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The medical and social significance of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is high. The progressive disease has a significant impact on the functional status, work participation and leads to early disability in patients of working age. The article presents data on the prevalence of work disability in patients with SSc in comparison with other rheumatic diseases, the frequency of separation from work and work transitions due to the problems connected with SSc, the socio-economic burden of SSc in different countries. The article specifies the components of the disease which affect the ability to work, the main approaches to quantify the indicators of working ability, describes the instruments most commonly used for this purpose. The data of various authors on working ability measurement and predictors of work disability in patients with SSc are presented.

The impact of the transferred coronavirus infection on the musculoskeletal system still remains an urgent problem. Аrthralgia, myalgia, arthritis, autoimmune disorders and also osteonecrosis are may be development of the postCOVID period. This article discusses the case of the debut of multifocal osteonecrosis after a coronavirus infection.

The study objective is to demonstrate a rare cause of recurrent acute cerebrovascular diseases in a young patient – Sneddon syndrome. The patient revealed gene polymorphism: homozygous 4G/5G in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene, C807T in the glycoprotein I gene (GPIa), T1565C in the glycoprotein III gene (GPIIIa), G1639A in the vitamin K epoxide reductase gene (VKORC1), increased homocysteine, which were risk factors for thrombosis.

The aim of the study was to study the features of the clinical picture of the disease in patients with ACPA-negative and ACPA-positive variants of rheumatoid arthritis.Materials and methods. The study included patients with a reliable diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to the criteria of ACR/EULAR 2010. Depending on the values of the ACPA, two groups of patients were recruited: ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative, comparable in gender, age, duration of the disease and therapy. The nature of the onset and course of the disease, the activity of RA were evaluated (according to the DAS28, SDAI, CDAI indices).Results and discussion. The study included 79 patients with ACPA-negative variant of RA and 79 with ACPA-positive. Age of patients (Me [IR], in years) with the ACPA(–) variant was 52 [39; 62], with the ACPA(+) – 54 [42; 62], the duration of the disease (in months) is 59 [23; 122] and 48 [17; 84] respectively. In ACPA(+) patients, higher disease activity was determined by the indices DAS28-CRP, DAS28-ESR, SDAI, CDAI, values of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a greater number of painful and swollen joints (p

Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem disease which may accompany various autoimmune diseases in 17,6% cases. Despite of the fact that T-cell immunity impairments play a key role in these two conditions, their combination is extremely rare. It is difficult to choose therapy for patients with coexisted diseases, and it is even harder in case of comorbid pathology. In this article we considered a complicated case of treatment patient with a coexistence of rheumatoid arthritis and sarcoidosis, which had occurred during rituximab therapy. In addition to the combination of two autoimmune diseases, the selection of therapy for this patient was complicated by secondary immunodeficiency and intolerance to the main basic drugs.

The paper presents three cohorts of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who fell ill at 50 years or older and had a disease duration of 1.5 months to 1 year. To establish its diagnosis, the investigators used classification criteria for each cohort of its period: 1) the 1958 American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria; 2) the 1987 ARA criteria, and 3) the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. Along with a change in the criteria, diagnostic methods were improved in this period. Many qualitative laboratory parameters were replaced with their quantitative equivalent; new disease markers (including anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies) emerged; imaging methods were improved; treatment policies were changed, and targeted biological agents and numerous analogs of the original drugs appeared.Conflicting opinions about the course of RA in older age groups have repeatedly been published in the literature. In the period when the 1958 classification criteria were applied, the opinion that RA has a relatively favorable course was prevalent. Later on, when a more rigid approach to diagnosing RA was applied, there were more and more specialists who considered it to be a severe disease. In this study, the authors try to answer the question of whether the course of the disease changed in the older age groups at the earliest possible date after its onset, by comparing the three cohorts of patients. The findings are discussed.

The question about the peculiarities of the course of rheumatoid arthritis in different age periods was raised in the literature repeatedly and the answer depended on the period of development of rheumatology and was not unambiguous. The course of age-specific features of the initial stages of disease development has also been studied (although less frequently). At the same time, the issues of age-related features of as yet untreated early rheumatoid arthritis have not been previously presented in the literature studied by the authors. This article gives a brief overview of the problem and discusses the findings.The aim of the present study was the comparative study of the characteristics of untreated early rheumatoid arthritis with early (18–49 years) and late (50 years and older) onset.The material was represented by 292 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with disease duration from 1 to 12 months from the disease onset, entered into the All-Russian Register of Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis “OREL” in the period from January 01, 2012 to December 31, 2018 with the results of examination at the time of the first examination. All patients were naïve to treatment with basal (synthetic, biological or other targeted) drugs and systemic glucocorticoid therapy. In 141 patients, the disease started at a younger age, group 1 (18–49 years), and in 151, at an older age (50 years or older), group 2.Methods. Disease activity (according to DAS-28 index), radiological stage – (according to Steinbroker, modified), functional disorders – according to functional class, immunological characteristic and additional immunological characteristic (rheumatoid factor, cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies) and other parameters were estimated in accordance to requirements of current national rheumatoid arthritis classification. The results of the study indicate that the disease in older age is characterized by more pronounced inflammatory, destructive changes in relation to the joint apparatus and functional disorders than the onset of rheumatoid arthritis at a young age.

Objective: to analyze therapy with rituximab (RTM) in real clinical practice according to the data available in OREL registry of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Subjects and methods. The analysis included 349 patients. All the patients received RTM: 340 – the original drug (MabThera®) and 9 – the biosimilar Acellbia®. 263 patients (75.4%) received RTM in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and 86 (24.6%) – RTM as monotherapy.Results and discussion. Of the 349 patients included in the analysis, 272 (77.9%) patients received RTM as the first biologic agent (BA) (263 patients were treated with the original drug and 9 – with the biosimilar) and 77 (22.1%) patients had previously used the BA. The majority of patients (n=205 (58.7%)) received three or more; 109 (31.2%) patients – one, and 35 (10%) – two RTM courses of RTM therapy. RTM caused a significant reduction in disease activity just after the first therapy course and in the levels of acute-phase reactants (C-reactive protein (CRP) and ESR); after the fifth therapy course, median CRP concentration decreased by 1.4 times and amounted to 7 [1.2; 17.9] mg/l and that of ESR reduced by 1.8 times and was 10 [5; 20] mm/hr (p

