An efficient blue-violet phosphor: an advanced material designed for high-quality full-spectrum lighting.

A highly efficient phosphor with exceptional luminescence properties is crucial for achieving high-quality solid-state white-light illumination. Here, this paper presents a groundbreaking discovery, an innovative blue-violet emitting Ba1.31Sr3.69(BO3)3Cl:Ce3+ (BSBCl:Ce3+) phosphor designed with remarkable thermal stability and quantum efficiency for full spectrum white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). By employing a high-temperature solid-phase method, we synthesized various BSBCl:xCe3+ phosphors with different Ce3+ doping concentrations. Remarkably, BSBCl:0.03Ce3+ displays a broad excitation band from 250 nm to 400 nm, rendering it compatible with commercial near-ultraviolet (UV) LED chips. Under 330 nm excitation, this phosphor emits blue light with an astonishing 88.2% internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and an impressive 60.9% external quantum efficiency (EQE). Notably, when employed in the temperature range of 298-473 K, the synthesized BSBCl:0.03Ce3+ phosphor exhibits exceptional color stability and thermal stability (I423 K/I298 K = 83%). Utilizing BSBCl:0.03Ce3+ as the blue-violet emitting component in the fabrication of WLED devices has demonstrated significant advancements in the color rendering index. These findings underscore the potential of BSBCl:Ce3+ phosphors for a wide range of applications in health-oriented indoor illumination.

High Output Power and High Quantum Efficiency in Novel NIR Phosphor MgAlGa0.7 B0.3 O4 :Cr3+ with Profound FWHM Variation.

There is strong demand for ultraefficient near-infrared (NIR) phosphors with adjustable emission properties for next-generation intelligent NIR light sources. Designing phosphors with large full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) variations is challenging. In this study, novel near-ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED)-excited NIR phosphors, MgAlGa0.7 B0.3 O4 :Cr3+ (MAGBO:Cr3+ ), with three emission centers achieve ultra-narrowband (FWHM = 29 nm) to ultra-broadband (FWHM = 260 nm) emission with increasing Cr3+ concentration. Gaussian fitting and decay time analysis reveal the alteration in the FWHM, which is attributed to the energy transfer occurring between the three emission centers. The distinct thermal quenching behaviors of the three emission centers are revealed through the temperature-dependent decay times. The ultra-broadband NIR phosphor MAGBO:0.05Cr3+ exhibits high thermal stability (85%, 425 K) and exceptional external quantum efficiency of 68.5%. An NIR phosphor-converted LED (pc-LED) is fabricated using MAGBO:0.05Cr3+ phosphor, exhibiting a remarkable NIR output power of 136 mW at 600 mA in ultra-broadband NIR pc-LEDs. This study describes the preparation of highly efficient phosphors and provides a further understanding of the tunable FWHM, which is vital for high-performance NIR phosphors with versatile applications.

Potential clinical value of serum interleukin-41 levels in patients with acute gout.

BACKGROUND: Gout is a common metabolic rheumatic disease, and there have been no reports on the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-41 in gout patients. The purpose of this study was to therefore determine the expression of IL-41 in the serum of gout patients. METHODS: Eighty-one participants were enrolled in this study, including 34 patients with acute gout, 27 gout patients in remission, and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Baseline data were obtained through interviews and laboratory parameters were acquired via blood sample testing. We measured serum IL-41 concentrations with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and executed Spearman's correlation analysis to investigate the correlation between IL-41 and other parameters, and the diagnostic value for IL-41 was demonstrated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Multivariate analysis was conducted by adopting logistic regression. RESULTS: Serum IL-41 concentrations in acute-gout patients were higher than those in HCs and there was no significant difference in serum IL-41 levels between remission gout patients and HCs. In addition, IL-41 was positively correlated with white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A concentrations, while it was negatively correlated with triglyceride levels. IL-41 showed good diagnostic value for gout, and the combination of IL-41 and uric acid produced a superior diagnostic value. We also noted that IL-41 was an independent risk factor for acute gout. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that serum IL-41 was elevated in patients with acute gout, and suggests that IL-41 may constitute a novel diagnostic marker for acute gout.

