Osteoarthritis

Efficacy of a single ultrasound-guided injection for the treatment of hip osteoarthritis Atchia, I. et al. Ann. Rheum. Dis. doi:10.1136/ard.2009.127183

A single ultrasonography-guided corticosteroid injection is highly efficacious for reducing pain and improving function in hip osteoarthritis (OA). In a randomized controlled trial of 77 patients with hip OA, Atchia et al. found that individuals who received an ultrasonography-guided methylprednisolone acetate injection had considerably better outcomes—as assessed by Numerical Rating Scale and Western Ontario McMaster Universities Arthritis Index scores—than patients who received either hyaluronic acid or placebo.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Fcγ receptor IIIb polymorphism and use of glucocorticoids at baseline are associated with infusion reactions to infliximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis Okuyama, A. et al. Ann. Rheum. Dis. doi:10.1136/ard.2010.136283

In a cohort of 96 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with infliximab, 17 individuals (18%) experienced an infusion reaction. The researchers identified the Fcγ receptor genotype FCGR3B NA1/NA1, the use of glucocorticoids at baseline and the presence of anti-infliximab antibodies as independent predictors of the infliximab-related infusion reactions.

Clinical trials

Rheumatoid arthritis disease-modifying antirheumatic drug intervention and utilization study: safety and etanercept utilization analyses from the RADIUS 1 and RADIUS 2 registries Gibofsky, A. et al. J. Rheumatol. doi:10.3899/jrheum.100347

The prospective, observational registries Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug Intervention and Utilization Study (RADIUS)-1 and RADIUS-2 demonstrated that the rates of adverse effects following etanercept treatment were comparable to those seen with methotrexate therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The results were consistent with those from clinical trials, and suggest that the RADIUS studies improve understanding of etanercept safety.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Collagen-induced arthritis in common marmosets: a new nonhuman primate model for chronic arthritis Vierboom, M. P. et al. Arthritis Res. Ther. 12, R200 (2010)

A marmoset model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) might have use as a preclinical evaluation tool for human-specific biologic agents. The chronic disease course and the pathological presentation of the marmoset model closely resemble that of chronic rheumatoid arthritis, in contrast to established macaque models of acute CIA.