Inguinal lymphadenopathy as the initial presentation of sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease of unknown etiology characterized by granuloma formation. Despite pulmonary involvement in most patients, sarcoidosis can have a varied presentation. Lymph node involvement is rarely found in isolation.

Pilot investigation of hyaluronate injections for first metacarpal-carpal (MC-C) osteoarthritis.

Hyaluronate intraarticular injections are widely used for treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee, but there is no published literature on its use in osteoarthritis of the hand. We describe an open-label, baseline-controlled pilot study in which 5 weekly injections of 10 mg sodium hyaluronate (molecular weight 500-730 kDa) in 1 mL was used to treat 16 patients with osteoarthritic first metacarpal-carpal (MC-C) joints. The injections were performed easily and were well tolerated.

Decreased pain and synovial inflammation after etanercept therapy in patients with reactive and undifferentiated arthritis: an open-label trial.

Objective: Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) have been identified in the synovium of patients with reactive and undifferentiated arthritis, implicating TNFalpha in the pathogenesis of these disorders. This finding has provided a rationale for the use of TNFalpha antagonists in the treatment of reactive arthritis; however, the possibility that the triggering microorganism might persist in affected joints and become activated with use of these agents has been of concern.

Methods: The efficacy and safety of etanercept (25 mg subcutaneous twice weekly) in 16 patients with undifferentiated or reactive arthritis was assessed in a 6-month open-label trial.

Predictive factors in early arthritis: long-term follow-up.

Background: Because recent-onset inflammatory arthritis exhibits considerable clinical and prognostic variability, it is important to attempt to predict which patients are likely to have a poor prognosis as early as possible. Most prognostic studies have looked at patients who fulfilled proposed criteria for a definite diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or other well-defined conditions; less information exists concerning predictive factors for other types of early arthritis.

Objectives: To examine prognosis in early arthritis, the authors assessed the long-term outcome in a cohort of patients who presented with inflammatory arthritis of short duration.

Behçet's disease: immunopathologic and therapeutic aspects.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. The disease is strongly associated with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B51. BD has a chronic course with periodic exacerbations and progressive deterioration.