Circulating interleukin-39 as a potential biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Imbalances in cytokine networks have been shown to be a possible cause of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The interleukin (IL)-12 family is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases including RA, while IL-39 is a newly discovered member of the IL-12 family, although its role in RA remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to detect the expression of IL-39 in the sera of patients with RA and its relationship with RA activity. METHODS: We recruited 46 patients with RA and 35 healthy controls at Ningbo Sixth Hospital. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis, and disease activity scores of 28 joints based on C-reactive protein were monitored. Serum concentrations of IL-39 were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Pearson correlation test was used to analyze the association between serum IL-39 levels and clinical indicators. RESULTS: Serum levels of IL-39 were significantly higher in patients with RA compared with healthy controls (p < 0.0001). IL-39 levels positively correlated with rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and IgM; RF positively correlated with ESR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that IL-39 has diagnostic value for RA (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The significant increase of IL-39 levels in serum of patients with RA and its positive correlation with clinical indicators suggest that IL-39 may serve as biomarker for the diagnosis of RA.

Cardiac involved and autopsy in two patients with systemic sclerosis: Two cases report.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease with high mortality. One of the most common causes of death in potential SSc patients is cardiac arrest. However, the pathogenesis of cardiac death is not very clear. As far as we know, there are few autopsy reports on this subject. Our autopsy report on two fatal cases of heart injury in SSc patients revealed evidence of myocarditis, focal myocardial necrosis, and myocardial fibrosis. Our findings suggest that chronic inflammation of the heart may lead to extensive fibrosis, which could contribute to the high mortality rate observed in SSc patients. Early detection of heart injury in SSc patients using existing technology is necessary to improve patient outcomes. Future research should focus on developing more effective methods for early detection and management of heart involvement in SSc.

MTHFR and MTRR Genetic Polymorphism of Methotrexate Therapy Outcomes in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Purpose: Methotrexate (MTX) is used as an anchor drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and there may be differences in drug action between genotypes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between clinical efficacy response and disease activity of MTX monotherapy with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) polymorphisms. Patients and Methods: In the study, a population of 32 patients in East China with early RA fulfilling the diagnostic standards of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) were enrolled, all of them received MTX monotherapy. Genotyping of patients MTHFR C677T and A1298C, MTRR A66G using tetra-primer ARMS-PCR method and sanger sequencing to verify its accuracy. Results: The distribution of three polymorphic genotypes that were studied is in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg genetic equilibrium. The patient pathology variables smoke (OR = 0.088, P = 0.037), drink alcohol (OR = 0.039, P = 0.016) and males (OR = 0.088, P = 0.037) were significantly associated with non-response to MTX. Genotype, allele distribution and genetic statistical models were not found to be related to MTX treatment response and disease activity in both the response groups and non-response groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C and MTRR A66G polymorphisms may not predict MTX clinical treatment response and disease activity in patients with early RA. The study revealed that smoke, alcohol, and males were possible influential factors for MTX non-response.

Rituximab as maintenance therapy following remission induction in relapsing or refractory systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) maintenance therapy compared with traditional immunosuppressive agent (ISA) maintenance therapy in patients with relapsing or refractory SLE. METHODS: It is a prospective observational non-randomized cohort study. The study enrolled SLE patients in four centres who had received at least one course of RTX induction treatment. Patients with a clinical response to RTX were divided into two groups based on their maintenance therapy in the first 12 months: the RTX group and the ISA group. The relapse-free survival times were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify predictive factors for disease relapse. RESULTS: Among the 82 patients included in the cohort, 67 (81.7%) patients had a clinical response at 6 months. RTX maintenance therapy was applied in 34 (50.7%) patients and ISA maintenance therapy was applied in the remaining 33 (49.3%) patients. After a median follow-up of 24 months, a total of 13 (19.4%) patients had experienced disease relapse, comprising three in the RTX group and 10 in the ISA group. Patients in the RTX group had a higher relapse-free survival rate than patients in the ISA group. Multivariate analysis identified hydroxychloroquine use, RTX maintenance therapy and haematological system involvement as independent predictors for sustained remission. CONCLUSION: This multicentre prospective cohort study demonstrated that long-term RTX maintenance therapy has high efficacy and acceptable safety in relapsing or refractory SLE patients who had a clinical response to RTX induction therapy.

