Clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with bone erosion in patients with tophi.

Introduction: If a large amount of urate crystals is deposited in a joint cavity for an extended period of time, bone erosion will occur and gradually cause skeletal muscle necrosis and joint deformity. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and factors associated with bone erosion in gout patients with tophi.

Methods: A total of 210 gout patients with tophi were enrolled and divided into a bone erosion group (n = 135) and a non-bone erosion group (n = 75).

LncRNA expression profiling in exosomes derived from synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To identify the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profiling in exosomes derived from synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and carry out bioinformatics analysis on target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs.

Methods: Exosomes were isolated from synovial fluid via ultracentrifugation. RNAs were extracted from exosomes by using HiPure Liquid RNA/miRNA kits, followed by lncRNA sequencing.