Therapeutic control of the methotrexate (MT) polyglutamates (MTPG) level in erythrocytes can be an objective marker of the effective dose of MT prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Objective: to assess the relationship between the level of MTPG in red blood cells and efficacy of the MT dose used by RA patients.Subjects and methods. The study included 60 patients with RA (44 women and 16 men over 18 years) who met the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2010 and received MT ≥20 mg/week subcutaneously for ≥12 weeks. The patients were divided into two groups of comparable age, sex, alcohol intake, number of smokers, body mass index (BMI), depending on the presence (group 1; n=30) or absence (group 2; n=30) of the effect of MT, according to the EULAR efficacy criteria (DAS28). The concentration of MTPG (total MTPG and metabolites of MTPG 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) was determined in erythrocytes by high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection.Results and discussion. It was found that the levels of total MTPG and MTPG1, 2, 3, 5 in erythrocytes did not differ in groups of responders and nonresponders, and the dose of MT was comparable in both groups. At the same time, the level of MTPG4 in the first group was significantly higher (26.4±6.1 nmol/l; p=0.023) than in the second one (22.1±6.8 nmol/l). Analysis of the ROC curve showed that the values of MTPG4

The aim of the study was investigation of association of the rs7574865 polymorphism of STAT4 gene (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 4, a family of signal transduction and transcription activation molecules 4) with very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Russian patients, and the study of the relationship of "phenotype – genotype", particularly of positivity for antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (ACCP), their concentration, the presence of erosive joint damage at inclusion in patients the study with the STAT4 gene polymorphism. Material and methods. The study was conducted in the framework of the program REMARKA (Russian study of Methotrexate and biological drugs in Early active Arthritis). 85 patients with very early RA with a duration of symptoms no more than 6 months, not receiving disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) and biologicals were included. Results and discussion. The analysis of the distribution of genotypes and alleles of STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism showed that the frequencies of g/G, G/T and T/T genotypes differ at the level of the prominent tendency to statistical significance between patients with RA and the control group (p=0.05). The frequency of minor allele T in RA is significantly higher than that in the control group, and this allele is associated with a predisposition to RA [odds ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–2.8; p=0.03]. In the study of the "genotype – phenotype" relationship, STAT4 gene polymorphism correlated with erosive joint damage (r2=0.289; p=0.008). In carriers of the homozygous genotype TT, the number of erosions at inclusion in the study was significantly higher compared with carriers of genotypes GG/GT (median 5.50 [0.754; 7.5] and 0.00 [0.00; 2.00], respectively; p=0.003). The risk of erosion is also associated with the polymorphism of the STAT4 gene (OR 8.6; 95% CI 1.0–204.9; p=0.03). A difference of the ACCP level depending on STAT4 gene polymorphism was revealed: carriers of at least one minor allele T (G/T+T/T) had significantly higher concentration of ACCP than that in carriers of homozygous GG genotype: 248.97±151.00 and 179.51±147.01 U/ml, respectively; p=0.048).Conclusion. The study showed that in Russian patients with very early RA, the STAT4 gene rs7574865 polymorphism is associated with both predisposition to the disease and prognostically unfavorable manifestations (phenotypes) of the disease, namely, with the development of erosion in the early stages of the disease and an increase of the ACCP level.

At present, the role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in regulating the cardiovascular system and maintaining water and electrolyte homeostasis has been well studied. However, over the past decades, new components of the RAS have been identified, suggesting a wider range of its potential effects on the body. It is of fundamentally importance for rheumatologists to affect inflammation, including rheumatoid inflammation, through blockade of angiotensin (AT) II formation via the effects of AT 1–7 and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, as well as through suppression of angiogenesis, primarily by reducing the production of endothelial growth factor. The organ-protective and antiinflammatory potential of drugs that reduce the production of AT, which has been proven in in vitro and in vivo experiments, allows us to consider them as first-line angiotropic agents in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, especially in the presence of concomitant hypertension and/or nephropathy.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease with a high cardiovascular risk. The results of works on the impact of antirheumatic therapy on carotid artery (CA) intima-media thickness (IMT) are contradictory. Objective: to assess the time course of changes in CA IMT and CA atherosclerosis (CAA) in patients with early RA during treatment to target at a 18-month follow-up. Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled patients with early RA (disease duration of less than 12 months), who had not previously taken disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and glucocorticoids. Duplex scanning (DS) of the CA was performed with IMT measurement at baseline and at 18 months after treatment. Vascular atherosclerotic lesion was recorded when atherosclerotic plaque (ASP) was detected. Starting methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy was prescribed to all the patients, when it showed an insufficient effect at 3 months, a biological agent (BA), such as a tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor or abatacept, was added. RA remission was noted in 31 (42%) patients at 18 months of treatment. Results and discussion. The investigation included 74 patients with early RA; whose median (Me) age was 56 years, all the patients had moderate or high disease activity (Me DAS28-ESR, 5.4). At baseline, there was increased CA IMT in 51.4% of cases and CAA in 55.4%. At 18 months of treatment, there were no significant IMT changes. New CA ASPs were recorded in 8 (24.2%) patients who had no CAA at the time of inclusion in the investigation (p < 0.05). Nineteen (46.3%) patients were recorded to have the progression that had been identified when including CAA as a considerable increase in the number of ASPs (p < 0.05). The risk of CAA progression was correlated inversely with the mean 18-month level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-Cmean) and directly with the mean concentration of C-reactive protein (CRPmean). There was no significant correlation between HDL-Cmean and CRPmean. The changes of CAA were unassociated with the value of DAS28-ESR, the achievement of RA remission, and antirheumatic therapy (MTX monotherapy, MTX + BA). Conclusion. CAA shows progress in patients with early RA despite they are treated to target. DAS28-ESR remission in RA and ongoing RA treatment option had no substantial impact on the course of CAA. HDL-Cmean and CRPmean are independent risk factors for progression of CAA.

Objective: to investigate the impact of antirheumatic therapy carried out according to the treat-to-target (T2T) principle on the time course of changes in NT-proBNP levels in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over an 18- month follow-up period.Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 74 patients, comprising 56 (74%) women (median age, 54 years) with a reliable diagnosis of RA (ACR/AULAR criteria (2010)) (disease duration, 7 months); who were seropositive for IgM rheumatoid factor (87%) and/or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (100%) and had not previously taken disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and glucocorticoids. All the patients started therapy with subcutaneous methotrexate (MTX), with escalation of the dose to 25-30 mg/week; in the absence of any effect after 3 months, biological agents (BAs) were added in 47 (71%) patients. Following 18 months, 44% of patients achieved RA remission; 51 patients (77%) received cardioprotective therapy. NT-proBNP levels were measured in 66 patients with early RA before and 18 months after treatment. The NT-proBNP value