Associations Between microRNA-related Genetic Polymorphisms and Clinical Response to Methotrexate in Chinese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence indicates that microRNA (miRNA)-related genetic polymorphisms are strongly involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of the expression of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics- related genes, therefore contributing to the genetic variability of drug response. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations of miRNA-related genetic polymorphisms, including miRNA-5189 rs562929801, miRNA-595 rs4909237, SLCO1A2 rs4149009 and MTHFR rs3737966, and clinical response to methotrexate in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis patients. METHODS: One hundred patients treated with MTX for approximately 3 months were prospectively followed up to evaluate the clinical response according to European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) good and moderate response, disease activity score in 28 joint counts - erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) low disease activity (LDA) and remission (REM), change in DAS28-ESR (ΔDAS28-ESR) and ΔDAS28-ESR > 0.6. Genetic polymorphisms were genotyped utilizing the HI-SNP technology. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients with a mean age of 52.23 ± 12.71 years, 81 patients were female (81.00%). After adjusting potential confounders, the major allele of miRNA-5189 rs562929801 was found to be significantly associated with EULAR response (A/A + A/G versus G/G, RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67-0.99, P = 0.04) and ΔDAS28-ESR > 0.6 under dominant model (A/A + A/G versus G/G, RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71-0.98, P = 0.03). However, nonsignificant evidence was detected for the remaining three miRNA-related genetic polymorphisms in neither univariable analysis nor multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that miRNA-5189 rs562929801 was significantly associated with clinical response to MTX, and this association warrants further replication studies with larger sample sizes.

Broadband Near-Infrared-Emitting Phosphors with Suppressed Concentration Quenching in a Two-Dimensional Structure.

For inorganic luminescent materials with activators, the energy yield is usually observed to decrease with an increase in activator concentration, which is known as the concentration quenching effect. To inhibit this phenomenon, a common strategy is to increase the distance between activators. Most previous reports have focused on the three-dimensional crystal lattice, and there have been few reports about two-dimensional layered structure. Herein, we synthesized a novel Cr3+-activated near-infrared (NIR) phosphor Li2Sr2Al(PO4)3 (LSAPO) with layered structure, and in such a two-dimensional structure, we proved experimentally that the concentration quenching was suppressed. Under 460 nm excitation, LSAPO:Cr3+ gave a broad NIR emission band (700-1200 nm) centered at 823 nm with a full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 178 nm and a broad absorption band, indicating its potential application in NIR spectroscopy. Moreover, by codoping Cr3+ and Yb3+ ions, we further widened the emission bandwidth to ∼230 nm of fwhm, the internal quantum efficiency increased from 54% to 61%, and the thermal stability was improved. The fabricated NIR device with a LSAPO:Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphor coupled with blue chips can be applied in night-vision technologies and medical fields.

Associations Between Genetic Polymorphisms Within Transporter Genes and Clinical Response to Methotrexate in Chinese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To investigate the associations between genetic polymorphisms within transporter genes and clinical response to methotrexate (MTX) in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 RA patients receiving MTX were prospectively followed up for approximately 3 months to determine the clinical response based on several criteria, including European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) good and moderate response, disease activity score in 28 joint counts - erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) low disease activity (LDA), change in DAS28-ESR (ΔDAS28-ESR) and ΔDAS28-ESR >0.6. Fifty-four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within seven transporter genes, including SLC19A1, ABCB1, ABCC1~4 and ABCG2, were genotyped. Results: Multivariable analysis revealed that SLC19A1 rs12659 and rs3788200, ABCC2 rs3740066, rs4148396 and rs717620 were significantly associated with EULAR good and moderate response, and ABCC2 rs3740066 and rs717620 were significantly associated with DAS28-ESR LDA, and ABCB1 rs1128503, rs4148737 and ABCC3 rs2277624, rs4148416 were significantly associated with ΔDAS28-ESR. Moreover, 12 genetic polymorphisms were found to be significantly associated with ΔDAS28-ESR >0.6. With adjustment for corresponding confounders, SLC19A1 TGAA haplotype consisting of rs1051266, rs1131596, rs12659 and rs3788200 was significantly associated with EULAR good and moderate response and ΔDAS28-ESR >0.6 compared with the most common haplotype CAGG. The ABCC2 haplotype TTT composed of rs717620, rs4148396 and rs3740066 was significantly associated with EULAR good and moderate response and ΔDAS28-ESR >0.6 compared with the most common haplotype CCC. Conclusion: Our results highlight the potential of genetic polymorphisms within transporter genes, particularly SLC19A1 and ABCC2, as predictors of clinical response to MTX in Chinese RA patients.

