scholarly journals Decrease in Serum Interleukin-21 Levels Is Associated With Disease Activity Improvement in Patients With Recent-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis

2014 ◽  
pp. 475-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. SGLUNDA ◽  
H. F. MANN ◽  
H. HULEJOVÁ ◽  
O. PECHA ◽  
L. PLEŠTILOVÁ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Disease Activity Score ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Interleukin 21

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of our study was to assess serum levels of IL-21 in patients with recent-onset RA in relation to disease activity and response to treatment. We analyzed serum levels of IL-21 in 51 RA patients, both before and 12 weeks after the initiation of treatment and in 36 healthy individuals. Disease activity was assessed at baseline and at weeks 12 and 24 using the Disease Activity Score for 28 joints, serum levels of C-reactive protein, and the total swollen joint count. We found that IL-21 levels were not increased in patients with recent-onset RA compared with healthy controls, but they had significantly decreased from baseline to week 12 during treatment. Baseline levels of IL-21 significantly correlated with measures of disease activity (p<0.02 for all). Although IL-21 levels did not predict achievement of remission, decrease in IL-21 levels correlated with improvement in disease activity after 12 weeks (p<0.02) and also after 24 weeks (p<0.04) of treatment. Our data suggest that circulating IL-21 levels may serve as a biomarker of disease activity and better outcome in early phase of RA.

Thrombin-cleaved Osteopontin Is Increased in Urine of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIORI SHIO ◽  
HIROKO KOBAYASHI ◽  
TOMOYUKI ASANO ◽  
RIE SAITO ◽  
HARUYO IWADATE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Disease Activity Score ◽  
Tender Joint Count ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Tender Joint ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Urine Levels

Objective.To measure concentrations of the thrombin-cleaved isoform of osteopontin (OPN) in urine and plasma of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to assess whether levels of thrombin-cleaved OPN are associated with measures of RA.Methods.Subjects comprised 70 patients with RA, 20 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and 46 healthy controls. RA disease activity was evaluated by tender joint count, swollen joint count, patient’s global assessment of disease activity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and rheumatoid factor (RF), as well as 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS28). OPN levels in plasma and urine were measured by ELISA.Results.Median levels of thrombin-cleaved OPN in urine (U-half) were significantly higher in RA patients (143.5 pmol/mmol Cr) than in healthy controls (67.9 pmol/mmol Cr) or OA patients (69.8 pmol/mmol Cr). Thrombin-cleaved OPN was not detected in plasma. U-half levels correlated significantly with levels of CRP (r = 0.26, p = 0.03), ESR (r = 0.26, p = 0.03), and RF (r = 0.28, p = 0.03). Median U-half levels were significantly higher in patients with stage III (249.9 pmol/mmol Cr) and IV (251.6 pmol/mmol Cr) disease than in patients with stage I (98.6 pmol/mmol Cr) disease.Conclusion.Our results suggest that urine levels of the thrombin-cleaved isoform of OPN may reflect the severity of active inflammatory arthritis in patients with RA.

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