Prevalence and significance of serum 14-3-3η in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: Prompt diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is important to avoid long term complications. Elevated serum 14-3-3η levels improve the diagnostic sensitivity of rheumatoid factor (RF) and cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody in adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and have been associated with more severe phenotype. We investigated the prevalence and clinical significance of serum 14-3-3η in different types of JIA.

Serum 14-3-3η is a novel marker that complements current serological measurements to enhance detection of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Serum 14-3-3η is a novel joint-derived proinflammatory mediator implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In our study, we assessed the diagnostic utility of 14-3-3η and its association with standard clinical and serological measures.

Methods: A quantitative ELISA was used to assess 14-3-3η levels.

Neopterin concentration as an index of disease activity in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Background: Neopterin, a pyrazino-[2,3-d]-pyrimidine compound, is a metabolite of cyclic guanosine monophosphate that is released by activated T lymphocytes and macrophages after induction by γ interferon. We sought to determine whether neopterin concentration in stool, serum, or urine is a useful marker of disease activity in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Methods: We prospectively studied 70 outpatients (33 M, 37 F, aged 39.