Highly thermally stable Cr3+ and Yb3+ codoped Gd2GaSbO7 phosphors for broadband near-infrared applications.

Gd2GaSbO7:Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphors with efficient broadband NIR emission were prepared by a solid-state reaction. Under the excitation of 448 nm, the Gd2GaSbO7:Cr3+ (GGS:Cr3+) phosphor exhibits a broadband NIR emission band centered at approximately 770 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 160 nm. In addition, Yb3+ codoping can distinctly improve the photoluminescence properties of the GGS:Cr3+ phosphor, leading to broadening of the FWHM and greatly enhancing the thermal stability of the phosphor. Moreover, the energy conversion process of Cr3+ → Yb3+ ions was analyzed in detail, demonstrating that the energy transfer mechanism conformed to electric dipole-dipole interaction. The NIR pc-LEDs assembled with the GGS:Cr3+ phosphor and blue LED chips possessed a maximum NIR output power of ∼21 mW at 100 mA driving current, indicating promising applications of the synthesized phosphor in NIR pc-LEDs.

Assessment of genetic polymorphisms within nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway genes in rheumatoid arthritis: Evidence for replication and genetic interaction.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to replicate the associations of genetic polymorphisms within nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway genes with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to further examine genetic interactions in a Chinese population. METHODS: A total of eleven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 594 RA patients and 604 healthy controls. RESULTS: Genetic association analysis revealed that NFKBIE rs2233434, TNIP1 rs10036748 and BLK rs13277113 were significantly associated with RA, cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP)-positive RA and rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive RA, and TNFAIP3 rs2230926 was significantly associated with CCP-positive RA. Significant additive interaction was observed between NFKB1 rs28362491 and IKBKE rs12142086 (RERI = 0.76, 95% CI 0.13-1.38; AP = 0.57, 95% CI 0.11-1.03), NFKBIE rs2233434 and BLK rs13277113 (RERI = 1.41, 95% CI 0.88-1.94; AP = 0.85, 95% CI 0.50-1.20), NFKBIL rs2071592 and TNIP1 rs10036748 (RERI = 0.59, 95% CI 0.17-1.02; AP = 0.46, 95% CI 0.05-0.87), UBE2L3 rs5754217 and TNFSF4 rs2205960 (RERI = 0.50, 95% CI 0.16-0.84; AP = 0.57, 95% CI 0.09-1.05). Significant multiplicative interaction was detected between BLK rs13277113 and UBE2L3 rs5754217 (p = 0.02), BLK rs13277113 and TNFSF4 rs2205960 (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our results lent further support to the role of NF-κB signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of RA from a genetic perspective.

Novel SrGd2Al2O7:Mn4+, Nd3+, and Yb3+ phosphors for c-Si solar cells.

Novel single-doped and codoped SrGd2Al2O7-based (SGA) phosphors with tunable emission were synthesized via the solid-state reaction approach. The optimal SGA:0.0008Mn4+ phosphor presents an emission band peaking at 709 nm and shows great red luminescence properties. With the incorporation of Nd3+/Yb3+ into SGA:0.0008Mn4+, an efficient energy transfer Mn4+→ Nd3+/Yb3+ was observed. When Nd3+ and Yb3+ were codoped into SGA:0.0008Mn4+, an energy transfer mechanism from Mn4+ to Nd3+ to Yb3+ was found on the basis of the energy transfer mediation of Nd3+ connecting the Mn4+ and Yb3+ luminescent centers. It results in a strong near-infrared emission in the spectral region of high response of c-Si solar cells, which suggests a potential approach to improve the energy conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cells. The findings offer a novel route to design new down-conversion luminescent materials for the c-Si solar cells.

