Journal of

Rheumatic Diseases and TreatmentISSN: 2469-5726

Archive

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510028

Massive Serositis as the Initial Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

Laura Geraldino-Pardilla Yevgeniya Gartshteyn and Fabian Mendoza

Article Type: Case Series | First Published: December 31, 2015

Large volume effusions as a manifestation of active systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is rare, and when it does occur, it is usually associated with complications of chronic lupus disease, such as nephrotic syndrome, constrictive pericarditis, heart failure or Budd-Chiari syndrome. Massive serositis as a presenting feature of SLE is rare. We describe two adult cases of new onset SLE presenting with massive ascites in the first case, and large bilateral pleural effusions in the second case. The s...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510027

Aspirin-Triggered Resolvin D1 Versus Dexamethasone in the Treatment of Sjogren's Syndrome-Like NOD/ShiLtJ Mice - A Pilot Study

Justin T Easley, Joel W Nelson, Rachel E Mellas, Salah Sommakia, Chunhua Wu, Bryan Trump, and Olga J Baker

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: December 17, 2015

Resolvin D1 (RvD1) and its aspirin-triggered epimeric form (AT-RvD1) are endogenous lipid mediators (derived from docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) that control the duration and magnitude of inflammation in models of complex diseases. Our previous studies demonstrated that RvD1-mediated signaling pathways are expressed and active in salivary glands from rodents and humans. Furthermore, treatment of salivary cells with RvD1 blocked TNF- -mediated inflammatory signals and improved epithelial integrity. T...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510026

A Rare Coexistence of Seronegative Enthesopathy and Arthropathy Syndrome with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Hakan Genc, Alper Gumustepe, Fikriye Figen Ayhan and Aynur Karagoz

Article Type: Case Report | First Published: November 18, 2015

The juvenile-onset spondyloarthropathies begin at age of 16 years or younger and are associated with the HLA-B27 allele. They are classified as the enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) subgroup of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) by the international league of associations for rheumatology (ILAR) [1]. Although the adult form has inflammatory low back pain as the predominant clinical symptom, the juvenile form has peripheral enthesitis and arthritis as its main clinical features. For this reason...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510025

In the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies, How Significant is Creatine Kinase Levels in Diagnosis and Prognosis? A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Travis C Sizemore

Article Type: Case Report | First Published: November 18, 2015

The clinical significance of creatine kinase [CK] levels in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies [IIM] has varied between studies. CK levels continue to be the most sensitive laboratory marker for muscle disease in IIM but vary depending upon the disease entity. The goal of this article was to further elucidate the clinical significance of CK levels in the setting of IIM, including role of CK in diagnostics and prognostication. A case report was described with a subsequent literature review comple...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510024

Hypercoagulation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Correlates with Activation of Act1/NF-kb Signaling Pathway

Pingheng Zhang, Jian Liu and Bing Tan

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: November 16, 2015

Peripheral blood samples were taken from 30 RA patients and 20 healthy volunteers, as controls. Ex vivo correlates of disease severity, such as C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide and rheumatoid factor, and immunological activation, such as interleukin (IL)-10, IL-17 and IL-6 were measured biochemically. Factors derived from the coagulation fibrinolytic system were also determined, such as the number of platelets, platelet activating factor, plat...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510023

Fatigue in Patients with Early-Stage Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Before Receiving Corticosteroid Therapy: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Katsuji Nishimura, Masako Omori, Yasuhiro Katsumata, Eri Sato, Yasushi Kawaguchi, Masayoshi Harigai, Hisashi Yamanaka and Jun Ishigooka

Article Type: Original Article | First Published: October 31, 2015

Objective: Fatigue has been intensively studied in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, previous studies have mostly included patients with long-term disease who have been treated with corticosteroids. We investigated fatigue in corticosteroid-naive patients with early-stage SLE. Methods: Forty-three SLE inpatients without neuropsychiatric SLE manifestations and 30 healthy control subjects with similar demographic characteristics participated in this study. The Profile of M...

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