INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with heightened cardiovascular disease and increased susceptibility to osteoporosis, with shared underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the association between vascular function and bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 49 patients with RA at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Endothelial function was measured as reactive hyperaemia index (RHI)-endothelial peripheral arterial tonometry and aortic stiffness as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) using SphygmoCor. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between BMD and vascular function. We used natural logarithm RHI (lnRHI) and cf-PWV as response variables, and each BMD as covariate, adjusting for body mass index, positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, cumulative prednisolone dose, hydroxychloroquine use and Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation 2. RESULTS: We recruited 49 patients (mean age 61.08 ± 8.20 years), of whom 44 (89.80%) were women and 39 (81.25%) were Chinese. Significant associations were found between lnRHI and BMD at the lumbar spine (β = 0.4289, P = 0.037) and total hip (β = 0.7544, P = 0.014) in univariable analyses. Multivariable analyses confirmed these associations, showing that lower BMD at the lumbar spine (β = 0.7303, P = 0.001), femoral neck (β = 0.8694, P = 0.030) and total hip (β = 0.8909, P = 0.010) were significantly associated with worse lnRHI. No significant associations were found between BMD and cf-PWV. CONCLUSION Lower BMD is associated with endothelial dysfunction, but not aortic stiffness in patients with RA. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these associations and understand the underlying mechanisms.
Humans ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications* ; Female ; Male ; Bone Density ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Vascular Stiffness ; Aged ; Singapore ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Osteoporosis/complications* ; Endothelium, Vascular/physiopathology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications* ; Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity ; Hyperemia

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common condition of chronic rheumatic disease in children. JIA is an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease, with unclear mechanism and limited treatment efficacy. Recent studies have found a number of alterations in gut microbiota and its metabolites in children with JIA, which are related to the development and progression of JIA. This review focuses on the influence of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on immune function and the intestinal mucosal barrier and discuss the key role of the gut-joint axis in the pathogenesis of JIA and emerging treatment methods based on gut microbiota and its metabolites. This review could help elucidate the pathogenesis of JIA and identify the potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of JIA.
Humans ; Arthritis, Juvenile/physiopathology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology* ; Child ; Intestinal Mucosa

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical experience of using Ilizarov wrist joint distraction technique in the treatment of a case of rheumatoid arthritis of the wrist. METHODS: In January 2019, a 49-year-old female patient with rheumatoid arthritis of the left wrist, complicated by ulnar impaction syndrome, was admitted for treatment. Preoperatively, the active range of motion of the left wrist was as follows: extension 0°-flexion 0°, pronation 65°-supination 35°, and grip strength of 4.0 kg. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 9, and the Cooney wrist function score was 15, indicating poor function. As conservative treatment failed to achieve symptom relief, Ilizarov wrist joint distraction surgery was performed. Postoperatively, joint distraction was applied at 2 mm increments on postoperative days 2 and 7, in 4 separate sessions. RESULTS: Postoperative X-ray film examination at 7 days revealed a distraction of 3.6 mm in the affected wrist joint compared to the contralateral side. The external fixator was removed 2.5 months postoperatively. At 22 months postoperatively, X-ray film and MRI examinations revealed that the joint space of the left wrist had returned to near-normal, with significant reduction in joint effusion and synovial proliferation. The active range of motion of the left wrist improved to extension 15°- flexion 30°, pronation 90°-supination 90°, with a grip strength of 18.0 kg. The wrist pain VAS score decreased to 0, and the Cooney wrist function score improved to 90, indicating excellent function. At 50 months postoperatively, follow-up X-ray film, MRI, and functional assessments showed the results similar to those at 22 months. CONCLUSION Ilizarov wrist joint distraction may be a viable treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis of the wrist.
Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Wrist Joint/physiopathology* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Ilizarov Technique ; Treatment Outcome ; Osteogenesis, Distraction/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional rehabilitation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 101 patients who needed TKA due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involving both knees from January 2017 to December 2020, including 16 males and 85 females, aged from 41 to 65 years old with an average of (58.13±5.53) years old;body mass index (BMI) ranged from 16.88 to 33.33 kg·m^-2 with an average of (23.16±3.49) kg·m^-2;63 patients with grade 1, 29 patients with grade 2, and 9 patients with grade 3 according to classification of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). According to the latest follow-up results at 12 months after operation, 82 patients returned to work and 19 patients did not return to work. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of pain relief before operation and 12 months after operation, and work, osteoarthritis and joint replacement questionnaire (WORQ) was used to evaluate knee joint activity status of all patients before and after operation, and the working ability index was used to evaluate working ability of all patients before operation and 12 months after operation. For the 82 patients who returned to work, the labor time stopped before operation and within 12 months after operation was compared, and the changes in labor grades, types of work and labor hours of patients before and after operation were recorded. For the 19 patients who did not return to work, the specific reasons for their non-return to work was analyzed;the postoperative satisfaction of patients was evaluated by using Likert satisfaction scale. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. VAS was decreased from (6.49±0.59) before operation to (1.10±0.43) at 12 months after operation (P<0.05);for WORQ questionnaire survey, scores of walking, sitting posture, standing and stair climbing were increased from (1.07±0.35), (1.05±0.29), (1.06±0.34) and (1.14±0.42) before operation to (3.00±0.00), (2.87±0.33), (2.95±0.21) and (2.95±0.21) after operation, respectively, had statistically significant (P<0.05);the labor work index of all patients increased from 1.11±0.46 before operation to 2.99±0.10 at 12 months after operation, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Among the 82 patients who returned to work after operation, regarding the time of stopping labor, 81 patients stopped working within 3 months before operation, 1 patient stopped working for 4 to 6 months after operation, and the number of patients who stopped working was 81, 1, and 0 respectively. Forty patients returned to work within 3 months after operation, 4 to 6 months after operation for 29 patients, and 12 months after operation for 13 patients. 95.1% (78/82) of patients engaged in light labor before operation, and 85.4% (70/82) of patients engaged in moderate labor after operation. At 12 months after operation, the types of jobs and working hours available to all patients increased compared with those before operation. Among 19 patients who did not return to work after TKA, 7 patients had poor control of rheumatoid arthritis, 5 patients still felt pain, swelling and numbness on knee joint, 2 patients had retired, and 5 patients had other reasons. Eighty-six patients (85%) expressed great satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 8 patients (8%) expressed satisfaction with the postoperative working ability, 6 patients (6%) expressed acceptance of postoperative working ability, and 1 patient (1%) expressed dissatisfaction with postoperative working ability. CONCLUSION TKA is an effective treatment option for patients with RA. After undergoing TKA, patients could significantly improve pain and functional activities of knee joint, and effectively enhance the quality of life and working ability. For patients whose rehabilitation labor capacity is not fully met, postoperative management and personalized rehabilitation treatment need to be strengthened to achieve the best rehabilitation effect.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/rehabilitation* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the common mechanisms among collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and CIA+BLM to evaluate the therapeutic effect of triptolide (TP) on CIA+BLM. METHODS: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups according to a random number table (n=6 per group): normal control (NC), CIA, BLM, combined CIA+BLM model, TP low-dose (TP-L, 0.0931 mg/kg), and TP high-dose (TP-H, 0.1862 mg/kg) groups. The CIA model was induced by intradermal injection at the base of the tail with emulsion of bovine type II collagen and incomplete Freund's adjuvant (1:1), with 200 µL administered on day 0 and a booster of 100 µL on day 7. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced via a single intratracheal injection of BLM (5 mg/kg). The CIA+BLM model combined both protocols, and TP was administered orally from day 14 to 35. After successful modeling, arthritis scores were recorded every 3 days, and pulmonary function was assessed once at the end of the treatment period. Lung tissues were collected for histological analysis (hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining), immunohistochemistry, measurement of hydroxyproline (HYP) content, and calculation of lung coefficient. In addition, HE staining was performed on the ankle joint. Total RNA was extracted from lung tissues for transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared with those from the RA-associated interstitial lung diseases patient dataset GSE199152 to identify overlapping genes, which were then used to construct a protein-protein interaction network. Hub genes were identified using multiple topological algorithms. RESULTS: The successfully established CIA+BLM rat model exhibited significantly increased arthritis scores and severe pulmonary fibrosis (P<0.01). By intersecting the DEGs obtained from transcriptomic analysis of lung tissues in CIA, BLM, and CIA+BLM rats with DEGs from rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease patients (GSE199152 dataset), 50 upregulated and 44 downregulated genes were identified. Through integrated PPI network analysis using multiple topological algorithms, IGF1 was identified as a central hub gene. TP intervention significantly improved pulmonary function by increasing peak inspiratory flow (P<0.01), and reduced lung index and HYP content (P<0.01). Histopathological analysis showed that TP alleviated alveolar collapse, interstitial thickening, and collagen deposition in the lung tissues (P<0.01). Moreover, TP treatment reduced the expression of collagen type I and α-SMA and increased E-cadherin levels (P<0.01). TP also significantly reduced arthritis scores and ameliorated synovial inflammation (P<0.05). Both transcriptomic and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that IGF1 expression was elevated in the CIA+BLM group and downregulated following TP treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION TP exerts protective effects in the CIA+BLM model by alleviating arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis through the inhibition of IGF1-mediated EMT.