Genetic association analysis of ATG16L1 rs2241880, rs6758317 and ATG16L2 rs11235604 polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to test whether ATG16L1 rs2241880, rs6758317 and ATG16L2 rs11235604 polymorphisms were associated with RA and further examine the genetic interaction between ATG16L1 and ATG16L2 in RA among a Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 594 RA patients and 604 healthy controls were included, and the genetic polymorphisms were genotyped based on HI-SNP technology. RESULTS: Significant associations of ATG16L1 rs2241880 polymorphism with RA (T/T versus C/T + C/C, OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.04-1.67, P = 0.02), cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP)-positive RA (genotype comparison, P = 5.38 × 10-3; T/T versus C/T + C/C, OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.12-1.87, P = 4.86 × 10-3) and rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive RA (genotype comparison, P = 0.03; T versus C, OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.01-1.49, P = 0.04; T/T versus C/T + C/C, OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.10-1.88, P = 7.62 × 10-3) were found. Significant genetic interaction between ATG16L1 rs2241880 and ATG16L2 rs11235604 was associated RA (P = 0.03), and significant genetic interaction between ATG16L1 rs6758317 and ATG16L2 rs11235604 was associated with RA (P = 7.57 × 10-3), CCP-positive RA (P = 0.01) and RF-positive RA (P = 0.01). Consistently, stratification analysis found that significant associations of RA with ATG16L1 rs2241880, rs6758317 polymorphisms were only detected among individuals carrying C/T genotype of the ATG16L2 rs11235604 polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that ATG16L1 rs2241880 polymorphism was associated with RA in Chinese population, and provided evidence for genetic interaction between ATG16L1 and ATG16L2 in determing the development of RA, highlighting the involvement of autophagy in the pathogenesis of RA.

Associations of genetic polymorphisms within MALAT1, UCA1, FAM211A-AS1 and AC000111.6 with genetic susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis.

Recently, several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) including MALAT1, UCA1, ENST00000483588, and ENST00000456270 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and we hypothesized that polymorphisms within these lncRNA genes might be genetic modifiers for the development of RA. A total of 10 potentially functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected and genotyped in 1198 participants, including 594 RA patients and 604 healthy controls. Significant associations of FAM211A-AS1 rs2882581 (G vs. A, OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.07-1.62, p = .01; G/G + A/G vs. A/A, OR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.08-1.83, p = .01), rs3744281 (T vs. A, OR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.02-1.54, p = .03; T/T vs. A/T + A/A, OR = 1.69, 95%CI 1.01-2.82, p = 4.59 × 10-2), and rs3760235 (A vs. G, OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.04-1.68, p = .02; A/A vs. A/G + G/G, OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.00-1.74, p = 4.89 × 10-2) with RF-positive RA were found. Functional annotation results indicated that these identified polymorphisms might regulate the expression of FAM211A-AS1 and nearby genes via impacting on transcription factor binding. Taken together, our results indicated that FAM211A-AS1 rs2882581, rs3744281, and rs3760235 were involved in the genetic background of RF-positive RA.

Plasma Long Non-Coding RNA Expression Profiles in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted substantial attention owing to their unforeseen critical roles in a wide range of biological processes. The aim of our study was to provide an overview of lncRNA expression profiles in plasma of RA patients. METHODS: The Agilent LncRNA + mRNA Human Gene Expression Microarray V4.0 was employed to determine differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs in plasma of four female newly diagnosed and DMARD-naïve RA patients and four female age-matched healthy controls. The KOBAS (KEGG Orthology Based Annotation System) software was applied to determine the gene ontology (GO) terms and pathway in which the DE mRNAs were enriched. Furthermore, a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was constructed according to the correlation between DE lncRNAs and mRNAs. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, a total of 289 DE lncRNAs (169 up-regulated and 120 down-regulated) and 468 DE mRNAs (280 up-regulated and 188 down-regulated) were found in the plasma of patients with RA. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the DE mRNAs might be involved in the pathogenesis of RA mainly through platelets. In addition, a co-expression network composed of 229 network nodes and 340 connections between 116 lncRNAs and 113 mRNAs was constructed. CONCLUSIONS: We characterized the plasma lncRNA expression profiles in RA patients for the first time. Our results could shed new light on the pathogenesis of RA and help identify lncRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for RA.

