Objective: To estimate the normal circumference of the interphalangeal (IP) thumb joint and the proximal IP (PIP) joints from the index finger to the little finger using individual physical parameters such as body hei...Objective: To estimate the normal circumference of the interphalangeal (IP) thumb joint and the proximal IP (PIP) joints from the index finger to the little finger using individual physical parameters such as body height and body weight. Methods: The maximum size on the ring gauge was recorded which caused resistance when the IP joint of the thumb or PIP joints of the index to small fingers were passed through the gauge. RG was defined as the ring gauge number with the same diameter as the circumference of the IP thumb joint and PIP finger joints from the index finger to the little finger. There were 300 healthy subjects and 600 hands. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the relationships between RG and the parameters of age, sex, height, weight, and dominant hand, and regression equations were derived. Results: Age, sex and body weight were all statistically significant predictive factors of RG in all fingers. R2, the coefficient of determination in the regression equation, was almost 0.7 for all fingers, indicating that a moderate or strong correlation was observed between RG and the regression equation. Conclusions: The circumference of the IP thumb joint and PIP finger joints from the index finger to the little finger can be estimated in healthy individuals using a calculation formula that takes age, sex, body height and body weight into account.展开更多
Objective: Early and accurate evaluation of the presence and activity of synovitis is extremely important in the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Myeloid related protein 8/14 (MRP8/14), also known as c...Objective: Early and accurate evaluation of the presence and activity of synovitis is extremely important in the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Myeloid related protein 8/14 (MRP8/14), also known as calprotectin or S100A8/A9 is considered as a sensitive marker for local inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of MRP8/14 as a marker of disease activity in RA. Methods: Thirty-one patients with diagnosis of RA who received treatment without biological drugs at our institution were included in this study. Serum MRP8/14, CRP and MMP-3 were tested in all patients. Disease activity was evaluated using DAS28-CRP and SDAI. Ultrasonography was performed on the wrists and MCP joints of both hands using semi-quantitative scale of power Doppler signal. The sum of scales in joints was calculated as the PD score. The correlation of MRP8/14 with serum biomarkers, disease activity and ultrasonography examination was investigated. Result: Serum MRP8/14 was strongly correlated with CRP (r = 0.63) and MMP-3 (r = 0.69). A correlation was observed between serum MRP8/14 and DAS28-CRP (r = 0.53) and SDAI (r = 0.66). No significant correlation was found between PD scores and MRP8/14. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that MRP8/14 is correlated with evaluated disease activity and markers of serum inflammatory response in patients not using biological drugs. MRP8/14 is considered an effective new method for objective evaluation of synovitis in RA.展开更多
Objectives: As therapeutic modalities for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) advance, immediate and quantitative determination of RA disease status is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to validate ...Objectives: As therapeutic modalities for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) advance, immediate and quantitative determination of RA disease status is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to validate the usefulness of a ring gauge as a simple semiquantitative method for assessing hand swelling in patients with RA. Methods: We enrolled patients diagnosed with RA either initiated or switched to a biological therapeutic agent. The circumference of the interphalangeal (IP) joint and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint was measured using a ring gauge. Assessments of the joint echocardiography, incorporating both Gray Scale (GS) and Power Doppler (PD) imaging, were conducted. These evaluations were performed both before the initiation of biological agent treatment and 28 days after the initial dose. Results: Following the treatment intervention, a significant reduction was observed in the circumference of the joint from the thumb to the little finger (p Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of using a ring gauge as a simple assessment tool for RA, revealing that a change in the ring gauge number by 2 or more corresponded to either improvement or deterioration in synovial thickening detected via joint echocardiography.