Animals ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/complications* ; Bleomycin/adverse effects* ; Phenanthrenes/pharmacology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Epoxy Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Experimental/complications* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism* ; Rats ; Lung/physiopathology*

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the small joints of the whole body and degrades the patients' quality of life. Zhengqing Fengtongning (ZF) is a traditional Chinese medicine preparation used to treat RA. ZF may cause liver injury. In this study, we aimed to develop a prediction model for abnormal liver function caused by ZF. METHODS: This retrospective study collected data from multiple centers from January 2018 to April 2023. Abnormal liver function was set as the target variable according to the alanine transaminase (ALT) level. Features were screened through univariate analysis and sequential forward selection for modeling. Ten machine learning and deep learning models were compared to find the model that most effectively predicted liver function from the available data. RESULTS: This study included 1,913 eligible patients. The LightGBM model exhibited the best performance (accuracy = 0.96) out of the 10 learning models. The predictive metrics of the LightGBM model were as follows: precision = 0.99, recall rate = 0.97, F1_score = 0.98, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.98, sensitivity = 0.97 and specificity = 0.85 for predicting ALT < 40 U/L; precision = 0.60, recall rate = 0.83, F1_score = 0.70, AUC = 0.98, sensitivity = 0.83 and specificity = 0.97 for predicting 40 ≤ ALT < 80 U/L; and precision = 0.83, recall rate = 0.63, F1_score = 0.71, AUC = 0.97, sensitivity = 0.63 and specificity = 1.00 for predicting ALT ≥ 80 U/L. ZF-induced abnormal liver function was found to be associated with high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, the combination of TNF-α inhibitors, JAK inhibitors, methotrexate + nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, leflunomide, smoking, older age, and females in middle-age (45-65 years old). CONCLUSION This study developed a model for predicting ZF-induced abnormal liver function, which may help improve the safety of integrated administration of ZF and Western medicine. Please cite this article as: Yu Z, Kou F, Gao Y, Lyu CM, Gao F, Wei H. A machine learning model for predicting abnormal liver function induced by a Chinese herbal medicine preparation (Zhengqing Fengtongning) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis based on real-world study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 25-35.
Humans ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Machine Learning ; Adult ; Aged ; Liver/physiopathology* ; Alanine Transaminase/blood*

The chemical constituents from the stems and leaves of Mycetia hainanensis were isolated by silica gel, ODS gel, and Sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC. The chemical structures of all the isolated compounds were identified on the basis of their physicochemical properties, spectroscopic data, as well as the comparison of their physicochemical and spectroscopic data with the reported data in literature. Twelve compounds were isolated from the 85% ethanol extract of the stems and leaves of M. hainanensis, and they were identified as mycehainanic acid(1), 11-methoxyviburtinal(2), isovaltrate acetoxyhydrin(3), jatamanvaltrate K(4), jatamanin C(5), sarmentol F(6), 4,5-dihydroblumenol A(7), petasitolone(8), xylaguaianol D(9), aristolan-9-en-1-one(10), 3α-hydroxycostic acid(11), and ilicic acid(12). Among them, compound 1 was a new nor-sesquiterpene, and compounds 2-12 were isolated from Mycetia for the first time. In addition, the MTS method was employed to assess the anti-rheumatoid arthritis activities of compounds 1-12 based on their anti-proliferative effects on synoviocytes in vitro. The results showed that compounds 1 and 6-12 exhibited notable anti-rheumatoid arthritis activities, showcasing inhibitory effects on the proliferation of MH7A synovial fibroblast cells with the IC_(50) ranging from(5.27±0.07) to(172.68±0.32)μmol·L~(-1), which were comparable to that of the positive control methotrexate \[IC_(50) of(132.39±0.21)μmol·L~(-1)\].
Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Plant Stems/chemistry* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Molecular Structure

This study aimed to investigate the potential role of Colquhounia Root Tablets against bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and its molecular mechanism. The study used ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the major components of Colquhounia Root Tablets and predicted its candidate target gene set based on the major components. The key targets of RA bone destruction were obtained through GeneCards and the Database of Genetics and Medical Literature(OMIM), protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed, and the key targets were identified by topological analysis. The molecular mechanism of Colquhounia Root Tablets against RA bone destruction was further revealed using Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis. The effects of Colquhounia Root Tablets on macrophage viability was assessed by MTS assay and screened for non-toxic concentrations. A model of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB(RANKL) induced osteoclast differentiation in vitro was constructed. Colquhounia Root Tablets were used to observe the formation and differentiation of osteoclasts by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining and fibrous actin(F-actin) staining, and the effects of Colquhounia Root Tablets on the changes of core target proteins in the osteoclast differentiation system were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. The results showed that the main components of Colquhounia Root Tablets included 14 compounds such as triptolide, celastrol, and triptophenolide. Further network analysis revealed that heat-shock protein 90(HSP90) was the key target gene of Colquhounia Root Tablets for anti-RA bone destruction. TRAP staining and F-actin staining showed that the number and area of TRAP-positive polymorphonuclear cells, as well as actin rings, were reduced in a dose-dependent manner after the intervention of Colquhounia Root Tablets(P<0.01). Western blot results showed that the expression of HSP90 protein was significantly reduced after intervention with Colquhounia Root Tablets at 20 and 40 μg·mL~(-1)(P<0.01); Colquhounia Root Tablets at 10 μg·mL~(-1) could significantly decrease the expression of necrosis factor receptor associated molecule 6(TRAF6) and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1(NFATc1) proteins(P<0.01); moreover, all doses of Colquhounia Root Tablets significantly reduced the expression of osteoclast differentiation marker proteins matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9) and cathepsin K(CTSK)(P<0.01).Immunofluorescence results further confirmed that Colquhounia Root Tablets significantly inhibited HSP90 and CTSK levels, as well as NFATc1 activation in osteoblasts. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that Colquhounia Root Tablets may inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by regulating the key target of HSP90, thus exerting an anti-RA bone destruction effect, which will provide a new idea for Colquhounia Root Tablets to prevent and treat bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Mice ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Humans ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their impact on physical function. METHODS: Consecutive patients with RA were recruited from September 2019 to April 2024 at Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital. Clinical data including disease acti-vity, physical function and radiographic assessment were collected. All patients also finished measurement of body composition, grip strength, and gait speed, and overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass as well as malnutrition, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and cachexia were evaluated. The Stanford health assessment questionnaire- disability index (HAQ-DI) was used to evaluate physical function. Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of physical dysfunction. RESULTS: A total of 1 016 RA patients were recruited. Their mean age was (52.4±12.5) years, and 82.5% were female. There were 557 cases (54.8%) with overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass and all of them were malnutrition. On this basis, 326 cases (32.1%) exhibited sarcopenia, 124 (12.2%) sarcopenic obesity, and 33 (3.2%) cachexia. There were 584 (57.4%) of RA patients having physical dysfunction, with varying degrees of severity 421 (41.4%) mild, 124 (12.2%) moderate, and 39 (3.8%) severe. Compared with patients without overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass (n=459) or with malnutrition only (n=231), RA patients with both malnutrition and sarcopenia (n=326) had significantly higher core disease activity indicators and higher rate of physical dysfunction (69.6% vs. 42.0% vs. 56.6%). However, compared with patients without overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass, patients with malnutrition only had lower HAQ-DI score (median 0.0 vs. 0.1) and lower rate of physical dysfunction (42.0% vs. 56.6%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that simultaneously overlapping malnutrition and sarcopenia were associated factors of physical dysfunction (OR=2.021, 95%CI: 1.067-3.828), but malnutrition only was not. CONCLUSION Simultaneously overlapping malnutrition and sarcopenia can deteriorate disease activity and physical dysfunction in RA patients. The screening and evaluation of overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass, especially sarcopenia should be emphasized in patients with RA.
Humans ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology* ; Female ; Male ; Sarcopenia/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Cachexia/diagnosis* ; Malnutrition/etiology* ; Obesity/physiopathology* ; Body Composition ; Syndrome ; Hand Strength ; Adult ; Muscle, Skeletal/physiopathology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The aim of this paper was to study the effect and mechanism of alcohol extract from Polygonum cuspidatum(PCE) on acute gouty arthritis in C57 BL/6 mice through NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis. The model mice which injected with ankle joint injection of sodium urate crystals(MSU) were orally administrated with three different concentration of PCE, with colchicine as positive control. HE staining was used for observing the morphological changes of synovial tissue; concentration of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by synovial tissue of the ankle joint were detected by ELISA; mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 in synovial tissue were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. The results showed that the swelling degree of ankle joint in model mice were significantly elevated; expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased; mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 also significant increase, compared with normal control group. The swelling degree of ankle joint significantly relief; expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in joint synovium significantly decrease; mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 were significantly decrease in PCE treatment group compared with model group. Our research implied that alcohol extract from P. cuspidatum had positive effect on acute gouty arthritis in mice, and the regulation of NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis may be its mechanism.
Animals ; Ankle Joint ; physiopathology ; Arthritis, Gouty ; drug therapy ; CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins ; metabolism ; Caspase 1 ; metabolism ; Fallopia japonica ; chemistry ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; Uric Acid