Objective: to assess whether adalimumab (AD) can be gradually discontinued during continuous methotrexate (MTX) use in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA).Subjects and methods. Within the REMARCA (the Russian study of methotrexate and biological agents in early active arthritis) study, the investigators examined 20 patients (17 women and 3 men; median age, 51 [41.5; 56] years) with ERA (disease duration, 10 [5.5; 20] months; DAS28, 5.17 [4.37; 6.51]; 85% of the patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and 85% for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies.Results and discussion. All the patients received subcutaneous MTX 25 mg/week. Twelve weeks after beginning therapy with MTX, due to its inefficiency, ADA was added according to the standard scheme. At week 24, the median DAS28 was 3.0 [1.65; 3.73]; 85% of the patients achieved remission or low disease activity. After 3 months of ADA therapy, high or moderate disease activity remained in 3 (15%) patients; median DAS28 was 4.4 [4.3; 6.1]; the drug was discontinued in them due to ineffective therapy. After 12-month follow-up, low DAS28 scores were observed in 5 (29.4%), DAS28 remission was in 12 (70.6%) of the 17 patients who continued ADA treatment; after 24 months, all the 17 patients were noted to have remission. After achieving sustained remission (≥ 6-month duration during ADA therapy), there was a carefully controlled reduction (titration) in the dose of ADA with its complete discontinuation, by maintaining remission at 36-month follow-up; the median DAS28 was 1.6 [1.4; 2.2]. During ADA treatment, one female patient developed pustular psoriasis and therefore the drug was discontinued at 24-month follow-up during the period of sustained remission. Other serious adverse events and tuberculosis cases were not recorded.Conclusion. Thus, the results of the study are indicative of the high clinical efficiency of the therapy. After ADA discontinuation, sustained remission can be maintained in patients with ERA and if they took biological agents early.

The lecture presents an update on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment stages of polymyalgia rheumatica, a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, which affects older people.----Authors of the article «Rheumatic polimyalgia», published in the section «Program of continuous post-graduate education of therapists» in journal «Scientific-practical rheumatology» No 2 (V 56)2018 Satybaldyev А.M et al. present their apologies for unpremeditated using for educational purposes of illustrative material on page 217 (Fig. 1) from the article by BlockmansD. Positronemission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In: Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis, Chapter 8.OxfordUniversity press. EdBh. DasguptaandCh. Dejaco; 2016:63-71 and on page 220 (Fig 2) from the article by M. Jiang,S. Navanathan“Crowned dens syndrome: a rare cause of neck pain and fever”Med J Aust 2017; 206 (5):199 || http://doi.org/10.5694/mja16.01077 Published online: 20 March 2017.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial disease, in which the interaction of the genetic component and environmental factors, determines not only the development of the disease, but also its pronounced clinical polymorphism. We assume that the high inflammatory activity of RA may be determined by the genes, the products of which trigger inflammatory processes.Objective: to investigate allele and genotype distribution of gene polymorphic variants in active anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (aCCP)-positive patients with RA from the REMARCA program versus a control group of healthy blood donors.Subjects and methods. A molecular genetic study enrolled 146 aCCP-positive patients from the REMARCA program and a control group of 314 healthy blood donors without autoimmune diseases and their presence in the history, who were matched with the study group for gender and sex. The polymorphic variants of the genes PTPN22 (+1858C>T, rs2476601), TNFAIP3 (rs6920220, rs10499194), CTLA4 (+49A>G, rs231775), TNFА (-308A>G, rs1800629), IL6 (-174G>C, rs1800795), IL6R (+358A>C, rs8192284), IL10 (-592A>C, rs1800872, -892 C>T, rs1800871, -1082 A>G, rs1800896), and MCP1/CCL2 (+2518A>G, rs1024611) were genotyped by a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.Results and discussion. The genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphic variants of the genes CTLA4 (+49A>G), IL-6R (+358A>C), and IL10 (592A>C) in the RA group significantly differed from those in the control group. When comparing with the control group, the minor alleles of the CTLA4 and IL10 genes were markers for the risk of aCCP-positive RA with a high inflammatory activity (OR=1.4 [1.1; 1.9], p=0.02 and OR=1.9 [1.4; 2.5]; p=0.0001, respectively). At the same time, the minor C allele of the IL6R gene served as a marker of protection (OR=0.7 [0.5; 0.9]; p=0.03). Logistic regression analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant correlation of the high inflammatory activity indices SDAI, CDAI, and DAS28 with the minor homozygous GG genotype of the CTLA4 gene (OR=2.5 [1.1; 6.0]; p=0.03, OR=2.6 [1.1–6.4], p=0.03 and OR=3.4 [1.3–8.8]; p=0.01, respectively). In addition, the inflammatory activity indices SDAI and CDAI rather than DAS28-ESR were associated with at least one minor A allele (the AA/AC genotypes) of the IL10 gene (OR=2.4 [1.2; 5.1], p=0.02 and OR=2.2 [1.1; 4.7]; p=0.03, respectively). The levels of ESR and CRP were not associated with the examined polymorphisms.Conclusion. The findings may suggest that there is a relationship of the polymorphisms of the genes CTLA4 (+49A>G, rs231775), IL6R (+358A>C, rs8192284), and IL10 (-592A>C, rs1800872) to high inflammatory activity in the group of aCCP-positive patients from the REMARCA study.

Objective: to evaluate the safety and efficiency of monotherapy with methotrexate (MTX) solution for subcutaneous injection (SC MTX), by using the estimated dosing, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Subjects and methods. A 12-month prospective controlled study enrolled 106 patients with early RA who were given SC MTX was conducted at the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology in the framework of the REMARCA (Russian invEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals for eaRly aCtive Arthritis) program.Results and discussion. 12-month SC MTX monotherapy could achieve the treatment goal (remission or low disease activity) in 68% of the patients with active RA who did not need biological agents (BAs). In 36% of the patients, the treatment caused adverse reactions (ARs) that were the basis for its complete discontinuation in 8%. The therapeutic effect of SC MTX depended on body mass index (BMI) and was more pronounced in patients with its normal values (≤25 kg/m2) than in those with overweight or obesity. The incidence of ARs did not depend on the duration of the disease and the weight of a patient receiving SC MTX. Addition of BAs to SC MTX monotherapy did not lead to an increase in the frequency of ARs. In early RA, the effect was better when SC MTX was used in combination with lowdose oral glucocorticoids. The findings showed the expediency of intensively using SC MTX at the doses calculated per 1 m2 of the body surface, the dependence of therapeutic action and the independence of the frequency and severity of ARs from the patient’s BMI.