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the protective effect of lansoprazoleon ischemia and reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat intestinalmucosal injury in vivo.METHODS: Intestinal damage was induced by clampingboth the superior mesenteric ar...AIM: To investigate the protective effect of lansoprazoleon ischemia and reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat intestinalmucosal injury in vivo.METHODS: Intestinal damage was induced by clampingboth the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac trunkfor 30 rain followed by reperfusion in male Sprague-Dawleyrats. lansoprazole was given to rats intraperitoneally 1 hbefore vascular clamping.RESULTS: Both the intraluminal hemoglobin and proteinlevels, as indices of mucosal damage, significantlyincreased in I/R-groups comparion with those of sham-operation groups. These increases in intraluminal hemoglobinand protein levels were significantly inhibited by the treatmentwith lansoprazole at a dose of 1 mg/kg. Small intestineexposed to I/R resulted in mucosal inflammation that wascharacterized by significant increases in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), tissue-associatedmyeloperoxidase activity (MPO), and mucosal content of ratcytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1).These increases in TBARS, MPO activities and CINC-1 contentin the intestinal mucosa after I/R were all inhibited bypretreatment with lansoprazole at a dose of 1 mg/kg.Furthermore, the CINC-1 mRNA expression was increasedduring intestinal I/R, and this increase in mRNA expressionwas inhibited by treatment with lansoprazole.CONCLUSION: Lansoprazole inhibits lipid peroxidation andreduces development of intestinal mucosal inflammationinduced by I/R in rats, suggesting that lansoprazole mayhave a therapeutic potential for I/R injury.展开更多
Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) usually manifests asfever and diarrhea in hospitalized patients treated withsystemic antibiotics. We described a case of PMC withintestinal obstruction but without diarrhea. A 60-yearold...Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) usually manifests asfever and diarrhea in hospitalized patients treated withsystemic antibiotics. We described a case of PMC withintestinal obstruction but without diarrhea. A 60-yearold man was hospitalized for chemotherapy for the treatment of Burkitt lymphoma of the stomach. The patient became febrile and complained of crampy abdominal pain during the post-chemotherapy nadir. Plain abdominal radiography showed some intestinal gas and niveau. Because stool cytotoxin assay for clostridium difficile was positive and colon fiberscopic examination showed a pseudomembrane at the left side of the colon,and a diagnosis of PMC was made. Treatment with intracolonic vancomycin administration by colonoscopy and nasoileus tube was successful. Physicians should take into account the possibility of bowel obstruction due to PMC occurring in patients undergoing chemotherapy and perform emergency colonoscopy examination of suspected cases.展开更多
文摘Objective: To estimate the normal circumference of the interphalangeal (IP) thumb joint and the proximal IP (PIP) joints from the index finger to the little finger using individual physical parameters such as body height and body weight. Methods: The maximum size on the ring gauge was recorded which caused resistance when the IP joint of the thumb or PIP joints of the index to small fingers were passed through the gauge. RG was defined as the ring gauge number with the same diameter as the circumference of the IP thumb joint and PIP finger joints from the index finger to the little finger. There were 300 healthy subjects and 600 hands. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the relationships between RG and the parameters of age, sex, height, weight, and dominant hand, and regression equations were derived. Results: Age, sex and body weight were all statistically significant predictive factors of RG in all fingers. R2, the coefficient of determination in the regression equation, was almost 0.7 for all fingers, indicating that a moderate or strong correlation was observed between RG and the regression equation. Conclusions: The circumference of the IP thumb joint and PIP finger joints from the index finger to the little finger can be estimated in healthy individuals using a calculation formula that takes age, sex, body height and body weight into account.
