Hydrarthrosis

Abstract: Objectives To determine whether aquaporins (AQPs) are expressed in the synovial tissues of patients with OA and RA, and to examine the patterns of expression in patients with and without hydrarthrosis Methods AQPs were detected in synovial tissue samples from patients with OA and RA using RTPCR and immunohistochemistry Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) from patients with OA and RA were cultured and stimulated with TNF-a The expression of AQPs in FLSs was examined using RTPCR and western blot analyses and the function of aquaglyceroporins was examined by a glycerol uptake assay Results AQP1, -3 and -9 mRNAs were expressed in synovial tissues from patients with OA and RA AQP1, -3 and -9 proteins were also detected by immunohistochemistry AQP9 mRNA was expressed more strongly in the synovial tissues of OA patients with hydrarthrosis than those without AQP9 mRNA and protein expression were strongly induced with TNF-a treatment in FLSs, whereas the expression of AQP1 and -3 mRNAs was not induced with TNF-a treatment AQP9 as an aquaglyceroporin was induced by TNF-a Conclusions AQP9 mRNA was detected in synovial tissues from OA and RA patients with hydrarthrosis AQP9 expression was strongly induced in FLSs with TNF-a Although the functions of AQP1, -3 and -9 in synovial tissues remain to be elucidated, it suggested that AQP9 might be related to the pathogenesis of hydrarthrosis and inflammatory synovitis

Abstract: Irradiation of the synovium for the treatment of chronic knee effusions associated with rheumatoid arthritis and allied conditions is being increasingly used as an alternative to surgical synovectomy. Intraarticular injections of a colloidal solution of radioactive gold (19\"8Au) has been tried with some success (Ansell, Crook, Mallard, and Bywaters, 1963; Virkkunen, Krusius, and Heiskanen, 1967; Makin and Robin, 1968; Grahame, Ramsey, and Scott, 1970). However, as 198Au has a beta-particle maximum range in tissue of only 4 mm. and as the synovium in these chronic knee effusions can attain a thickness of greater than 1 cm., a complete synovial ablation is not produced. A serious disadvantage of intraarticular 198Au is that there may be marked leakage from the joint to the regional lymph nodes, the liver, and spleen in as many as 36 per cent. of patients so treated (Virkkunnen and others, 1967). Moreover, radioactive gold possesses a significant gamma-ray component and this gives an unwanted whole body radiation to the patient. Because of these disadvantages it has been suggested that radioactive yttrium (90Y) may be a more suitable agent (Ansell and others, 1963; Grahame and others, 1970). 90Y is a pure beta-emitter with a maximum range in tissue of 10 mm. It has a higher maximum energy than gold, 2 26 MeV compared with 0 9 MeV, and it has a half-life of 2-7 days. The whole body distribution of 90Y silicate and 90Y resin after intraarticular injections has been compared (Prichard, Bridgman, and Bleehen, 1970). It was found that silicate preparations were associated with an appreciable leakage from the joint, but that the resin remained localized. It has also been shown that the 90Y resin was taken up more or less evenly in both normal and inflamed rabbit synovia (Webb, Lowe, and Bluestone, 1969). We have therefore undertaken a controlled double-blind trial, using intra-articular 90Y resin in the treatment of chronic knee effusions. The preliminary results after assessment of all cases 6 months after the intra-articular injections are presented.

Abstract: Studies on the synovial fluid lipoproteins were initiated several years ago. In 1953 Ropes and Bauer (1) reported on the cholesterol content of joint fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Subsequently Schmid and MacNair (2, 3) noted that when referred to the same amount of protein rather than volume of fluid, the lipoprotein content of pathological and pooled postmortem synovial fluids was very similar and amounted to approximately two-thirds of the corresponding value of normal human serum. The ratio of f8to a-lipoproteins of certain fluids from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, however, was essentially the same as that of the patient's serum. Recently Chung, Shanahan, and Brown (4) and Bole (5) studied the lipid content of the different classes of synovial fluids, as did Schur and Sandson (6), who stated that 83-lipoprotein was markedly decreased as compared to normal serum. Since most of the fractionation procedures used separated the serum and synovial fluid lipoproteins into only two groups, the reported results led to a very rough description of these substances. The use of ultracentrifugal techniques would permit characterization of essentially all classes of lipoproteins of serum and synovial fluid and the detection of small differences that might be found in various lipoprotein classes. The present study therefore was undertaken a) to assess analytical ultracentrifugation methodology in the analysis of synovial fluid lipoproteins, b) to compare synovial fluid and serum lipoprotein levels in a given patient, and c) to determine whether different