Ying-Qian Mo

Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic systemic inflammation leading to irreversible erosive joint destruction and extra-articular manifestations such as vasculitis, cardiovascular events, interstitial lung disease, ocular disease, osteoporosis, and skeletal muscle depletion.1,2 RA may predispose patients to frailty characterized by decrease of strength and endurance and reduced physiological function, which may enhance the individual’s vulnerability for disability...

Abstract Background Bilateral hands including proximal interphalangeal joints (PIPJs) are recommended on physical, X-ray radiographic, or ultrasonographic examination by clinical guidelines of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but MRI still tends to examine unilateral wrists and/or MCPJs. We aimed to demonstrate the advantages of MRI examination on bilateral hands including PIPJs for disease assessment in early RA patients.

This study was performed using a prospective cohort of consecutive patients with RA with available synovium. The results of immunohistochemical staining and nested PCR revealed the presence of HBcAg and HBV S gene in the synovium from patients with RA with CHB. Of note, this is the first report, to our knowledge, of the presence of HBV in RA synovium. Synovial tissue is the primary target of disturbed immunomodulatory pathways in RA.