Introduction: Among the chronic and feared complications of this disease, rheumatoid vasculitis stands out as one of the most severe, albeit rare. The most frequently affected sites by rheumatoid vasculitis are the skin and the peripheral nervous system. We report a case of rheumatoid vasculitis complicating a 30-year history of untreated rheumatoid arthritis. Case Report: The patient is a 75-year-old male with a 30-year history of deforming and erosive seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. He presented with polyarthritis and digital necrosis. Physical examination revealed peripheral joint syndrome with characteristic deformities of rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, there was well-demarcated dry gangrene affecting the first and second digits of the right hand. Laboratory findings indicated an inflammatory syndrome. Tests for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) to investigate other causes of vasculitis were negative. The patient received a corticosteroid bolus. After two weeks, there was a marked reduction in pain and an improvement in the general condition. The dry gangrene remained stable. Conclusion: Rheumatoid vasculitis remains a serious and chronic complication of rheumatoid arthritis, associated with significant mortality. This case highlights the crucial importance of early diagnosis and effective management of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects approxi-mately 0.46%of the global population.Conventional therapeutics for RA,including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs(DMARDs),nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),and corticosteroids,frequently result in unintended adverse effects.Dexamethasone(DEX)is a potent glucocorticoid used to treat RA due to its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties.Liposomal delivery of DEX,particu-larly when liposomes are surface-modified with targeting ligands like peptides or sialic acid,can improve drug efficacy by enhancing its distribution to inflamed joints and minimizing toxicity.This study investigates the potential of liposomal drug delivery systems to enhance the efficacy and targeting of DEX in the treatment of RA.Results from various studies demonstrate that liposomal DEX significantly inhibits arthritis progression in animal models,reduces joint inflammation and damage,and alleviates cartilage destruction compared to free DEX.The liposomal formulation also shows better hemocompatibility,fewer adverse effects on body weight and immune organ index,and a longer circulation time with higher bioavailability.The anti-inflammatory mechanism is associated with the downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and B-cell-activating factor(BAFF),which are key players in the pathogenesis of RA.Additionally,liposomal DEX can induce the expres-sion of anti-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-10(IL-10),which has significant anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties.The findings suggest that lipo-somal DEX represents a promising candidate for effective and safe RA therapy,with the potential to improve the management of this debilitating disease by providing targeted delivery and sustained release of the drug.
Background : To study the relationships among emodin, synovial fibroblasts (FLSs), and macrophages (STMs) to provide guidance for the use of emodin in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. Methods : RA clinical samples from patients with different pathological processes were collected, and the correlations between the subsets of FLSs and STMs and pathological processes were analyzed via flow cytometry. In vitro experimental methods such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, Transwell assays, CCK- 8 assays and cell coculture were used to assess cell proliferation, migration and secretion of inflammatory factors. A collagen- induced arthritis mouse model was constructed to investigate the therapeutic potential of emodin in RA by flow cytometry, micro- CT and staining. Results : Unique subsets of FLSs and STMs, namely, FAPα ^(+)THY1 − FLSs, FAPα ^(+)THY1 ^(+)FLSs, and MerTK ^(pos) TREM2 ^(high) STMs, were identified in synovial tissues from RA patients. The number of MerTK ^(pos) TREM2 ^(high) STMs was negatively correlated with the degree of damage in RA, while the number of FAPα ^(+)THY1 − FLSs was positively correlated with damage. On the one hand, emodin promoted the aggregation of MerTKposTREM2high STMs. Moreover, MerTK pos TREM2 high STM- mediated secretion of exosomes was promoted, which can inhibit the secretion of pro- inflammatory factors by FAPα ^(+)THY1 ^(+)FLSs and promote the secretion of anti- inflammatory factors by FAPα ^(+)THY1 ^(+)FLSs, thereby inhibiting FAPα ^(+)THY1 − FLS proliferation and migration, improving the local immune microenvironment, and inhibiting RA damage. Conclusion : Emodin was shown to regulate the aggregation of STM subsets and exosome secretion, affecting the secretion, proliferation and migration of inflammatory factors in FLS subsets, and ultimately achieving good therapeutic efficacy in RA patients, suggesting that it has important clinical value.