The paper presents the materials of the Russian Arthritis Registry (OREL) that includes 3276 patients from 11 Russian Federation's largest research-and-practical centers situated in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Tula, Yaroslavl, Tyumen. It discusses the main goals of setting up registries, compares the results of an analysis of the data available in the Russian Registry OREL and registries of European countries and the USA. The findings suggest that there is non-uniform information on clinical, laboratory, and instrumental parameters in the national registers of a number of European countries and the USA. According to its basic characteristics, the Russian Registry OREL compares favorably with a number of other registries in the completeness of data collection, which allows a general idea of rheumatoidarthritis (RA) patients in Russia. For further development of the OREL Registry, it is necessary to concentrate our attention on the following main areas: to improve the quality of filling out documents; to follow-up patients receiving different RA therapy regimens according to the guidelines of the Association of Rheumatologists of Russia for the treatment of RA; to conduct in-depth studies of comorbidity, primarily depressive disorders; to analyze adverse reactions that make RA therapy difficult; to actively use modules for patients' self-rating of their condition; to develop nursing care, etc.

To introduce treat-to-target recommendations is an important task of modern rheumatology; however, there is still a diversity of serious problems relating to a scientific rationale and a clinical one for this strategy and to the possibilitiesof its implementation in real clinical practice, in the rheumatology service of the Russian Federation in particular, by taking into account the specific features of funding for high-tech medical care.Objective: to determine the efficiency and safety of combined therapy with subcutaneous methotrexate (MT) and biological agents (BA) when using the treat-to-target strategy in patients with active early and extended-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have risk factors for a poor prognosis.Subjects and methods. The results of the REMARCA (Russian InvEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals in eaRly aCtive inflammatory Arthritis) trial of 130 patients followed up for 12 months or more were given. There was a female preponderance; mean age 48.9±13.9 years, rheumatoid factor positivity (86.9%); anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide anti body positivity (89.2%). Seventy patients formed a subgroup of early RA (disease duration ≤6 months (mean 4.17±1.39 months)); 60 patients were a subgroup of advanced-stage RA (disease duration >6 months (mean 30.8±32.7 months)). In all the patients, therapy was initiated by using subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation up to 20–30 mg/week and the achievement of the treatment goal (low disease activity or remission) was checked every 3 months and depending on the result a decision had been taken to add or not to add a biological agent (BA) (a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor or abatacept). If the former was insufficientlyeffective, it was substituted for a BA from another class.Results. Subcutaneous MT monotherapy provided remission or low disease activity in 49 (37.7%) patients; a BA was given to 81 (62.3%) patients. Following 6 and 12 months, low activity or remission according to SDAI was observed significantly more frequently in the patients who continued ubcutaneous MT monotherapy than in those who received combined therapy with MT and BA. The similar results were obtained by using DAS28 and CDAI to assess a trend in disease activity. After 6- and 12-month follow-up, there was a significantly more marked decline of tender joint count, SDAI and CDAI in early RA than in advanced-stage RA; at 12 months, SDAI remission rate was45.7% and 28.3%, respectively (p=0.047).Conclusion. The treat-to-target strategy should be used in real clinical practiceand can yield spectacular results. Active therapy with subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation to the maximally tolerable dose allows identification of a considerable group of patients (38%) with a good response to MT monotherapy.

The mechanisms for lowering a cardiovascular risk (CVR) in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when implementing the treat-to-target strategy remain inadequately investigated.Objective: to estimate the time course of changes in blood lipid parameters in patients with early RA during Treat-totarget antirheumatic therapy at an 18-month follow-up.Subjects and methods. Seventy-four patients (73% women; median age, 56 years) with early RA meeting the respective 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria and moderate or high activity (median DAS28-ESR score of 5.4) were examined within the framework of the REMARCA trial. After 6-month treatment, RA activity significantly reduced (p < 0.05). At months 6 to 18, no significant change in RA activity was recorded. After 18 months, remission was observed in 31 (42%) patients: in 17 (55%) on methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy and in 14 (45%) on combined therapy with MTX and a biological agent. Blood lipid levels were determined at inclusion in the investigation, 6 and 18 months later. The values of lipid parameters were estimated in terms of the total CVR. 67.6% of the patients were classified as at very high CVR. At 18 months of treatment, 34 (46%) patients were treated with statins (median atorvastatin and rosuvastatin doses were 10 mg/day each).Results and discussion. Only 12% of the patients had optimal baseline values of just all lipid parameters. The concentration of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) correlated negatively with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, and HAQ (p < 0.05). After 6-month treatment, there were increases in TC by 7%, LDL-C by 12.5%, and HDL-C by 19.7%, and a decrease in the atherogenic index by 16% (p < 0.05). ΔCRP negatively correlated with ΔTC, ΔLDL-C, and ΔHDL-C (r = -0.3; p < 0.05). A correlation of TC and LDL-C with inflammation markers broke off in the presence of lower RA activity; the investigators began recording a relationship of these lipid parameters to traditional CVR factors. Between 6th and 18th month of treatment, there was no significant change in lipid parameters. Statin therapy resulted in no considerable change in lipid concentrations.Conclusion. The level of lipids negatively correlates with disease activity in the patients with early RA. During antirheumatic treatment, the lipid concentrations are more elevated with a more intensive decrease in CRP levels. With lowered RA activity, the level of lipids correlates with traditional CVR factors more strongly than with inflammation markers.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease causing joint destructive changes and disability.Objective: to investigate the association between the ultrasound signs of active inflammation and destruction of the joints, as evidenced by radiography, in RA patients treated with a treat-to-target strategy and to study whether ultrasound study (USS) of the joints can be used to predict the occurrence of their destructive changes.Subjects and methods. The investigation included 81 patients (medium age 56 [46; 62] years) with RA, who had been followed up at the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology within the first Russian strategic study of pharmacotherapy for RA – REMARCA (Russian invEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals for eaRly aCtive Arthritis). In all the patients, methotrexate (Metoject, MEDAS, Germany) as the first disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug was subcutaneously injected at an initial dose of 10 mg/week with its rapid escalation up to 20–25 mg/week. Then the therapy was added by biologicals as the need arose. Clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed immediately before and then after 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed using the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria, CDAI, and SDAI. USS of eight articular areas (the wrist, second and third metacarpophalangeal, second and third proximal interphalangeal, second and fifth metatarsophalangeal joints) in the hand and foot of the clinically dominant side was carried out in all the patients before treatment and then after 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks. Semiquantitative gray-scale (GS) assessment and power Doppler (PD) were performed. Radiographic examination was done before and after 48 weeks of therapy. The Sharp method modified by van der Heijde was employed to estimate X-ray changes.Results and discussion. In the group of patients with radiographic progression, the activity of inflammation, as evidenced by PD USS, was significantly higher at 48 weeks of the follow-up; at the same time, the median PD score was 0 in the absence of progression. At 48 weeks, radiographic progression was significantly more common in the group of patients with persistently active synovitis than in the group without inflammation (odds ratio (OR) 4.76; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–18.9; р = 0.018). At 48 weeks of therapy, the PD score of 0 (complete lack of vascularization in the study joints) had satisfactory sensitivity (77%) and satisfactory specificity (59%) (the area under the curve was 0.698; p < 0.024; 95% CI 0.544–0.852). Multivariate analysis showed that GS USS scores after 24 weeks of therapy proved to be significant predictors of progressive erosive joint changes at 48 weeks of therapy (OR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.023–0.207; p = 0.015). At the same time, the PD score following 24 weeks of therapy could not predict joint destruction (OR = 0.104; 95% CI, -0.043 to 0.251; р = 0.16). Clinical disease activity indices and baseline PD and GS scores were of no significant prognostic value.Conclusion. We found a significant association of radiographic progression with active synovitis, as evidenced by PD USS at 48 weeks of therapy; however, we did not obtain any convincing evidence for the prognostic value of the baseline ultrasound signs of inflammation.

