• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.67-72
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• 2012

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multi-systemic disease that causes damage to the bone and connective tissues. This study was conducted in order to accurately measure the correlation between RA and periodontitis, and to obtain an unbiased estimate of the effect of RA on periodontal indices. Methods: In this historical cohort study, which was conducted from February to May 2011 in Hamadan city, Iran, 53 exposed people (with RA) were compared with 53 unexposed people (without RA) in terms of clinical periodontal indices (the outcomes of interest) including 1) plaque index (PI), 2) bleeding on probing (BOP), and 3) clinical attachment loss (CAL). Results: A sample of 106 volunteers were evaluated, 53 rheumatoid versus 53 non-rheumatoid subjects. There was a statistically significant correlation between RA and BOP (P<0.001) and between RA and CAL (P<0.001). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between RA and any of the periodontal indices. No correlation was seen between gender and any of the indices either. There was a strong positive correlation between age and all three periodontal indices (P<0.001). Conclusions: The present study indicated a potential effect of RA on periodontal indices. However, much more evidence based on a prospective cohort study is needed to support the cause and effect relationship between RA and periodontal indices.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.151-160
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• 2009

Objectives : This study is to report five cases those have an important meaning as a result of treating female Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) patients in the reproductive years with oriental medical treatment. The patients had problems of pregnancy because of their RA and DMARDs(disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) before oriental medical treatment. Methods : These patients were treated by acupuncture, moxibution and herb medication. Results : The conditions of patients were improved with oriental medicine even if they had stopped DMARDs. And they became pregnant and the patients maintain their conditions. Conclusions : Oriental medical treatment was effective to improve the condition of RA patients and pregnancy. For more accurate studies, further studies would be needed with more cases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.180-184
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• 2005

IL-17 is a major proinflammatory cytokine secreted by activated T-lymphocytes that accumulates in the inflamed joints of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Additional IL-17-related molecules and their receptors have been discovered and may also contribute to RA pathogenesis. We examined the expression of the prototypic IL-17 (IL-17A) and its homologs, IL-17B-F, by RT-PCR analyses of synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from RA patients. We also tested for induction of the IL-17 receptor homologs upon stimulation of the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of RA patients with IL-17. The patients' SFMCs expressed IL-17C, E and F in addition to IL-17A. As in the case of IL-17, IL-15 appears to be the major inducer of these homologs in RA SFMCs. We detected transcripts of IL-17R, as well as those of IL-17RB, C and D, in the FLSs of RA patients. Whereas IL-17R expression increased upon in vitro stimulation with IL-17, expression of IL-17RB, C and D was unchanged. However the possibility of cross-interaction between other IL-17 homologs and receptor isoforms remains to be investigated. Our data suggest that these additional homologs should also be considered as targets for immune modulation in the treatment of RA joint inflammation.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.109-114
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• 2019

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease that manifests as joint damage or athletic disability via sustained inflammation of the synovial membrane. The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in RA patients. This study aimed at evaluating the association between CVD comorbidities and RA by comparing a pharmacotherapy group with a non-pharmacotherapy group. Methods: Patient sample data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS-2016) were used. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using the propensity score was used to minimize the differences in patient characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of CVD comorbidities. Results: The analyses included 1,207,213 patients, of which 33,122 (2.8%) had RA. The odds ratios (OR) of CVD comorbidities were increased in RA patients; ischemic heart disease (IHD: OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.73, 1.77), cerebral infarction (CERI: OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.26, 1.30), hypertension (HTN: OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.43, 1.45), diabetes mellitus (DM: OR 2.04; 95% CI 2.03, 2.06), and dyslipidemia (DL: OR 3.49; 95% CI 3.47, 3.51). The ORs of IHD, CERI, HTN, and DM in the traditional DMARD and biologic treatment groups were decreased, compared with those in the non-pharmacotherapy group. Conclusions: Thus, CVD risk was higher in RA patients, considering age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Appropriate pharmacotherapy could decrease the risk of CVD comorbidities in RA patients.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.32-37
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• 2023

The demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is rapidly increasing worldwide. The most common indication for TKA is osteoarthritis (OA); however, some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also undergo TKA. This study aimed to investigate the effects of RA on TKA. Our findings revealed that patients with RA underwent TKA at a younger age than did patients with OA. However, contrary to the findings of pre-21st century studies, the average age of TKA among patients with RA was not significantly different from that of patients with OA. Additionally, patients with RA had a 1.5-fold higher risk of undergoing TKA. Although not statistically significant, patients with RA had a higher revision TKA rate, a shorter time until revision TKA, and underwent more revision TKAs due to infections than did patients with OA. An analysis of factors that affect revision TKA revealed that the risk of revision increased if the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels were increased at the time of TKA. This study showed that patients with RA have a slightly higher risk of undergoing TKA than did patients with OA. Furthermore, the presence of inflammation at the time of TKA increases the risk of revision; therefore, inflammation should be adequately controlled before performing TKA.

