Chung Tei Chou

..Specificity of IgG rheumatoid factor (RF) in recognizing degalactosylated IgG (Fab)(2) and Fc was analyzed in the present study...

..Many infectious agents have been implicated as an etiology to develop Kawasaki disease (KD). In Taiwan, studies on the relationship between Yersinia and KD have not been reported...

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..This may explain why clinically, arthritis patients can get significant improvement after TNFα blocker treatment...

..The aim of our study was to compare the clinical, functional, and radiographic outcomes at different ages of onset in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)...

..In RA ST, one-third of Fas-positive and 80% of p53-positive cells were also TUNEL-positive. These results indicate that apoptosis in RA is strongly associated with the expression of Fas and p53, but not Bcl-2...

..We need to study a larger number of patients in order to better understand the efficacy and safety of etanercept...

..To evaluate the changes in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) following etanercept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis...

..Clinical efficacy, including partial remission and BASDAI, is even better in Chinese than in Caucasian patients. Further study is required to assess long-term efficacy and safety in Chinese patients with AS...

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..Through randomized clinical trials, we hope in the future that some Chinese medicines may be found helpful as CATs for SLE...

..We surveyed B27 and its subtypes in 5 ethnic groups in Taiwan...

..We therefore suggest that acemetacin, by demonstrating significant tolerability and safety advantages, is as effective as indomethacin for the treatment of OA...

..We conclude that IMS-ELISA may be used as a fast screening method for HLA B27 detection...

..In conclusion, there was no striking change in the clinical aspects for lupus patients. However, some laboratory results became abnormal in group 1 patients after the earthquake, indicating that their lupus status may have worsened...

..343). These results suggested that the presence of AAU in AS patients may be associated with higher disease activity, poor functional ability and advanced physical impairment...

..The result of the present investigation has suggested that anti-Gal(0) IgG may be more ubiquitously present in inflammatory arthritides including RA or SpA...

..To investigate the role of HLA-G in AS...

..Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease. We investigated important factors associated with the expression of inflammation-related molecules in minor salivary gland (MSG) mononuclear cells in patients with SS...

..The aim of this study was to investigate DCR3 expression on the synovial tissue in different types of arthritis...

..005). Serum levels of sRANKL and OPG are increased in the AS patients and may participate in the disease process of AS. Production of OPG has association with poor physical mobility and may reflect systemic inflammation in AS...

..This may account for increased susceptibility to multiple infections in patients with active SLE...

..We reported the unusual case of fungal arthritis and reviewed the literature...

..We investigated whether IL-17 and IL-23, two Th17-related cytokines, play any roles in the pathogenesis of, and have any correlations with, disease activity and clinical manifestations in AS...

..This study aimed to identify the risk factors for mortality and the impact of dialysis modalities on the survival in SLE patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)...

..To determine the factors associated with radiographic spinal involvement and hip involvement in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and assess the influence of the damage seen in the radiographs on functional outcome in patients with AS...

..The purpose of this study was to identify the alleles of the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ, which are present at higher frequencies in USpA patients compared with an ethnically matched control population...

..04% vs. 0.42±0.14%, P<0.05; 0.06±0.03% vs. 0.40±0.14%, P<0.05, respectively). These results have suggested that the increased number of T helper cells lacking PD-1 may contribute to the spinal radiologic changes in AS patients...

..001). Our findings suggest that HBV infection may protect individuals from pSS and reduce pulmonary involvement...

..To measure serum concentration and analyze the expression of interleukin 18 (IL-18) mRNA in mononuclear cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..The results summarized in Table 1 call for a co-ordinated effort for systematic studies of existing biomarkers and for search for new candidates...

..The possible pathogenesis of this complication is discussed. Follow-up with periodical ECG is recommended for adult lupus patients to screen for possible conduction system involvement, and treatment should be started as soon as possible...

..When encountering a patient with hydrocephalus but without apparent predisposing factors, it is always important to include SLE as a differential diagnosis...

..Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is prevalent among young female adults, particularly in Asia. In Taiwan, features of end-of-life SLE patients remain unclear...

..Immunosuppressive drugs must be used cautiously in these patients. Screening for HIV is mandatory in the differential diagnosis of patients with ILD or xerostomia...

..4%), and less renal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: PAH in autoimmune diseases could be potentially fatal with characteristic manifestations. Moreover, RVSP correlated directly with serum UA level and inversely with DLCO...

..Histologic confirmation of septal panniculitis was established in one case and the panniculitis in this case improved as the arthritis resolved...

..These findings should be confirmed by analyzing larger number of patients and longer time for further follow-up. Such studies are crucial to understand the pathogenesis of USpA and evaluate its prognosis...

..CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a significant increase of mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and intercellular adhesion molecular 1 (ICAM-1) level after TPN supply. Adequate nutrition through TPN may augment immune function...

..We conducted a retrospective study to determine the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -A, -B, -Cw, -DR, and -DQ alleles in Chinese patients with PsA and psoriasis...

..Thus, disease activity and functional status in Chinese-speaking patients with AS may be adequately evaluated with these versions of the original instruments...

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..In the genes previously reported to have association with AS, only one synonymous SNP, c.963T > G in ANKH, showed a marginal association in the Japanese population (P = 0.045)...