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356 active trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis

MusculRA: The Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Skeletal Muscle Biomechanics

Persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) suffer from increased disability and mortality, in part resulting from skeletal muscle impairments. In this study, our objective is to determine if skeletal muscle biomechanical properties are altered in RA. Up to 15 participants with early RA defined as duration of disease/symptoms of less than 6 months (where "duration" denotes the length of time the patient has had symptoms/disease, not the length of time since RA diagnosis) AND prior to starting biologic Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARD) therapy and 15 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched controls will undergo clinical assessments of skeletal muscle stiffness and elasticity as measured by the hand-held MyotonPro device. Additional study participant assessments include cardiopulmonary exercise testing, muscle strength testing, body composition measurement using BodPod, muscle oxidative capacity testing using near-infrared spectroscopy, and thigh muscle needle biopsies to compare clinical findings to an ex vivo cultured myobundle system. Primary statistical analyses will be comparisons of skeletal muscle parameters in RA compared to controls and correlations to determine relationships between variables. Thigh muscle biopsies are a low-risk procedure that may cause minor local soreness and bleeding; all other clinical assessments are non-invasive and will induce minimal discomfort to participants.

Start: September 2020
Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus: Restoring Cholesterol Balance

Hypothesis: SLE and RA increase risk of myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack). Immune reactants in the circulation of SLE patients downregulate cholesterol efflux proteins 27-hydroxylase and ABCA1 and upregulate scavenger receptor CD36, thus encouraging cholesterol accumulation. Adenosine A2A receptor agonist or statin treatment of cells exposed to SLE plasma (or immune complexes or cytokine-enriched plasma fractions from SLE patients) may ameliorate inflammatory properties of their plasma, lessening its atherogenic potency. Rationale: SLE and RA plasma contain components not present in significant levels in normal plasma that could, individually or acting together, affect 27-hydroxylase, ABCA1 and CD36 expression. Candidate components include autoantibodies, immune complexes, and various cytokines. Statins reduce major cardiovascular events and death. Modulation of adenosine signaling participates in regulation of 27-hydroxylase and ABCA1. As a potential preventative and therapeutic approach to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the investigators evaluate the effect of A2A receptor agonists and statins on atherogenic parameters in SLE and RA plasma. Experimental Plan: Quantitate 27-hydroxylase and several other proteins involved in cellular cholesterol uptake and excretion in THP-1 monocytes/macrophages and HAEC after exposure to plasma and plasma components from SLE patients (and controls) ± lipid loading with acetylated LDL with/without addition of A2AR agonist, statin, or both. Determine relative impact of immune complexes and cytokines on expression of proteins involved in cholesterol flux. Determine levels of proteins involved in cellular cholesterol influx/efflux in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from RA, SLE and psoriatic arthritis patients and normal controls at baseline, then following incubation in culture media alone or with statin, adenosine A2A agonist or both statin + A2AR agonist.

Start: September 2008
Evaluation of the Incidence of Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Its Effect on Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune, systemic inflammatory disease with a prevalence of approximately 1%. With a lifetime development rate of 3.6%, rheumatoid arthritis is seen 1.7% more in women than in men. Although there are no diagnostic criteria for rheumatoid arthritis, ACR / EULAR 2010 classification criteria are frequently used in diagnosis. Symptom duration, number of swollen joints, acute phase reactants and serology are used in these criteria. Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by chronic widespread pain, fatigue, exercise disorders and cognitive impairment. Although the prevalence of fibromyalgia syndrome in the general population is between 2-4%, it is one of the most common conditions encountered by rheumatologists. A treat to target strategy is recommended in rheumatoid arthritis disease management. This approach suggests close monitoring of disease activity and treatment change in cases where the goal is not achieved. The prevalence of fibromyalgia in rheumatoid arthritis patients was found to be 5-52% in meta-analyzes due to the heterogeneity of fibromyalgia criteria used in studies. This study, it was aimed to evaluate the effect of secondary fibromyalgia syndrome, which is frequently found in rheumatoid arthritis and characterized by symptoms such as fatigue and widespread pain, on rheumatoid arthritis disease activation and patients' quality of life.

Start: April 2021