The early administration of methotrexate (MTX) and the use of its high (by the rheumatology practice standards) doses contribute to the enhanced efficiency of therapy and the reduced severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One of the important merits of MTX in the treatment of RA is the possibility of adjusting its dose and choosing its (oral or subcutaneous) administration routes, which makes it possible to individualize treatment. Particular emphasis has been recently placed just on a subcutaneous MTX formulation that creates prerequisites for substantially improving the efficiency of RA therapy. The paper gives the data of the REMARCA (Russian investigation of methotrexate and biologicals for early active arthritis) trial assessing the results of RA treatment in the use of the subcutaneous MTX dosage form as a first-line drug and in the elaboration of management tactics for this disease.Subjects and methods. The investigation included 191 patients (34 men and 157 women) with active RA; of whom 51.8% had very early RA (< 6 months' disease duration). 115 patients with RA completed a 24-month follow-up period; and their data were analyzed in more detail.Results and discussion. The findings may substantiate treatment policy based on the prescription of subcutaneous MTX (without previously administering its oral formulation) in patients with early RA and high disease activity, starting the drug at 15 mg/week and rapidly escalating with the highest tolerable doses during 4-8 weeks, which allows remission (or low disease activity) in the majority of patients without using glucocorticoids and biological agents.

The genes, the high basic expression of which indicates the efficiency of methotrexate (MTX) therapy in relieving joint inflammation and destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have been defined.Objective: to find an association between the initial expression of the genes: mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), a major regulator of cell growth and proliferation; ULK1 (an autophagy marker 1); p21 (a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor); kaspase-3 (an apoptosis activity indicator); MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9), and cathepsin K, which are involved in joint destruction, and the cytokines: TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), TGFβ1 (transforming growth factor β1) and Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2) in the blood of RA patients with disease activity and joint destruction before and after MTX therapy during 24 months.Subjects and methods. Forty patients (mean age, 47.5 years) with RA lasting < 2 years) and 26 healthy donors (mean age, 45.1 years) were examined. All the patients took MTX for 2 years. A clinical response was assessed with disease activity score (DAS28); erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the serum levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACCPA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and rheumatoid factor (RF) were also estimated. Joint destructive changes were assessed by radiography. Furthermore, blood and knee articular cartilage samples from 21 patients (mean age, 50.4 years) with late-stage RA and cartilage samples from 25 healthy individuals were investigated. Gene expression in the cells of peripheral blood and cartilage was determined by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.Results and discussion. MTX therapy considerably reduced disease activity assessed by DAS28, CRP levels, stiffness, tender and swollen joint counts (TJC and SJC); however, joint space (JS) narrowing (JSN) substantially increased compared with the baseline values. The expression of the ULK1, p21, MMP-9, cathepsin K genes, and TGFβ1 was increased both at the beginning of the investigation and 24 months later whereas the initially higher expression of mTOR, TNF-α, caspase 3, and Runx2 was decreased by the end of therapy to the level of the healthy individuals. The initial expression of the TGFβ1, Runx2, caspase 3, and р21 genes correlated negatively with the RF level measured both at the beginning of the investigation and 24 months later. There was a positive correlation of the initial expression of ULK1 and MMP-9 with CRP levels prior to therapy and that of the initial expression of MMP-9 with baseline DAS28 scores and NSJ. Moreover, the initial expression of the TNF-α gene positively correlated with JSN at the end of therapy and that of the p21, caspase 3, and Runx2 genes with a change in DAS28. There was also a negative correlation of the initial expression of the mTOR gene with the SJC and the number of erosions; the p21 and TNF-α genes correlated negatively with SJC and TJC; and the TNF-α, TGFβ1, Runx2, and cathepsin K genes also negatively correlated to the duration of stiffness at the end of therapy. A positive correlation was found between the expression of the cathepsin K and TGFβ1 genes in the blood and articular cartilage of patients with late-stage RA.Conclusion. The expression of the MMP-9 and ULK1 genes is associated with disease activity. The high initial blood expression of the other examined genes is associated with the more effective action of MTX on stiffness (TNF-α, Runx2, cathepsin K, and TGFβ1), TJC and SJC (mTOR, p21, and TNF-α), and the progression of joint destruction (mTOR) and may play a protective role. The positive correlation of the blood and articular cartilage expression of the TGFβ1 and cathepsin K genes may point to their co-regulation in these tissues in RA.

The article presents 3 cohorts with early rheumatoid arthritis in patients aged 50 years and older with a disease duration from 1.5 months to 1 year. To establish a diagnosis, the classification criteria of its period were applied to each of the cohorts: to the 1st - the 1958 ARA criteria, to the 2nd – the 1987 ARA criteria, to the 3rd - the 2010 ACR / EULAR criteria. Along with changes in the criteria diagnostic methods improved, many qualitative laboratory indicators were replaced by a quantitative equivalent; new disease markers (including ACPA), improved imaging methods, changed treatment strategies, genetically engineered drugs, numerous analogues of the original drugs appeared. Сonflicting opinions about the course of RA in older age periods have been published in the literature consistently. During application of the 1958 classification criteria, the prevailing opinion was that these patients had a more favorable course; as a more hardline approach to RA diagnosing appeared, a growing number of supporters of its more severe course appeared. In the research the author tries to answer the question whether the course of the disease in the older age groups has changed at the earliest time from its beginning by comparing three cohorts of different time periods. The data obtained are discussed.

