Active clinical trials for "Arthritis"

The selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The goal of the present study is to investigate the impacts of COX-2 inhibitors on biochemical indices in cardiovascular disease. As the reviewer suggested, the investigators propose to study the effects of Cox-II inhibitor using experimentally induced hyperlipidemic rats. Plasma total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride concentrations will be determined before and after animals treated with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. Biochemical markers related to cardiovascular events including prostaglandin I2, thromboxaneA2 and others will also be investigated. The investigators will also investigate these biochemical markers in patients taking Celecoxib and NSAIDs. The investigators hope these studies will reveal clinically useful biochemical markers for cardiovascular events in patients taking Cox-II inhibitor.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a relatively common autoimmune disease that affects about 1% of the population. Its impact on health-related quality of life of the affected patients and the national medical cost are enormous. However, a systemic prospective cohort study of rheumatoid arthritis has not yet been established in Korea, so data on characteristics and prognosis of Korean rheumatoid arthritis and their response to therapy and adverse events are limited. Therefore establishment of large prospective cohort of Korean rheumatoid arthritis is imperative. With inauguration of a steadfast prospective cohort of Korean rheumatoid arthritis patients in The Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases at Hanyang University, where patients gather from all over Korea forming the largest and most diverse patient pool in Korea, we will be able to define the characteristics and prognosis of Korean rheumatoid arthritis patients and gather information on treatment response and adverse events. This will eventually lead to improvement of health-related quality of life in Korean rheumatoid arthritis patients and provide opportunity for reliable comparison study with research institutes from other countries. The data gathered through the cohort will provide valuable foundational information for the genetic studies, pharmacological economic analyses, and standard treatment guidelines of Korean rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a new member of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, is a decoy receptor for FasL and could inhibit FasL-induced apoptosis, has recently been shown to induce costimulation of T cells. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with pathogenic autoantibodies and immune complexes results from abnormal immune responses including T and B lymphocyte hyperactivity, and formation of pathogenic subsets of autoantibodies. Rhematoid arthritis (RA) is a multi-systemic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent inflammatory synovitis. Activated T lymphocytes infiltration to synovium is strongly correlated with the symptoms. DcR3 mRNA is expressed in peripheral-blood T cells and is up-regulated after antigenic stimulation. The DcR3 gene has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in patients with sclerosis or SLE; however, role of DcR3 in SLE and RA as well as the effects of DcR3 on T cell immune response is still not clear. This study is to investigate role of DcR3-induced T cell activation in SLE and RA. The genetic polymorphisms of DcR3 in association with SLE and RA will be studied to elucidate the genetic factors associated with development of SLE and RA. For further explore the possible molecular mechanisms of elevated DcR3 in association with SLE, we attempt to study whether DcR3 could induce T cell activation via costimualtion and/or inhibit the activation induced cell death (AICD) of activated T cells in SLE and RA. This study will provide a new direction of therapy in reverse T cell hyper-reactivity in SLE and RA.

The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of a novel dynamic compression intramedullary nail for tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis.

Evaluation of joint preserving procedure for asymmetrical ankle arthritis regarding the improvement of alignment and its effect on symptoms

Osteochondral lesion of talus (OLT), osteoarthrosis and impingement/instability syndrome are most common ankle joint pathologies. This study analyses outcome after various different operative treatment of aforementioned pathologies. Investigators hypothesis is that patient characteristics, type of lesion and surgical technique affect the result of treatment. The investigators will compare subjective (questionnaire) and objective (clinical examination) status of patient before and after operation.

Recent studies show beneficial effect of the inhibition of interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity on vascular and left ventricular (LV) function. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether anakinra, an IL-6 receptor antagonist, improves vascular, endothelial and LV function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Cortisol is a naturally occurring stress hormone, made by the adrenal glands in response to hormones produced by the pituitary and hypothalamus. Man-made forms of cortisol ('steroids', for example prednisolone) have been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis since the 1950s; they are very effective at reducing inflammation. A normal response to taking steroid treatment is that the body needs to make less cortisol. Following treatment with steroids, the system responsible for making cortisol can be slow to wake up. If someone does not make enough cortisol, they are less able to deal with stress and are at increased risk of becoming unwell, or suffering a potentially fatal adrenal crisis. It is not clear how common failure of recovery of the adrenal axis is, how long it can last for or, if any factors might predict which patients are most at risk. This study aims to improve our understanding of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis recovery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with prednisolone. The investigators will also test potential predictive biomarkers of recovery. The study will be conducted in hospital and a clinical research facility. Participants will undergo two visits for blood tests and will also be asked to supply three samples of saliva on six days over the three weeks of the study. A better understanding of the physiology of HPA axis recovery should inform the development of tools which would allow prediction of patients at risk following withdrawal of steroid treatment. Such tools would be useful to improve patient safety.

The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of a novel sustained dynamic compression intramedullary nail for tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis.

The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of functional 3D biomechanical assessment and EMG analysis of gait and a sit to stand tasks in the immediate post-operative phase following total hip arthroplasty.