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association with Circulating Chemokines and Markers of Inflammation.

Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin are adipocytokines whose levels are elevated in blood and synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their role in RA pathogenesis is unclear. Here, we examined whether adipocytokines are associated with circulating chemokines, markers of inflammation and RA disease activity in patients with untreated newly diagnosed RA.

Handgrip Force and Maximum Inspiratory and Expiratory Pressures in Critically Ill Patients With a Tracheostomy.

Background: The association between peripheral striated muscle strength and respiratory muscle strength has been confirmed in a number of disorders. However, this association is unknown in intensive care unit patients with tracheostomies.

Objective: To examine correlations between handgrip force, maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) in intensive care unit patients with tracheostomies.

Recombinant Adiponectin Induces the Production of Pro-Inflammatory Chemokines and Cytokines in Circulating Mononuclear Cells and Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes From Non-Inflamed Subjects.

Adiponectin is an adipokine with a modulatory role in metabolism and exerting both anti- and pro-inflammatory effects. Levels of adiponectin are increased in serum and synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Adiponectin is able to stimulate the production of different pro-inflammatory factors from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from subjects with established RA.

On the immunoregulatory role of statins in multiple sclerosis: the effects on Th17 cells.

Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs, also possess immunomodulatory properties, affecting among others T cell activation and differentiation, antigen presentation, and regulatory T cell (Tregs) maintenance and differentiation. Their effects on autoagression have led investigators to assess their clinical significance in autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic progressive demyelinating disease of autoimmune nature. The dysregulated immunity noted in MS features a profound shift from Tregs dominance to Th17 cell superiority.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk Gene AIRE Is Induced by Cytokines in Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes and Augments the Pro-inflammatory Response.

The autoimmune regulator AIRE controls the negative selection of self-reactive T-cells as well as the induction of regulatory T-cells in the thymus by mastering the transcription and presentation of tissue restricted antigens (TRAs) in thymic cells. However, extrathymic AIRE expression of hitherto unknown clinical significance has also been reported. Genetic polymorphisms of have been associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but no specific disease-mediating mechanism has been identified.

Motor imagery as a method of maintaining performance in pianists during forced non-practice: a single case study.

: Musicians suffer from upper limb playing-related musculoskeletal disorders that often oblige them to periodic inactivity. : To assess the effectiveness of motor imagery as a means of practice when the physical piano practice is restricted. : A 17-year-old healthy pianist participated in a single subject case study with a multiple baseline design (ABC design).

Regulatory B and T lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis: friends or foes?

Current clinical experience with immunomodulatory agents and monoclonal antibodies in principle has established the benefit of depleting lymphocytic populations in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). B and T cells may exert multiple pro-inflammatory actions, but also possess regulatory functions making their role in RRMS pathogenesis much more complex. There is no clear correlation of Tregs and Bregs with clinical features of the disease.

Intraobserver Reliability and Interobserver Agreement in Radiographic Classification of Heterotopic Ossification.

The most widely used radiologic classification system for heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is the Brooker scale. In 2002, Della Valle et al proposed a modified rating system for heterotopic ossification to increase intraobserver reliability and interobserver agreement. To date, no study comparing these 2 classification systems has been conducted.

Posttraumatic focal dystonia of the shoulder.

Focal posttraumatic shoulder dystonia is a rare and not easily identifiable entity. Its true pathophysiologic nature, predisposing factors, and disease course remain debatable.This article describes a rare case of a 40-year-old man with late symptoms of focal shoulder dystonia after peripheral trauma of his left shoulder girdle.