Objective: to investigate the distribution of the genotypes and alleles of the PTPN22, TNFAIP3, CTLA4, TNFA, IL6, IL6R, IL10, MCP1, and ICAM1 genes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in the control group of healthy individuals, to estimate their significance as molecular genetic markers for predisposition to RA; and to analyze the correlation between the gene polymorphisms included in the study and the production of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACCPA) and IgM rheumatoid factor (RF).Subjects and methods. The investigation was conducted within the framework of the «Early arthritis: Diagnosis, outcome, criteria, active treatment program». The prospective follow-up study included 122 patients with RA fulfilling the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria; with disease duration of ≤ 2 years. 73 (59.8%) patients were included during the first 6 months after the onset of the disease. 74 (60.7%) and 81 (66.5%) patients were found to be positive for ACCPA and IgM RF, respectively. 314 healthy blood donors served as a control group. A real-time polymerase chain reaction was used in the patients and control individuals to study the distribution of the polymorphic variants of PTPN22 (+1858 C >T, rs2476601), TNFAIP3 (rs675520, rs6920220, rs10499194), CTLA4 (+49A>G, rs231775 ), TNFА (-308A>G, rs1800629), IL6 (-174G>C, rs1800795), IL6R (+358A>C, rs8192284), IL10 (-592A>C, rs1800872, -1082 A>G, rs1800896), MCP1/CCL2 (+2518A>G, rs1024611), and ICAM1 (721G>A, rs1799969) genes. Results and discussion. This analysis revealed an association of PTPN22 (+1858 C >T, rs2476601) and TNFAIP3 (rs675520, rs10499194) polymorphisms with the risk of RA (odds ratio (OR), 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–2.3; p = 0.05; OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.0; p = 0.02; OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4–0.8; p = 0.01, respectively. Further, there was a tendency towards a positive association of TNFAIP3 (rs6920220) and IL6R (rs8192284) polymorphisms with a predisposition to RA (p = 0.056). IL6 (rs1800795), IL10 (rs1800872, rs1800896), MCP1/CCL2 (rs1024611), and ICAM1 (rs1799969) polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of RA. An analysis of the findings after patient stratification by ACCPA and IgM RF (a binary variable) showed that none of the polymorphisms in question was associated with RF state. At the same time, PTPN22 (rs2476601), TNFAIP3 (rs675520), TNFAIP3 (rs10499194), and TNFА (rs1800629) polymorphisms were found to be significantly related to ACCPA state (a binary variable). The level of ACCPA as a quantitative variable was statistically significantly associated with CTLA4 (rs231775) and TNFА (rs1800629) polymorphisms in a dose-dependent fashion (р = 0.025 and р = 0.015, respectively). There was a marked tendency towards an association of ACCPA levels and IL6R gene polymorphism (p = 0.07). IL6 (rs1800795), IL10 (rs1800872, rs1800896), MCP1/CCL2 (rs1024611), and ICAM1 (rs1799969) polymorphisms were not correlated with ACCPA state (binary and quantitative variables).Conclusion. The findings suggest that a number of genes are implicated in the pathogenesis of RA and that they are involved in the development of ACCPA-positive and ACCPA-negative RA subtypes. No relationship was found between the production of IgM RF and the polymorphisms of the genes under study. The findings suggest that there appears to be different mechanisms for the formation of autoantibodies (ACCPA and IgM RF) in RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the synovial membrane and a wide range of extra-articular (systemic) manifestations. The main goal of RA therapy is to achieve low disease activity or clinical remission. Power Doppler (PD) ultrasonography (USG) can significantly distinguish between active synovitis (hypervascularization of the synovial membrane) and inactive synovial proliferation.Objective: to investigate the association between the ultrasonic signs of active inflammation and the clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity in patients with RA.Subjects and methods. The investigation included RA patients followed up at the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology within the first Russian strategic study of pharmacotherapy for RA – REMARCA (Russian invEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals for eaRly aCtive Arthritis). A total of 105 RA patients (mean age 51 years), among whom 80% were rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive and 75% were anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP)-positive, were examined. In all the patients, methotrexate (metoject, MEDAC, Germany) as the first diseasemodifying anti-rheumatic drug was subcutaneously injected in an initial dose of 10 mg/week with its rapid escalation up to 20–25 mg/week. Then the therapy was added by biologicals as the need arose. The clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed immediately before and then 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks following treatment. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated using the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria and activity indices (DAS28, CDAI, and SDAI). USG of eight articular areas (the wrist, second and third metacarpophalangeal, second and third proximal interphalangeal, second and fifth metatarsophalangeal articulations) in the hand and foot of the clinically dominant side was carried out in all the patients prior to treatment and at 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after its initiation. Semiquantitative gray-scale (GS) assessment and PD USG were performed according to the OMERACT criteria.Results and discussion. Weak correlations were found between USG parameters and DAS28, SDAI, and CDAI. After 48-week therapy, the signs of active synovitis were absent in 54 patients and persisted in 51, as evidenced by PD USG. The differences in clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonic parameters were analyzed in relation to USG evidence for active inflammation following 48 weeks of treatment. There were significant differences in GS and PD scores throughout the follow-up period; there were also differences in C-reactive protein levels at 12 and 48 weeks of therapy. No differences were found in clinical activity indices.Conclusion. The investigation provides support for the important role of USG in assessing the activity of synovitis in RA.

To introduce treat-to-target recommendations is an important task of modern rheumatology; however, there is still a diversity of serious problems relating to a scientific rationale and a clinical one for this strategy and to the possibilities of its implementation in real clinical practice, in the rheumatology service of the Russian Federation in particular, by taking into account the specific features of funding for high-tech medical care. Objective: to determine the efficiency and safety of combined therapy with subcutaneous methotrexate (MT) and biological agents (BA) when using the treat-to-target strategy in patients with active early and extended-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have risk factors for a poor prognosis. Subjects and methods. The results of the REMARCA (Russian InvEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals in eaRly aCtive inflammatory Arthritis) trial of 130 patients followed up for 12 months or more were given. There was a female preponderance; mean age 48.9±13.9 years, rheumatoid factor positivity (86.9%); anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positivity (89.2%). Seventy patients formed a subgroup of early RA (disease duration ≤6 months (mean 4.17±1.39 months)); 60 patients were a subgroup of advanced-stage RA (disease duration >6 months (mean 30.8±32.7 months)). In all the patients, therapy was initiated by using subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation up to 20–30 mg/week and the achievement of the treatment goal (low disease activity or remission) was checked every 3 months and depending on the result a decision had been taken to add or not to add a biological agent (BA) (a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor or abatacept). If the former was insufficiently effective, it was substituted for a BA from another class. Results. Subcutaneous MT monotherapy provided remission or low disease activity in 49 (37.7%) patients; a BA was given to 81 (62.3%) patients. Following 6 and 12 months, low activity or remission according to SDAI was observed significantly more frequently in the patients who continued subcutaneous MT monotherapy than in those who received combined therapy with MT and BA. The similar results were obtained by using DAS28 and CDAI to assess a trend in disease activity. After 6and 12-month follow-up, there was a significantly more marked decline of tender joint count, SDAI and CDAI in early RA than in advanced-stage RA; at 12 months, SDAI remission rate was 45.7% and 28.3%, respectively (p=0.047). Conclusion. The treat-to-target strategy should be used in real clinical practice and can yield spectacular results. Active therapy with subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation to the maximally tolerable dose allows identification of a considerable group of patients (38%) with a good response to MT monotherapy.