文摘Objective: Early and accurate evaluation of the presence and activity of synovitis is extremely important in the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Myeloid related protein 8/14 (MRP8/14), also known as calprotectin or S100A8/A9 is considered as a sensitive marker for local inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of MRP8/14 as a marker of disease activity in RA. Methods: Thirty-one patients with diagnosis of RA who received treatment without biological drugs at our institution were included in this study. Serum MRP8/14, CRP and MMP-3 were tested in all patients. Disease activity was evaluated using DAS28-CRP and SDAI. Ultrasonography was performed on the wrists and MCP joints of both hands using semi-quantitative scale of power Doppler signal. The sum of scales in joints was calculated as the PD score. The correlation of MRP8/14 with serum biomarkers, disease activity and ultrasonography examination was investigated. Result: Serum MRP8/14 was strongly correlated with CRP (r = 0.63) and MMP-3 (r = 0.69). A correlation was observed between serum MRP8/14 and DAS28-CRP (r = 0.53) and SDAI (r = 0.66). No significant correlation was found between PD scores and MRP8/14. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that MRP8/14 is correlated with evaluated disease activity and markers of serum inflammatory response in patients not using biological drugs. MRP8/14 is considered an effective new method for objective evaluation of synovitis in RA.
文摘Objectives: As therapeutic modalities for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) advance, immediate and quantitative determination of RA disease status is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to validate the usefulness of a ring gauge as a simple semiquantitative method for assessing hand swelling in patients with RA. Methods: We enrolled patients diagnosed with RA either initiated or switched to a biological therapeutic agent. The circumference of the interphalangeal (IP) joint and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint was measured using a ring gauge. Assessments of the joint echocardiography, incorporating both Gray Scale (GS) and Power Doppler (PD) imaging, were conducted. These evaluations were performed both before the initiation of biological agent treatment and 28 days after the initial dose. Results: Following the treatment intervention, a significant reduction was observed in the circumference of the joint from the thumb to the little finger (p Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of using a ring gauge as a simple assessment tool for RA, revealing that a change in the ring gauge number by 2 or more corresponded to either improvement or deterioration in synovial thickening detected via joint echocardiography.
文摘AIM: To investigate the protective effect of lansoprazoleon ischemia and reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat intestinalmucosal injury in vivo.METHODS: Intestinal damage was induced by clampingboth the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac trunkfor 30 rain followed by reperfusion in male Sprague-Dawleyrats. lansoprazole was given to rats intraperitoneally 1 hbefore vascular clamping.RESULTS: Both the intraluminal hemoglobin and proteinlevels, as indices of mucosal damage, significantlyincreased in I/R-groups comparion with those of sham-operation groups. These increases in intraluminal hemoglobinand protein levels were significantly inhibited by the treatmentwith lansoprazole at a dose of 1 mg/kg. Small intestineexposed to I/R resulted in mucosal inflammation that wascharacterized by significant increases in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), tissue-associatedmyeloperoxidase activity (MPO), and mucosal content of ratcytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1).These increases in TBARS, MPO activities and CINC-1 contentin the intestinal mucosa after I/R were all inhibited bypretreatment with lansoprazole at a dose of 1 mg/kg.Furthermore, the CINC-1 mRNA expression was increasedduring intestinal I/R, and this increase in mRNA expressionwas inhibited by treatment with lansoprazole.CONCLUSION: Lansoprazole inhibits lipid peroxidation andreduces development of intestinal mucosal inflammationinduced by I/R in rats, suggesting that lansoprazole mayhave a therapeutic potential for I/R injury.
文摘Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) usually manifests asfever and diarrhea in hospitalized patients treated withsystemic antibiotics. We described a case of PMC withintestinal obstruction but without diarrhea. A 60-yearold man was hospitalized for chemotherapy for the treatment of Burkitt lymphoma of the stomach. The patient became febrile and complained of crampy abdominal pain during the post-chemotherapy nadir. Plain abdominal radiography showed some intestinal gas and niveau. Because stool cytotoxin assay for clostridium difficile was positive and colon fiberscopic examination showed a pseudomembrane at the left side of the colon,and a diagnosis of PMC was made. Treatment with intracolonic vancomycin administration by colonoscopy and nasoileus tube was successful. Physicians should take into account the possibility of bowel obstruction due to PMC occurring in patients undergoing chemotherapy and perform emergency colonoscopy examination of suspected cases.
