Biomedical subjects

F A van Gaalen

Publications and source records attributed to F A van Gaalen.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Smoking is a risk factor for anti-CCP antibodies only in rheumatoid arthritis patients who carry HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles.

OBJECTIVES: To study the gene-environment interaction of tobacco exposure and shared epitope on autoantibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and undifferentiated arthritis. METHODS: From incident cases of arthritis (n = 1305), patients who did not fulfil any classification criteria (undifferentiated arthritis (n = 486)) and those who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (n = 407) were identified. IgM rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic-citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies, and HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined. RESULTS: In rheumatoid arthritis, an interaction was found between tobacco exposure and shared epitope for the presence of anti-CCP antibodies, as the odds ratio for anti-CCP antibodies in patients having both tobacco exposure (TE) and shared epitope (SE) was higher than the summed odds ratios of patients having only tobacco exposure or shared epitope (odds ratios: TE+/SE-, 1.07; TE-/SE+, 2.49; and TE+/SE+, 5.27-all relative to TE-/SE-). A similar effect was found for RF, but stratification showed that the interaction primarily associated with the anti-CCP antibody response. In patients with undifferentiated arthritis at two weeks, or with persistent undifferentiated arthritis after one year, no interaction between tobacco exposure and shared epitope was observed for the presence of autoantibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco exposure increases the risk factor for anti-CCP antibodies only in shared epitope positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The gene-environment interaction between smoking and shared epitope leading to autoantibodies is specific for rheumatoid arthritis and is not observed in undifferentiated arthritis.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

A comparison of the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of the first and second anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP1 and CCP2) autoantibody tests for rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic performance and prognostic value of the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP1) and anti-CCP2 autoantibody tests in a clinical setting. METHODS: Anti-CCP1 and anti-CCP2 antibody tests were performed on the same serum samples obtained from 467 patients with early arthritis from the Leiden Arthritis Cohort. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for discriminating between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and non-RA at 1 year's follow up were calculated for both tests. Results were graphically presented using receiver operating characteristic curves. Progression of radiological joint damage was assessed over 4 years in patients with RA and used to assess the prognostics values of the CCP tests. RESULTS: At a similar specificity the CCP2 test had a higher sensitivity than the CCP1 test. Both tests identified a subgroup of patients with RA with an increased rate of joint damage progression. The anti-CCP2 test identified more patients with an increased rate of joint damage progression than the anti-CCP1 test, and in multiple regression analysis CCP2 was the better predictor of joint damage. CONCLUSIONS: The CCP2 test had better diagnostic and prognostic ability than the CCP1 test.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Autoantibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides predict progression to rheumatoid arthritis in patients with undifferentiated arthritis: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, severe, chronic inflammatory joint disease. Since the disease may initially be indistinguishable from other forms of arthritis, early diagnosis can be difficult. Autoantibodies seen in RA can be detected years before clinical symptoms develop. In an inception cohort of patients with recent-onset arthritis, we undertook this study to assess the predictive value of RA-specific autoantibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCPs) in patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA). METHODS: Anti-CCP2 antibody tests were performed at baseline in 936 consecutive, newly referred patients with recent-onset arthritis. Patients who could not be properly classified 2 weeks after inclusion were categorized as having UA. Patients with UA were followed up for 3 years and evaluated for progression of their disease to RA as defined by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1987 revised criteria. RESULTS: Three hundred eighteen of 936 patients with recent-onset arthritis were classified as having UA and were available for analysis. After 3 years of followup, 127 of 318 UA patients (40%) had been classified as having RA. RA had developed in 63 of 249 patients (25%) with a negative anti-CCP test and in 64 of 69 patients (93%) with a positive anti-CCP test (odds ratio 37.8 [95% confidence interval 13.8-111.9]). Multivariate analysis of the presence of anti-CCP antibodies and parameters from the ACR criteria identified polyarthritis, symmetric arthritis, erosions on radiographs, and anti-CCP antibodies as significant predictors of RA. CONCLUSION: Testing for anti-CCP antibodies in UA allows accurate prediction of a substantial number of patients who will fulfill the ACR criteria for RA.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Association of the -2849 interleukin-10 promoter polymorphism with autoantibody production and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the -2849 A/G interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphism, which is associated with high (AG/GG) and low (AA) IL-10 production, in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and controls in order to gain a better understanding of its role in the incidence and progression of RA. METHODS: Allele frequencies of the promoter polymorphism -2849 A/G and carriage rates were compared in 283 RA patients, 413 patients with other rheumatic diseases, and 1,220 healthy controls. The rate of joint damage and baseline levels of IgG and IgM rheumatoid factors and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies were measured and were correlated with the IL-10 gene polymorphism. Furthermore, the correlation between the invasiveness of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and the -2849 IL-10 genotype was tested. RESULTS: The IL-10 genotype was not associated with the incidence of RA, but instead, correlated with disease progression, as determined by the extent of joint destruction. A higher rate of joint destruction was observed in patients with the genotype associated with high IL-10 production. Since FLS are thought to be involved in joint destruction, we analyzed IL-10 genotypes in conjunction with FLS invasiveness. Although adenoviral gene transfer of IL-10 to FLS inhibited their invasiveness, no differences were observed in vitro in the FLS from RA patients who were -2849 non-G carriers compared with those who were G carriers. Instead, patients with the -2849 AG/GG genotype, which is associated with high IL-10 production, had higher autoantibody titers at baseline. CONCLUSION: The -2849 IL-10 promoter polymorphism is associated with autoantibody production and subsequent joint damage in RA.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Discovery of distinctive gene expression profiles in rheumatoid synovium using cDNA microarray technology: evidence for the existence of multiple pathways of tissue destruction and repair.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a heterogeneous disease. We used cDNA microarray technology to subclassify RA patients and disclose disease pathways in rheumatoid synovium. Hierarchical clustering of gene expression data identified two main groups of tissues (RA-I and RA-II). A total of 121 genes were significantly higher expressed in the RA-I tissues, whereas 39 genes were overexpressed in the RA-II tissues. Among the 121 genes overexpressed in RA-I tissues, a relative majority of nine genes are located on chromosome 6p21.3. An interpretation of biological processes that take place revealed that the gene expression profile in RA-I tissues is indicative for an adaptive immune response. The RA-II group showed expression of genes suggestive for fibroblast dedifferentiation. Within the RA-I group, two subgroups could be distinguished; the RA-Ia group showed predominantly immune-related gene activity, while the RA-Ib group showed an additional higher activity of genes indicative for the classical pathway of complement activation. All tissues except the RA-Ia subgroup showed elevated expression of genes involved in tissue remodeling. These results confirm the heterogeneous nature of RA and suggest the existence of distinct pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to RA. The differences in expression profiles provide opportunities to stratify patients based on molecular criteria.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