Demographic, clinical, biochemical and histopathological data of the patient cohorts
| (A) First study population | RA | non-PsA SpA | PsA | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (n) | 22 | 30 | 22 | |
| Age (years) | 56.14±2.78 | 34.43±2.90 | 43.86±3.36 | |
| Gender (male/female) | 6/16 | 18/12 | 12/10 | |
| Disease duration (years) | 8.91±2.02 | 5.26±1.43 | 4.30±0.95 | |
| Rheumatoid factor (% present) | 68 | 13 | 9 | |
| NSAID treatment (n) | 16 | 20 | 11 | |
| Prednisone treatment (n) | 10 | 2 | 1 | |
| DMARD treatment (n) | 18 | 12 | 8 | |
| Leflunomide (n) | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Methotrexate (n) | 13 | 2 | 3 | |
| Adalimumab (n) | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Salazopyrine (n) | 1 | 9 | 3 | |
| Salazopyrine + methotrexate (n) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| SJC | 6.91±1.23 | 4.07±0.95 | 2.38±0.72 | 0.001 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 4.03±1.37 | 5.42±1.25 | 2.86±0.90 | 0.308 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 35.00±4.88 | 37.34±6.48 | 24.60±4.22 | 0.421 |
| SF PMN count (cells/mm2) | 8573.49±2292.67 | 5748.45±1188.96 | 8926.61±2668.34 | 0.921 |
| Synovial tissue T-cell infiltration (SQ-score) | 1.5 (0–2) | 1 (0–3) | 1 (0–2) | 0.360 |
| Synovial tissue intimal lining layer hyperplasia (SQ-score) | 1 (1–3) | 1 (1–3) | 1 (1–3) | 0.603 |
| Synovial tissue global cellular infiltration (SQ-score) | 2 (0–3) | 2 (0–3) | 1.5 (0–3) | 0.815 |
| (B) Infliximab treatment second study population | Total SpA | |||
| No of patients (n) | 15 | |||
| Age (years) | 47.93±2.60 | |||
| Gender (male/female) | 11/4 | |||
| Disease duration (years) | 8.67±1.72 | |||
| NSAID treatment (n) | 13 | |||
| Before | After | p Value | ||
| SJC | 7.3±1.4 | 1.1±0.3 | <0.001 | |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 2.5±0.6 | 1.2±0.6 | <0.05 | |
| ESR (mm/h) | 20.0±4.1 | 8.0±1.8 | <0.001 |
Quantitative data are represented as means±SEM, whereas semiquantitative scores (SQ-scores) are indicated as medians (ranges). Table (A) represents the data of the first study population, while table (B) shows the results for the infliximab serum second study population.
CRP, C-reactive protein; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; PMN, polymorphonuclear; PsA, psoriatic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SF, synovial fluid; SJC, swollen joint count; SpA, spondyloarthritis.