Clinical activity after 12 weeks of treatment with nonbiologics in early rheumatoid arthritis may predict articular destruction 2 years later.

Objective: To investigate earlier prediction of future articular destruction in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We randomly allocated patients with RA with disease duration < 2 years to different nonbiologic disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapies in a double-blind trial. Progression of articular destruction over the 96-week treatment period was assessed using the modified Sharp method.

Therapeutic effects of the combination of methotrexate and bucillamine in early rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled study.

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) combination therapies are used widely, but there have been few reports clearly demonstrating that combination therapy is more effective than DMARD monotherapy. We conducted a multicenter, double-blind controlled trial in order to clarify that the combination of methotrexate and bucillamine is more effective than either alone. The subjects of this study were 71 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis within 2 years of onset.

Intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy in a case with refractory thrombotic microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and SLE.

The case of a 27-year-old woman who simultaneously presented with SLE and severe refractory thrombotic microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (TMHA) is reported. She had extremely high levels of platelet-associated IgG (PAIgG), and her TMHA was refractory to plasma exchange and corticosteroid therapy. However, the TMHA was effectively controlled by i.