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Abstract: Objective: To determine whether X‐ray repair cross‐complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene polymorphisms confer susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A meta‐analysis was conducted to determine the associations between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to SLE and RA. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify all relevant studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of the association. Results: A total of nine case‐control articles, consisting of five SLE and four RA articles, involving 1138 patients and 1399 healthy controls, were included in the meta‐analysis. This meta‐analysis showed no significant association of the Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp polymorphisms with SLE were found in all models when all study subjects were considered together. Stratification by ethnicity indicated the variant Arg399 (A) allele carriers increased the risk of SLE in Asians (A vs. G: OR = 1.402, 95% CI = 1.139–1.726, P = 0.001) and decreased the risk of SLE in Caucasians (A vs. G: OR = 0.769, 95% CI = 0.630–0.937, P = 0.009; AA vs. AG+GG: OR = 0.727, 95% CI = 0.554–0.953, P = 0.021). However, we failed to reveal any association between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms (Arg399Gln, Arg280His and Arg194Trp) and RA risk under all analysis models. Similar results were obtained in the subgroup analysis based on ethnicity. Conclusions: The present study suggests that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism might be associated with genetic susceptibility to SLE in Asians and Caucasians, and there is no significant association between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms (Arg399Gln, Arg280His and Arg194Trp) and RA risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To derive a more precise comparison of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD%) of the brachial artery between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and normal controls by performing a meta-analysis of appropriate studies.Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for all relevant articles. STATA (V.12.0) software was used to perform the meta-analysis. Quality estimation of all appropriate studies was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Standardised mean difference (SMD) with 95% CIs were calculated with a random-effects model. The Cochrane Q test and I2 statistic were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. Funnel plot and Egger's test were conducted to assess the publication bias.Results: In total, 464 articles were obtained after searching the two databases. Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Significant heterogeneity was observed among these 10 studies (Q=102.89, p<0.001, I2=91.3%) with random-effects modelling. The results showed that the RA group had significantly lower FMD% (SMD: -1.405; 95% CI -1.992 to -0.817; p<0.001) than the control group. Egger's test (p=0.004) indicated that the funnel plot showed a skewed or asymmetrical shape and publication bias existed. Sensitivity analyses suggested the robustness and credibility of our results.Conclusions: FMD% in patients with RA is significantly decreased compared with healthy controls. FMD% is an important early marker of atherosclerosis. It may be used as a parameter to forecast cardiovascular disease in patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]