Understanding Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Articles

Rheumatoid arthritis

The aim of this article is to provide a better understanding of rheumatoid arthritis and to highlight the role of the nurse in meeting the complex needs of patients and their families. After reading the article the nurse should be able to:

Radiographic Methods of Assessment (Scoring) of Rheumatic Disease

The major features of various global and detailed methods of assessment (scoring) of the hands and wrists of patients with rheumatoid arthritis are reviewed. Relative advantages and disadvantages of the methods are presented. Detailed radiographic scores relate best to other measures of patient status. Although scoring is not a difficult skill, the work is tiring, tedious, and time-consuming. Quantitative methods have done much to further our understanding of rheumatoid arthritis; they hold the promise of further discoveries.

Animal Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Animal models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) provide useful systems for the characterization of the immunopathogenic mechanisms of chronic inflammatory synovitis. Although at least eight models have been described, the adjuvant arthritis, streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis, and collagen-induced arthritis models have provided the most useful insights. Each of these three models has contributed clues to our understanding of RA and have yielded promising new approaches to treatment. These include combination pharmacotherapy, antigen-specific therapy, cell-specific therapy, and monoclonal antibody therapy. All of these immunotherapeutic interventions have been shown to be beneficial in one or more animal systems. This suggests that future therapies for RA and other human autoimmune diseases may be more immunoselective and, potentially, less toxic.