(1) To compare the serum levels of Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) and bone biomarkers in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and healthy controls. (2) To examine the effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) therapy for 3 months on bone biomarkers in patients with AS. We measured the levels of DKK-1, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1) in patients with AS and in healthy controls at baseline and 3 months after initiating anti-TNF-α therapy in AS patients. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) scores were also measured before and after anti-TNF-α therapy in AS patients. Serum levels of DKK-1 were significantly lower in the AS patients than in the controls (P < 0.0001). Osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin levels were significantly higher in the AS patients than in the controls (P < 0.0001). Serum levels of DKK-1 were not changed after the 3-month anti-TNF-α therapy. Osteocalcin level increased (P < 0.0001), osteoprotegerin level and BASDAI scores decreased (P = 0.025 and P < 0.0001, respectively) significantly after the 3-months anti-TNF-α therapy. Serum DKK-1 level was lower in patients with AS than in healthy controls and did not change after 3 months of anti-TNF-α therapy in the AS patients despite the marked improvement in BASDAI scores. These findings suggest the low serum DKK-1 level is related to the pathogenesis of new bone formation in AS, which is resistant to TNF-α blocking therapy.

Our study showed that some PFG parameters as well as BMD values predict hip fractures in a Korean population, and their evaluation may be useful in the understanding of the biomechanics of hip fractures.

Background/AimsOsteoporotic fractures are an important comorbidity with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We determined the overall fracture risk as assessed by the World Health Organization (WHO)'s FRAX® tool in Korean patients with seropositive RA. Additionally, we compared treatment eligibility according to the criteria of the Korean Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA), FRAX, and the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF).MethodsPostmenopausal women and men ≥ 50 years of age with seropositive RA were recruited from one rheumatism center in Korea. The FRAX score was estimated using the Japanese model. Patients were classified as eligible for treatment using the HIRA, NOF, and FRAX thresholds for intervention.ResultsThe study of 234 patients included 40 men (17%). The mean age was 60 ± 9 years, and 121 (52%) patients had osteoporosis according to the WHO criteria. The overall median 10-year fracture risk was 13% for major osteoporotic fractures and 3.5% for hip fractures. HIRA guidelines identified 130 patients (56%) eligible for treatment, FRAX included 126 patients (54%), and 151 patients (65%) were included according to NOF guidelines. Older patients with a greater number of risk factors were included by FRAX compared to HIRA. The overall concordance between HIRA and FRAX, expressed as the kappa index, was 0.67, but was as low as 0.44 when limited to patients ≥ 60 years of age.ConclusionsOne-half of the patients had osteoporosis requiring treatment. RA patients have a high risk of fracture, and the adoption of a risk-scoring system should be considered.

(99m)Tc-HDP digital blood flow scintigraphy after one-hand chilling is a noninvasive, accurate, and quantitative method to evaluate RP.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) related to hepatitis B is an uncommon vasculitis that is sometimes associated with the rapid progression of distal ischemia. A few recent reports have proposed the use of antiviral therapy. However, there is not yet a consensus for the standard treatment of this disease entity and none of these treatments have been focused on fast symptomatic improvement. We describe here a 39-year-old female patient with PAN related to hepatitis B infection who completely recovered from the acutely progressing ischemic manifestations of her distal extremities with the use of alprostadil infusion (prostaglandin E1). The reactivation of her hepatitis B infection after glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide therapy was successfully managed by the antiviral lamuvudine therapy. Most importantly, the vasodilator together with the conventional therapy may be desirable in the early stages of the disease before irreversible ischemic tissue damage can occur.