The paper presents the materials of the Russian Arthritis Registry (OREL) that includes 3276 patients from 11 Russian Federation's largest research-and-practical centers situated in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Tula, Yaroslavl, Tyumen. It discusses the main goals of setting up registries, compares the results of an analysis of the data available in the Russian Registry OREL and registries of European countries and the USA. The findings suggest that there is non-uniform information on clinical, laboratory, and instrumental parameters in the national registers of a numberof European countries and the USA. According to its basic characteristics, the Russian Registry OREL compares favorably with a number of other registries in the completeness of data collection, which allows a general idea of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Russia. For further development of the OREL Registry, it is necessary to concentrate our attention on the following main areas: to improve the quality of filling out documents; to follow-up patients receiving different RA therapy regimens according to the guidelines of the Association of Rheumatologists of Russia for the treatment of RA; to conduct in-depth studies of comorbidity, primarily depressive disorders; to analyze adverse reactions that make RA therapy difficult; to actively use modules for patients' self-rating of their condition; to develop nursing care, etc.

Objective: to assess progression of X-ray joint changes and their impact on functional status of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 204 patients with early RA included in the RADICAL (Early Arthritis: Diagnosis, Outcomes, Criteria, Active Treatment) program in the period 2003 to 2007. The duration of the disease at the inclusion was less than 2 years. RA was diagnosed according to 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Rheumatoid factor was presentin 67.5% of the patients and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies – in 57%. Women were 86.5%; median age was 49 [40; 58] years. The patients received traditional diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents (24%). Therapy response was monitored applying the tight control strategy. Main clinical and laboratory parameters, DAS28, and HAQ scores, and functional class and hand and foot X-ray were recorded every year.Results and discussion. After 5 years of follow-up, new erosions appeared in 57% of the patients. Joint erosions were present in 16.5% of the patients at the inclusion and in 73% following 5 years. At baseline, after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, the total erosion scores (modified Sharp score) was equal to 0 [0; 0], 0 [0; 1], 0 [0; 4], 1 [0; 8], 3 [0; 12], 6 [0; 14], respectively. A significant functional improvement could be achieved just during the first year of follow-up. Thus, the median HAQ value decreased from 1.125 [0.625; 1.75] to 0.5 [0.125; 1.0], reaching the population level. Following 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, the median HAQ was 0.5 [0; 1.0], 0.5 [0; 1.0], 0.5 [0; 1.0], and 0.75 [0.125; 1.125], respectively. There was a weak positive correlation between total erosion scores and HAQ in the eаrly stage of the disease. However, it became more marked after 3, 4, and 5 years (correlation coefficient, 0.38, 0.39, and 0.40,respectively; p < 0.01). Conclusion.In spite of the stable pattern of disease course, structural damage progression was seen in patients with early RA. However, detailed erosive component assessment using the modified Sharp score showed that the structural changes were modest in the majority of patients and HAQ value during the first 4 years of follow-up were comparable with the population level, which may be indicative of a rather favorable functional prognosis. Five years later, there was an increasing correlation between total erosion scores and HAQ. This may be responsible for higher HAQ scores after 5 years of follow-up

Objective: to assess trends in disease activity, functional status, and radiographic changes, and their relationships in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 200 patients with early RA included in the RADIKAL (Early arthritis: diagnosis, outcomes, criteria, active treatment) program in the period 2003 to 2007. The duration of the disease at inclusion was

To introduce treat-to-target recommendations is an important task of modern rheumatology; however, there is still a diversity of serious problems relating to a scientific rationale and a clinical one for this strategy and to the possibilities of its implementation in real clinical practice, in the rheumatology service of the Russian Federation in particular, by taking into account the specific features of funding for high-tech medical care.Objective: to determine the efficiency and safety of combined therapy with subcutaneous methotrexate (MT) and biological agents (BA) when using the treat-to-target strategy in patients with active early and extended-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have risk factors for a poor prognosis.Subjects and methods.The results of the REMARCA (Russian InvEstigation of MethotrexAte and biologicals in eaRly aCtive inflammatory Arthritis) trial of 130 patients followed up for 12 months or more were given. There was a female preponderance; mean age 48.9±13.9 years, rheumatoid factor positivity (86.9%); anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positivity (89.2%). Seventy patients formed a subgroup of early RA (disease duration ≤6 months (mean 4.17±1.39 months)); 60 patients were a subgroup of advanced-stage RA (disease duration >6 months (mean 30.8±32.7 months)). In all the patients, therapy was initiated by using subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation up to 20–30 mg/week and the achievement of the treatment goal (low disease activity or remission) was checked every 3 months and depending on the result a decision had been taken to add or not to add a biological agent (BA) (a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor or abatacept). If the former was insufficiently effective, it was substituted for a BA from another class.Results. Subcutaneous MT monotherapy provided remission or low disease activity in 49 (37.7%) patients; a BA was given to 81 (62.3%) patients. Following 6 and 12 months, low activity or remission according to SDAI was observed significantly more frequently in the patients who continued subcutaneous MT monotherapy than in those who received combined therapy with MT and BA. The similar results were obtained by using DAS28 and CDAI to assess a trend in disease activity. After 6- and 12-month follow-up, there was a significantly more marked decline of tender joint count, SDAI and CDAI in early RA than in advanced-stage RA; at 12 months, SDAI remission rate was 45.7% and 28.3%, respectively (p=0.047).Conclusion. The treat-to-target strategy should be used in real clinical practice and can yield spectacular results. Active therapy with subcutaneous MT with its rapid dose escalation to the maximally tolerable dose allows identification of a considerable group of patients (38%) with a good response to MT monotherapy

