The expression of cyclooxygenase-1, cyclooxygenase-2 and 5-lipoxygenase in inflammatory muscle tissue of patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Objective: To describe cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) expression in muscle tissue in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) - dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) and to find out if any differences between affected and non-affected muscles detected by MRI exist.

Methods: Samples of muscle tissue from 7 patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and from 4 with polymyositis (PM) were obtained by needle biopsy from affected and non-affected sites distinguished by magnetic resonance imaging. In situ hybridization with antisense mRNA probes was employed to detect COX-1, COX-2 and 5-LOX mRNA.

Cyclosporine A versus methotrexate in the treatment of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness and tolerance of treatment with cyclosporine A (CyA) or methotrexate (MTX) added to corticosteroids in patients with severe, active polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-six patients (20 with DM, 16 with PM) were enrolled into the study and randomized in MTX (n = 17) and CyA (n = 19) groups. Muscle endurance and functional test (MEFT), clinical assessment (CA), global patient's assessment (GPA), muscle MRI, serum CK, myoglobin, IL-1Ra, and autoantibody status were used to assess the response to therapy after 1, 3, and 6 months.