Stachys schtschegleevii tea, matrix metalloproteinase, and disease severity in female rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Stachys schtschegleevii (SSC) is a herbal medicine used to treat infections. To date, this is the first study aimed to investigate the effects of SSC tea on disease activity score (DAS), serum inflammatory biomarkers and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1 and MMP-3) among women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This pilot, triple-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted among forty-four women (age: 30-65 years) diagnosed with moderately active RA.

Oral administration of alpha-lipoic acid did not affect lipid peroxidation and antioxidant biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which oxidative stress could play a substantial pathological role. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has been known as a "universal" and "ideal" antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant biomarkers in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation on Inflammatory Biomarkers and Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Objective: Although many studies have considered alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) as a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory functions in oxidative stress-associated inflammatory diseases, few studies have evaluated its efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we aimed to examine the effects of ALA on serum biomarkers of joint damage and inflammation in women with RA.

Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which RA patients (n = 70) aged 20-50 years were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either ALA (1200 mg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks.

Familial rheumatoid arthritis in patients referred to rheumatology clinics of Tabriz, Iran.

Background: The familial clustering of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in first and second degree relatives of patients supports the role of genetic factors. The proportion of heredity in its development is roughly 60%; however, most individuals closely related to someone with RA do not get the disease. Considering the lack of sufficient data on the familial aggregation of RA in Iran, we designed this study for clarifying the familial prevalence of RA.