Changes in foot function, disease activity, and disability after forefoot resection arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in foot function, disease activity, and disability in patients with RA after resection arthroplasty of the forefoot (arthroplasty). Arthroplasty was performed on 11 patients with RA. All study patients underwent clinical assessment to measure disease activity (Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints-C-reactive protein, DAS28-CRP), disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, HAQ-DI) and foot function (Foot Function Index, FFI) at the following stages: preoperatively and 1, 3, and 12 months after surgery.

Association of higher methotrexate dose with lymphoproliferative disease onset in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objective: Methotrexate (MTX) is used as an anchor drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) occasionally develops in patients treated with MTX, and is known as MTX-associated LPD (MTX-LPD). Although MTX-LPD occurs mainly in RA patients, it has not been established if MTX administration is an independent risk factor for LPD in RA patients.

A case of femoral nerve palsy caused by iliopectineal bursitis associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who developed femoral nerve palsy caused by an enlarged iliopectineal bursa. Surgical excision revealed that the iliopectineal bursa was connected with the hip joint. The patient showed good recovery from the femoral nerve palsy after surgery.

Dermatomyositis associated with membranous nephropathy in a 43-year-old female.

A 43-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for myalgic pain and erythema of the face and thighs. She had been diagnosed with dermatomyositis at another hospital 8 years earlier and proteinuria had developed suddenly. Renal histological examination revealed membranous nephropathy.

Autoantibody in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection showing complete remission after interferon therapy.

A 42-year-old woman was admitted to Kinashi Ohbayashi Hospital for liver dysfunction. She presented with hepatitis C viral infection accompanied by autoimmune hepatitis-like serological manifestations, such as antinuclear antibody (ANA), antismooth muscle cell antibody and especially anti-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antibody and anti-SSB antibody. After interferon therapy, hepatitis C virus was not detected and ANA, anti-RNP antibody and anti-SSB antibody disappeared.