Objective. Etanercept has been shown to improve the articular and cutaneous manifestations of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In this study, we further evaluated the safety, efficacy, and effect on radiographic progression of etanercept in patients with PsA.Methods. Patients with PsA (n ؍ 205) were randomized to receive placebo or 25 mg etanercept subcutaneously twice weekly for 24 weeks. Patients continued to receive blind-labeled therapy in a maintenance phase until all had completed the 24-week phase, then could receive open-label etanercept in a 48-week extension. Efficacy and safety were evaluated at 4, 12, and 24 weeks and at 12-week intervals thereafter. Radiographs of the hands and wrists were assessed at baseline and 24 weeks, at entry to the open-label phase, and after 48 weeks in the study.Results. Etanercept significantly reduced the signs and symptoms of PsA and psoriasis. At 12 weeks, 59% of etanercept patients met the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement criteria for joint response, compared with 15% of placebo patients (P < 0.0001), and results were sustained at 24 and 48 weeks. At 24 weeks, 23% of etanercept patients eligible for psoriasis evaluation achieved at least 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, compared with 3% of placebo patients (P ؍ 0.001). Radiographic disease progression was inhibited in the etanercept group at 12 months; the mean annualized rate of change in the modified total Sharp score was ؊0.03 unit, compared with ؉1.00 unit in the placebo group (P ؍ 0.0001). Etanercept was well tolerated.Conclusion. Etanercept reduced joint symptoms, improved psoriatic lesions, inhibited radiographic progression, and was well tolerated in patients with PsA.
To determine the influence of collagen orientation on the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearance of articular cartilage, spin-echo MR images of normal bovine patellar specimens were obtained with the specimens rotated in 5 degrees increments between +75 degrees and -130 degrees. Hyperintense superficial, hypointense middle, and intermediate-intensity deep laminae were observed. Results of polarized light microscopy of histologic specimens confirmed the three zones, and transmission electron microscopy showed different collagen arrangements in the zones. An anisotropic effect of rotation on signal intensity was evident, especially in the hypointense second lamina. Because of the preferential alignment of water molecules associated with collagen, angular rotation of the cartilage in the direction of minimum dipolar coupling (55 degrees to the magnetic field) caused the cartilage to have a homogeneous appearance. The MR imaging appearance of these layers is strongly influenced by an anisotropic arrangement of the collagen fibers and by the alignment of the specimen relative to the magnetic field.
This paper reports two cases of acrometastasis to the hands. The first case involved a 78-year-old woman with a permeative osteolytic lesion in her proximal second metacarpal. A biopsy of this lesion suggested a diagnosis of non-small-cell lung carcinoma with secondary osseous metastasis. This was the first presentation of the woman's primary diagnosis. A single 8-Gy fraction of palliative radiotherapy was delivered to the patient's left hand. The treatment proved successful: the woman soon experienced pain relief and regained the use of her hand. The second case involved a 69-year-old woman with extensive lytic destruction involving the proximal two thirds of her third metacarpal. This patient had been diagnosed with carcinoma of the breast in 1990. She also received a single 8-Gy fraction of radiation, which improved both her pain and her hand mobility.An extensive review of the literature uncovered 257 previously reported cases of acrometastasis. Articles were analyzed based on age and sex of the patient, site of the primary carcinoma, metastatic locations within the hand and affected appendage or appendages, the treatment given, and the patient's length of survival. Men were almost twice as likely to experience acrometastasis as women, and the median age of the patients overall was 58 years (range: 18 months-91 years). Lung, kidney, and breast carcinoma were the three most prevalent primary diagnoses reported in the literature. Cancers of the colon, stomach, liver, prostate, and rectum affected the remainder of the population.Overall, the right hand was more often host to the metastatic lesions. In addition, almost 10% of the patients experienced lesions in both hands. The third finger was the digit most affected by osseous metastases reported in the literature. Lesions of the thumb, fourth finger, second finger, and fifth finger were less commonly reported. The region of the digit most often affected within the patient population was the distal phalanx. The metacarpal bones, proximal phalanges, and middle phalanges comprised the remainder of the four most frequent acrometastatic sites. In the Based on the reported cases, amputation appeared to be the preferred method of treatment. Radiation, excision, and systemic therapy were the next most frequently used treatments. Patient survival was not well documented within the literature. However, the median survival of patients in the reported cases was 6 months. Thus, our review suggested that a diagnosis of hand metastasis is an indication of poor prognosis.This report serves to emphasize the importance of properly diagnosing acrometastases. Identifying and effectively treating these metastases in a timely manner can lead to a dramatic improvement in a patient's quality of life. KEY WORDSAcrometastasis, hand metastasis, bone metastases CASE HISTORIES Case 1A 78-year-old woman presented with cachexia, decreased cognition, and left hand pain. The initial suspicion was that her symptoms were the result of an infection. Physical examination revealed a slight...
The varying appearance and signal intensity characteristics of cartilage under pressure are hypothesized to result from a combination of net water loss and alteration in collagen orientational structure.
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