Objective. To compare tumor necrosis factor ␣ inhibitors directly regarding the rates of treatment response, remission, and the drug survival rate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to identify clinical prognostic factors for response.Methods. The nationwide DANBIO registry collects data on rheumatology patients receiving routine care. For the present study, we included patients from DANBIO who had RA (n ‫؍‬ 2,326) in whom the first biologic treatment was initiated (29% received adalimumab, 22% received etanercept, and 49% received infliximab). Baseline predictors of treatment response were identified. The odds ratios (ORs) for clinical responses and remission and hazard ratios (HRs) for drug withdrawal were calculated, corrected for age, disease duration, the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints

Osteoporosis is suspected as a risk factor in periodontal disease, but previous studies have failed to establish a relationship. Possible explanations for this could be lack of precise methods for assessment of osteoporosis in the jaws and confounding of the result by other factors such as age, gender, or smoking. In the present study 12 female patients with osteoporotic fractures (Group O) and 14 normal women (Group N) were examined clinically for plaque (VPI), gingival bleeding (GBI), and loss of attachment on the 6 Ramfjord index teeth. Bone mineral content (BMC) of the mandible and forearm was determined by dual photon scanning. Results were presented as arithmetic means +/- standard error, and differences between groups were tested by 2-sample t-test. The two groups were comparable with respect to age (O: 68.3 +/- 1.8 years, N: 68.1 +/- 1.5 years), menopausal age (O: 47.5 +/- 1.8 years, N: 47.2 +/- 1.3 years), and smoking habits (O: 4 smokers, N: 3 smokers). The osteoporotic women had significantly lower BMC values than controls in the mandible (O: 0.63 +/- 0.04 in U/cm2; N: 0.78 +/- 0.02 in U/cm2, P < 0.01) and forearm (O: 1.05 +/- 0.05 in U/cm; N: 1.28 +/- 0.05 in U/cm, P < 0.01). No significant differences were found with respect to plaque (O: 46.67 +/- 10.00%, N: 36.67 +/- 6.67%) and gingival bleeding (O: 46.67 +/- 11.67%, N: 43.33 +/- 10.00%), whereas significantly greater loss of attachment was seen in osteoporotic women (O: 3.65 +/- 0.18 mm, N: 2.86 +/- 0.19 mm, P < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A significant relationship between body weight (BW) and bone mass (BM) has been established previously. A diet-induced weight loss is accompanied by a significant decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and total body bone mineral (TBBM), but the underlying mechanisms are not clarified. Sixty-two obese women were included in the study. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and measurements of a series of calciumregulating hormones and biochemical markers of bone turnover were performed at baseline and after 1 month and 3 months on a low calorie diet. Thirty of the women were randomized to a daily supplement of 1 g of calcium. After an additional 3 months without dietary prescriptions or calcium supplements, a subgroup of 48 subjects (24 from each group) were scanned again using DXA. There was a significant decrease in TBBM after 1 month and 3 months. A similar pattern was observed in the bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine in the patients who did not receive a calcium supplement, whereas no changes occurred in the supplemented group. The initial calcium supplementation seemed to protect against bone loss in the lumbar spine but not in the TBBM. In the nonsupplemented group, a statistically significant inverse correlation was found between the calcium/creatinine ratio in the morning urine and the changes in BMC of the lumbar spine. Such a relationship was not seen in the calcium-supplemented group. In the nonsupplemented group, no significant biochemical changes were observed, whereas a significant decrease in serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) was seen in the calcium-supplemented group. This might explain some of the protective effects of calcium supplementation on trabecular bone mass. We conclude that a diet-induced weight loss is accompanied by a generalized bone loss, which probably is explained mainly by a reduced mechanical strain on the skeleton. This loss can be partly inhibited by a high calcium intake. Therefore, a calcium supplementation should be recommended during weight loss, even if the diet contains the officially recommended amounts of calcium.

Interleukin (IL)-6, a key player in the inflammatory response, may be a useful biomarker in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim was to determine analytical variability, a reference interval in healthy subjects, and long- and short-term variation in serum and plasma IL-6 in healthy subjects and RA patients. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from R&D was used for determination of serum and plasma IL-6. The IL-6 concentration did not depend on the type of anticoagulant used or the 3-h time delay between sampling and processing or repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The median plasma and serum IL-6 in 318 healthy subjects were 1.3 pg ml(-1) (range 0.33-26) and 1.4 pg ml(-1) (range 0.25-23), respectively. The median coefficient of variation in plasma IL-6 in 27 healthy subjects during 1 month, and repeated after 6 and 12 months were 27%, 31% and 26%, respectively. No significant long-term changes were observed in serum IL-6 over a 3-year period (14%, p = 0.33). Exercise (cycling) increased serum IL-6 in healthy subjects but not in RA patients. In conclusion, circulating IL-6 is stable regarding sample handling and shows little variation over time. Changes in IL-6 concentrations > 60% (2 times the biological variation) are likely to reflect changes in disease activity and not only pre-analytical or normal biological variability.