Objective. To assess the changes in clinical, immunological, X-ray indicators and expression of the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) genes, the key regulator of cell growth and proliferation; ULK1 (autophagy marker); р21 (cyclindependent kinase inhibitor); caspase 3 (indicator of apoptotic activity); MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9) and cathepsin K, which participate in joint destruction, and proinflammatory cytokine TNFα (tumor necrosis factor α) in blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving methotrexate (MT) therapy.Materials and Methods. Thirty-three RA patients (21 with positive and 12 with negative rheumatoid factor (RF), respectively; median age, 47.1 years) and 28 healthy volunteers (median age, 45.1 years) were examined. All patients have been receiving MT for 2 years. The clinical response was assessed according to the DAS28 score. ESR and the serum levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and RF were also determined. Degenerative changes in the joints were evaluated by X-ray examination. Gene expression was measured in peripheral blood cells using reverse transcriptase reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results. MT therapy considerably reduced the disease severity according to DAS28 score, as well as the number of swollen and painful joints both in seropositive (RF+) and seronegative (RF-) RA patients. Ten patients reached remission by the end of the study. In (RF-) RA patients, the absence of progression of joint destruction was accompanied by the absence of any significant changes in expression of MMP9 and cathepsin K, as well as a stronger suppression of TGFα (its expression became comparable to that in the control group). Patients who achieved remission showed a significant decrease in the expression level of the cathepsin K gene as compared to that at the start of the study. In (RF+) RA patients, MT therapy significantly reduced the clinical and immunological indicators; however, the increased number of erosion sites and further joint space narrowing was observed. It was accompanied by a considerable increase in the expression levels of the MMP9, cathepsin K, and TGFα genes as compared to those in healthy individuals.Conclusions. The changes in expression of the genes responsible for destruction of the hyaline cartilage and bone matrix (MMP9 and cathepsin K) and the TGFα level in blood of RA patients due to MT therapy correlate with the changes in clinical, immunological, and X-ray parameters used to evaluate patient's condition in clinical practice.

The international recommendations «Treat to target» (T2T) underline the greatest importance of treatment strategy for the success of treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Evaluation of the efficiency of this approach obviously requires special strategic studies with an adaptive design, which substantially differ from classical randomized clinical trials and are much closer to clinical practice. To date, there are only single publications on the practical application of the T2T recommendations, there is a problem in the choice of effectiveness criteria and there are a number of other important problems associated with the introduction of these recommendations. The Russian study REMARCA is to answer these questions. Its design focuses on the practical adaptation of the T2T strategy to treat patients with earlyand extended-stage active RA who have poor prognostic factors, by using subcutaneous methotrexate and genetically engineered biological agents (GEBA). Preliminary analysis shows that therapy according to the REMARCA protocol is successful in the majority of patients. The high rate of low RA activity and remission has been achieved during subcutaneous methotrexate monotherapy. The patients who need GEBA to be incorporated may be initially more resistant to therapy. The patients with early RA have better chances of successful T2T therapy than those with extended-stage RA.

Objective: to assess disease severity in relation to the expression of cell-division cycle genes: p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor; caspase 3, an apoptotic activity indicator; mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a major regulator of cell growth and proliferation; ATG1, a marker of autophagy; and the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the blood of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Subjects and methods. Thirty-nine early RA patients (mean age 47.1 years) and 47 healthy individuals (mean age 43.1 years) were examined. Gene expression in their peripheral blood cells was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RA activity was estimated according to DAS28 index and joint destruction. Results. In accordance with mTOR gene expression, the group of RA patients were divided into three subgroups: 1) 18 patients had a significantly lower mTOR gene expression than did the healthy controls (p < 0.01) and upregulated ATG1; 2) 12 patients had the same mTOR gene expression levels as in the healthy controls; p21 ATG1, and caspase 3 were, however, much upregulated; 3) 9 patients showed significant upregulation of all the examined genes as compared to the healthy controls (p < 0.01). The patients from 3 subgroups differed in TNF-α gene expression that was statistically significantly exceeded that in the healthy individuals, the expression being highest in subgroup 3 patients. The subgroups of RA patients showed some differences in clinical and immunological parameters. Particularly, subgroup 2 patients exhibited the lowest morning stiffness values while subgroup 1 patients had much fewer swollen joints than did subgroup 3 patients. In addition, subgroup 2 patients had significantly statistically higher levels of anti-citrullinated antibodies whereas subgroup 3 patients had lower rheumatoid factor concentrations than the other subgroups. Conclusion. Early RA patients represent a heterogeneous group. RA patient subgroups differ in the expression of cell-cycle and TNF-α genes and in some clinical and immunological parameters. Variability in the expression of the cell-division cycle genes in different subgroups of RA patients can indicate different mechanisms involved in the development and progression of the disease and hence the necessity of applying diverse approaches to their therapy.

Relationship of immunogenetic and immunologic markers and their influence on disease activity and radiological progression in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Objective. To study relationship of shared epitope (SE), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP) antibodies and IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) with disease activity and their prognostic significance in pts with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Material and methods. 98 pts with early RA (78 female, 20 male, mean age 47,9±13,7 years,mean disease duration 7,4±5,8 years) were included. 67 (68,4%) from them were RF positive 17and 63 (64,3%) – ACCP positive. 1 or 2 SE (SE+/SE- or SE+/SE+) was present in 63(64,3%) pts. SE was absent in 35 (35,7%) pts. 45 (45,9%) pts had ACCP+/SE+ combination.38 (38,7%) pts were SE, ACCP and RF positive. Activity of RA was assessed with DAS28 and functional status – with Russian version of HAQ questionnaire. C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and IgM RF level was evaluated by nephelometric immunoassay (NIA) with automatic analyzer BN-100, Dade Behring, Germany. ACCP2 was measured by NIA with commercial kits “Axis Shield Diagnostics”, Great Britain. Genomic DNA was isolated by salt extraction with sodium chloride. HLA DRB1 gene olygotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction with kits “HLA-DR-TEX” (manufacturer SIA “DNA-Technology”, Moscow). Results. ACCP level in SE+/SE- and SE+/SE+ pts was significantly higher than in SE-/SE- pts (p=0,004). IgM RF level in SE+/ACCP+ pts significantly differ from the rest: 351,7±535,8IU/l and 67,8±140,7 IU/l respectively (p

Objective. To assess frequency of immunogenetic (HLA-DRB I allels) and immunologic - anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACCP), IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) - parameters and their significance as markers of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Material and methods. HLA-DRB 1 alleles, ACCP and IgM RF were evaluated in 95 pts with early RA who fulfilled ACR criteria 1987 with disease duration 2 years or less. In 85,3% of them disease duration was