Distribution, activation and tryptase/chymase phenotype of mast cells in the rheumatoid lesion
Article Abstract:
The presence of mast cells in the joint fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients may help to explain the inflammatory process of this disease. Mast cells normally release chemicals into the blood stream that aid in tissue repair and fighting infection. Researchers analyzed the joint fluid from 34 patients with late stage rheumatoid arthritis. Mast cells were present in all of the samples in cell concentrations ranging from 1.18% to 2.8% of total cells. The two types of mast cells identified in these samples were cells that produce the enzyme chymase and tryptase and cells that produce tryptase only. Researchers observed 8 times as many cells that produce tryptase alone than cells that produce both enzymes. Mast cells were most commonly found in areas of cartilage deterioration and fluid accumulation.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1995
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Vitamin D receptor in the rheumatoid lesion: expression by chondrocytes, macrophages, and synoviocytes
Article Abstract:
The interaction of a vitamin D metabolite and a vitamin D receptor in joint tissue may contribute to the joint damage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Vitamin D and its metabolites participate in the construction and destruction of bone, cartilage, and other tissues. Researchers tested 32 samples of cartilage and synovial membrane from RA patients and 10 samples of healthy joint cartilage for the presence of vitamin D receptors. Fifteen of 18 RA cartilage samples, and all of the RA synovial tissue, had a substantial number of vitamin D receptors. The healthy cartilage samples had insignificant numbers of vitamin D receptors.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1999
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Eosinophils are an insignificant cellular component of rheumatoid synovium in patients with late stage disease: comparative distributions with mast cells and macrophages
Article Abstract:
There do not appear to be many eosinophils in the damaged cartilage and joint tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Eosinophils are specialized white blood cells typically associated with sites of infection or allergic reactions. Joint and cartilage tissue samples from 31 patients with RA were analyzed for the presence of eosinophils and other cells associated with inflammation including mast cells and macrophages. Twenty-eight of the 31 samples had no eosinophils and the other three samples had very few eosinophils. However, the samples contained 104 macrophages and 24 mast cells per square millimeter.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Options increase in mental health. The role of lithium clinics in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Early perceptions of the role of community matrons
- Abstracts: Reduction in the incidence of human listeriosis in the United States: effectiveness of prevention efforts? Serogroup C meningococcal outbreaks in the United States: an emerging threat
- Abstracts: Fetal fibronectin levels are elevated in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid of patients with severe preeclampsia
- Abstracts: Associations between HLA and antibodies to collagen in rheumatoid arthritis. Shared amino acid sequences between major histocompatiblity complex class II glycoproteins, type XI collagen and Proteus mirabilis in rheumatoid arthritis
- Abstracts: STD partner notification and referral in primary level health centers in Nairobi, Kenya. The duration of breastfeeding by HIV-1-infected mothers in developing countries: balancing benefits and risks