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- Andersen, Grethe Neumann, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of vascular function in systemic sclerosis : indications of the development of nitrate tolerance as a result of enhanced endothelial nitric oxide production
- 2002
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 46:5, s. 1324-1332
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent functions and the stiffness of conduit arteries as well as levels of endothelial activation markers in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: Endothelium-dependent (i.e., flow-mediated) and endothelium-independent (i.e., nitroglycerin-induced) dilation of the brachial artery was measured as the percentage of change from baseline (FMD% and NTG%, respectively) in 24 SSc patients and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls by high-resolution ultrasound imaging. The maximum increase in systolic pressure per unit of time (dP/dt(max)), as a measure of arterial wall stiffness, was assessed in the radial artery by pulse applanation tonometry. Plasma nitrate, the most important metabolite of nitric oxide, and 24-hour urinary excretion of nitrate were measured by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Soluble E-selectin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Brachial artery FMD% and NTG% did not differ between SSc patients and controls. Radial artery dP/dt(max) was significantly increased in the patients and correlated significantly with elevated levels of plasma nitrate and sVCAM-1. Twenty-four-hour urinary nitrate excretion tended to be elevated. Brachial artery NTG% was significantly inversely correlated with levels of plasma nitrate and soluble endothelial adhesion molecules. CONCLUSION: The ability of the brachial arteries to dilate in response to hyperemia and nitroglycerin challenge is preserved in SSc. Stiffness of the radial artery is increased, however. Endothelial activation seems to determine the extent of the brachial artery NTG% and the radial artery dP/dt(max). The data are compatible with the hypothesis that nitrate tolerance is present in the vascular smooth muscle cells of the brachial artery wall in SSc.
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| 2. |
- Andersen, Grethe Neumann, et al.
(författare)
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Correlation between increased nitric oxide production and markers of endothelial activation in systemic sclerosis : findings with the soluble adhesion molecules E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and vascular adhesion molecule 1
- 2000
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 43:5, s. 1085-1093
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To determine the relationship between vascular function and the inflammatory response in systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to investigate whether production of endothelial-derived nitric oxide (NO) is disturbed in this disease. Methods We measured plasma nitrate, urinary excretion of both nitrate and cGMP, and soluble adhesion molecules of endothelial origin in patients with SSc and in age- and sex-matched controls and compared these levels between groups. Additionally, we performed correlation analysis to determine how these variables were related to one another. Plasma nitrate and 24-hour-urinary excretion of nitrate in patients and controls were measured after a 72-hour nitrate-free-diet, using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometric method. Soluble adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), and E-selectin and cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of E-selectin was further investigated in skin biopsy specimens by immunoperoxidase staining, and the presence of inducible NO synthase by immunoblotting. Results Plasma nitrate and 24-hour-urinary-excretion of cGMP were significantly elevated in patients compared with controls, while 24-hour-urinary-excretion of nitrate tended to be elevated in SSc patients. Levels of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and sE-selectin were significantly elevated in the patients. Levels of plasma nitrate in the patients correlated significantly with levels of sVCAM-1 (P = 0.020) and sE-selectin (P = 0.018) and approached a significant correlation with sICAM-1 (P = 0.055), suggesting that activated endothelial cells may produce plasma nitrate. Conclusion NO synthesis is elevated in SSc patients, and the activated endothelial cell is a likely site of its production.
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| 4. |
- Askling, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Cancer risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapies : does the risk change with the time since start of treatment?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 60:11, s. 3180-3189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE:To determine the short-term and medium-term risks of cancer in patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) therapies that have proven effective in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.METHODS:By linking together data from the Swedish Biologics Register, Swedish registers of RA, and the Swedish Cancer Register, we identified and analyzed for cancer occurrence a national cohort of 6,366 patients with RA who first started anti-TNF therapy between January 1999 and July 2006. As comparators, we used a national biologics-naive RA cohort (n = 61,160), a cohort of RA patients newly starting methotrexate (n = 5,989), a cohort of RA patients newly starting disease-modifying antirheumatic drug combination therapy (n = 1,838), and the general population of Sweden. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Cox regression analyses, examining overall RR as well as RR by time since the first start of anti-TNF therapy, by the duration of active anti-TNF therapy, and by the anti-TNF agent received.RESULTS:During 25,693 person-years of followup in 6,366 patients newly starting anti-TNF, 240 first cancers occurred, yielding an RR of 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.86-1.15) versus the biologics-naive RA cohort, and similar RRs versus the other 2 RA comparators. RRs did not increase with increasing time since the start of anti-TNF therapy, nor with the cumulative duration of active anti-TNF therapy. During the first year following the first treatment start, but not thereafter, dissimilar cancer risks for adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab were observed.CONCLUSION:During the first 6 years after the start of anti-TNF therapy in routine care, no overall elevation of cancer risk and no increase with followup time were observed.
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| 5. |
- Askling, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Risk and case characteristics of tuberculosis in rheumatoid arthritis associated with tumor necrosis factor antagonists in Sweden
- 2005
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 52:7, s. 1986-1992
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE:Because treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists may increase the risk of tuberculosis (TB), and because knowledge of the risk of TB in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not treated with biologics is scarce and of uncertain generalizability to low-risk populations, this study sought to determine the risk of TB among Swedish patients with RA.METHODS:Using data from Swedish nationwide and population-based registers and data from an ongoing monitoring program of TNF antagonists, the relative risks of TB in patients with RA (versus the general population) and of TB associated with TNF antagonists (versus RA patients not treated with biologics) were determined by comparing the incidence of hospitalization for TB in 3 RA cohorts and 2 general population cohorts from 1999 to 2001. We also reviewed the characteristics of all reported cases of TB in RA patients treated with TNF antagonists in Sweden and calculated the incidence of TB per type of TNF antagonist between 1999 and 2004.RESULTS:During 1999-2001, RA patients who were not treated with TNF antagonists were at increased risk of TB versus the general population (relative risk 2.0, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.2-3.4). RA patients treated with TNF antagonists had a 4-fold increased risk of TB (relative risk 4.0, 95% CI 1.3-12) versus RA patients not treated with TNF antagonists. The reported TB cases during 1999-2004 in RA patients exposed to TNF antagonists (9 infliximab, 4 etanercept, 2 both) were predominantly pulmonary. TB occurred up to 3 years following the start of treatment.CONCLUSION:Irrespective of whether TNF antagonists are administered, Swedish patients with RA are at increased risk of TB. During 1999-2001, TNF antagonists were associated with an increased risk of TB, up to 4-fold in magnitude. This increased risk may persist over time during treatment and is related to both infliximab and etanercept.
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