• 대한후두음성언어의학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.130-133
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• 2016

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a connective tissue disease involving the larynx in 30 % of the patients. Foreign body sensation, hoarseness, and cough are common symptoms in laryngeal involvement. An urgent tracheostomy is required when acute airway obstruction occurs in case of bilateral vocal fold paralysis. The most common cause of bilateral vocal fold paralysis in RA patients is a cricoarytenoid joint arthritis. Laryngeal nerve degeneration is rare cause of bilateral vocal fold paralysis in RA patients. In this case report, an emergent tracheostomy was performed on a 64-years-old male patient with acute dyspnea, and concurrent involvement of RA on laryngeal nerve and cricoarytenoid joint was revealed by laryngeal electromyography and histopathology. The vocal fold mobility was restored after 3-months medical treatment.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.13-25
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• 1997

Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA), a chronic and systemic inflammatory disorder, is characterized by joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Patients with RA suffer from joint pain and overall pain. The painful and disabling consequences of RA are accompanied by a variety of affective, cognitive, and behavioral changes. The purpose of this paper was to explore and describe the life experiences of RA patients by eliciting verbal description of their experiences. Participants were nine persons who were diagnosed with RA, and had had it for more than six months. They were asked open ended and descriptive questions in order for them to talk about their experiences in their on terms. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed by Colaizzi method. From the protocols, 213 significant statements about life experience were organized into 83 formulating meanings which were then grouped into five theme clusters. The major themes that emgerged from the analysis were' Emotional Disturbances', 'Trying to Adapt to the Progress of Disease', 'Progress of Treatment'. 'Change of Role Performances', 'Experiences related to Family'. The result of this study showed that RA patients and families need nursing care based on a deep understanding of their lived experiences in everyday life. Nurses and other health workers must develop rehabilitation programs that focus on the pain control, functional independence and psychosocial factors.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.172-183
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• 2020

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is considered as a promising therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because of its involvement in inflammatory processes. However, limited studies have reported the involvement of PI3KC2γ in RA, and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the role of PI3KC2γ as a novel therapeutic target for RA and the effect of its selective inhibitor, PBT-6. In this study, we observed that PI3KC2γ was markedly increased in the synovial fluid and tissue as well as the PBMCs of patients with RA. PBT-6, a novel PI3KC2γ inhibitor, decreased the cell growth of TNF-mediated synovial fibroblasts and LPS-mediated macrophages. Furthermore, PBT-6 inhibited the PI3KC2γ expression and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in both synovial fibroblasts and macrophages. In addition, PBT-6 suppressed macrophage migration via CCL2 and osteoclastogenesis. In CIA mice, it significantly inhibited the progression and development of RA by decreasing arthritis scores and paw swelling. Three-dimensional micro-computed tomography confirmed that PBT-6 enhanced the joint structures in CIA mice. Taken together, our findings suggest that PI3KC2γ is a therapeutic target for RA, and PBT-6 could be developed as a novel PI3KC2γ inhibitor to target inflammatory diseases including RA.

• 근관절건강학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.150-158
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• 2017

Purpose: Regular physical activity is beneficial in reducing disease activity and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purposes of this study were to examine the levels of regular physical activity and learned helplessness and to identify factors influencing in participation in regular physical activity in RA patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 210 RA patients in a university-affiliated hospital. Participants completed a questionnaire including demographic and disease-related characteristics, physical activity and learned helplessness. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, $x^2$ tests, t-tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: About 23% of RA patients engaged in at least 30 minutes of regular physical activity per week. Patients with being older (OR=1.09, 95%CI=1.03~1.14), no employment status (OR=0.17, 95% CI=0.07~0.42), and lower levels of learned helplessness (OR=0.58, 95% CI=0.34~0.96) had significantly higher chance of engaging in regular physical activity. Conclusion: In developing nursing interventions to promote regular physical activity in RA patients, their learned helplessness should be considered.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.177-185
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• 2015

Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, diagnosis of RA is currently based on clinical manifestations, and there is no simple, practical assessment tool in the clinical field to assess disease activity and severity. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the discovery of new diagnostic RA biomarkers that can assist in evaluating disease activity, severity, and treatment response. Proteomics, the large-scale study of the proteome, has emerged as a powerful technique for protein identification and characterization. For the past 10 years, proteomic techniques have been applied to different biological samples (synovial tissue/fluid, blood, and urine) from RA patients and experimental animal models. In this review, we summarize the current state of the application of proteomics in RA and its importance in identifying biomarkers and treatment targets.