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Biomedical subjects

D Shapira

Publications and source records attributed to D Shapira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Musculoskeletal manifestations of Crohn's disease.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal system complaint and involvement in a group of 54 Crohn's disease patients, with a follow-up of 2 to 40 years, was studied and compared to that of a control group of patients with a similar distribution of sex and age. Twenty-four (44%) with Crohn's disease complained of arthralgia in various joints, but only 7.4% had objective findings compatible with joint pathology such as swelling, tenderness, and decreased range of motion. None of them had any serological or radiological evidences of joint damage. No significant correlation was found between patients' complaints/physical signs and age, sex, duration, or severity of Crohn's disease or mode of medical or surgical treatment. In the control group, 46% complained of arthralgia in various joint. The differences in the percentages of arthralgia between the two groups was not significant, although they differed in location of the affected joint. In the Crohn's disease group, a significantly higher proportion of knee, hip, and wrist involvement was observed, while backache was very common in the control group. It is suggested that arthritis in patients with Crohn's disease is an uncommon finding and that arthralgia is just as prevalent as in a matched control group. The pathogenesis of arthralgia in such a condition may be caused by soft tissue involvement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Sulfasalazine in rheumatoid arthritis].

Sulfasalazine (SLZ) is now a second-line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as in psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. 54 patients with active RA were treated with enteric coated SLZ (2 g daily) in a 24-week open study. Clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity were monitored initially and thereafter at 2-week intervals for the first 2 months, and then at 4-week intervals until the end of the 24-week study. There was significant clinical improvement at the end, as shown by scores for joint pain (Ritchie), grip strength and morning stiffness (p less than 0.0001, less than 0.0001 and less than 0.01, respectively, by paired t test). Clinical improvement was accompanied by significant decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and increase in hemoglobin (p less than 0.002 and less than 0.016, respectively). There was improvement in some cases as early as 3 weeks after starting therapy. The drop-out rate was significant: 19/54 (35%), most (13) due to side-effects, mainly gastrointestinal; none of the side-effects were serious. Our results, similar to those of other studies, indicate that despite the high rate of side effects, SLZ is an effective, second-line drug for RA.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1989

Direct detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with monoclonal antibodies characterized by serotyping reagents.

A panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed to outer membrane protein I were generated with the ultimate aim of detecting Neisseria gonorrhoeae in patient samples by a direct immunofluorescence (IF) test. In an initial evaluation of the sensitivity of these reagents, a cocktail of six IF MAbs recognized 491 (91%) of 540 gonococci isolates from several centers in Sydney, Australia. IF MAbs designated 185 and 228 recognized serovars of WI serogroup and IF MAbs 208, 210, and 312 recognized serovars of WII/III serogroup. IF MAb 198 recognized serovars within both serogroups. Three additional IF MAbs, designated 322, 323, and 330, were then generated by using strains which failed to react with the original MAb cocktail and which belonged to particular serovars. The new cocktail of nine IF MAbs recognized 96% of the gonococcal isolates, which incidentally contained representatives of serovars shown to have a worldwide distribution in previous studies. Although subtle differences were apparent in the reaction patterns found with coagglutination (serotyping) and IF, there nonetheless seems to be merit in the approach of continually evaluating the sensitivity of diagnostic reagents such as MAbs. This is especially true with an organism such as N. gonorrhoeae, which has the capacity to regularly alter the antigenic structure of its outer membrane proteins.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1989

[The liver in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis].

Hepatic involvement in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis of the systemic type (JRA) is a diagnostic challenge because of the varied clinical picture it presents. We describe a 21-year-old woman in whom JRA had started at the age of 4 years as an illness resembling familial Mediterranean fever. This long-standing illness was complicated by liver damage and needle biopsy showed massive hepatic deposition of amyloid. It is possible that this patient may have developed JRA as a complication of familial Mediterranean fever.

Adult↗