The clinical value of hematological markers in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with tocilizumab.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence indicates that some hematological markers have critical value in evaluating treatment response. This study was performed to determine the clinical value of hemoglobin (Hb), platelet (Plt), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with tocilizumab (TCZ). METHODS: Fifty-two RA patients receiving TCZ were recruited and followed for 6 months. The values of abovementioned hematological markers were collected. Clinical disease activity index (CDAI) and disease activity score based on 28 joints (DAS28)-ESR were calculated. Correlation analysis was conducted by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient. The change in disease activity between groups according to the baseline level of hematological markers was compared by t test. RESULTS: Significant correlation between change in NLR (△NLR), change in PLR (△PLR), and change in CDAI (△CDAI) was found (△NLR: r = 0.30, P = 0.03; △PLR: r = 0.31, P = 0.03). The change in Plt (△Plt) was correlated with change in DAS28-ESR (△DAS28-ESR) (r = 0.36, P = 8.24 × 10-3 ). Greater improvement in CDAI was seen in patients categorized into Plt high group (t = 2.06, P = 0.04), NLR high group (t = 2.15, P = 0.04), and PLR high group (t = 2.41, P = 0.02) compared with the contrast group. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that △Plt, △NLR, and △PLR could be used to monitor the clinical response to TCZ. RA patients with high baseline levels of Plt, NLR, and PLR achieved more improvement, indicating these hematological markers might be utilized to guide TCZ treatment.

Body Mass Index and Clinical Response to Tocilizumab in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine whether baseline body mass index (BMI) affects clinical response to tocilizumab (TCZ) after six months of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, a total of 52 RA patients (10 males, 42 females; mean age 50.6±12.2 years; range, 23 to 73 years) receiving intravenous TCZ were consecutively recruited and followed-up for six months. BMI was calculated before initiation of TCZ treatment. The primary clinical response criterion was clinical disease activity index (CDAI) low disease activity (LDA) and the secondary clinical response criteria included CDAI remission, disease activity score based on 28 joints (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) LDA, DAS28-ESR remission, European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) good response, and decreased DAS28-ESR (ΔDAS28-ESR)≥1.2. RESULTS: The number of RA patients classified as normal weight, overweight, and obese according to baseline BMI was 38 (73.1%), eight (15.4%), and six (11.5%), respectively. Similar baseline BMI median levels were found between RA patients reaching CDAI LDA and non-LDA: 21.11 (18.94-23.72) versus 20.78 (20.03-22.29) (p=0.98), and non-significant difference in the proportion of responders between normal weight and overweight/obese RA patients was found (p=0.47). No significant difference was found when the secondary clinical response criteria were applied. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that BMI is not associated with clinical response to TCZ among RA patients and TCZ may be used to treat RA patients regardless of BMI levels.

LBH mRNA Expression and Polymorphisms in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: This study was performed to determine the mRNA expression levels of limb-bud and heart (LBH) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to assess the associations of LBH rs7579944 and rs906868 polymorphisms with RA in a Chinese population. Methods: Real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to determine the LBH mRNA expression in PBMCs from 53 patients with RA and 58 healthy controls, and LBH rs7579944 and rs906868 polymorphisms were genotyped in 328 RA patients and 449 healthy controls. Results: The LBH mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased in RA patients compared with healthy controls (p = 0.02). However, non-significant correlation between LBH mRNA expression in PBMCs and ESR (r = 0.14, p = 0.36), CRP (r = 0.17, p = 0.27) or DAS28-ESR (r = 0.23, p = 0.12) was found. There was no significant difference in neither genotype (p = 0.90) nor allele (p = 0.97) distribution of the LBH rs7579944 polymorphism between RA patients and healthy controls. The relationships between the major allele T of LBH rs7579944 polymorphism and the risk of RA under dominant and recessive model were examined, whereas non-significant evidence was found. Similarly, a non-significant signal was detected for the association of LBH rs906868 polymorphism with RA. Conclusions: Decreased expression of LBH mRNA in PBMCs might contribute to the pathogenesis of RA.