THE COMBINED AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND RHEUMATOLOGY ASSOCIATIONS

CYTOKINES IN SLE: LESSONS FROM EXPERIMENTAL MODELS AND MAN, Michael J Elliott*., Peter Charles, Ravinder N Maini THE FAS GENE IN HUMAN LUPUS: THE EXPRESSION OF VARIANT TRANSCRIPTS., Paul L.J Tan* 1,2 ., Fritz Rudert 1 ., John Peake 1 , Jeff.J McKee 1 , J D Watson 1 MANAGEMENT OF THE ELDERLY RHEUMATOLOGY PATIENT WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, Ian R Reid BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF RA, Michael J Elliott*., Ravinder N Maini TREATMENT OF EARLY RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.,*Prof. Peter M. Brooks ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ARTHRITIS ‐ A Preliminary Analysis, L. March., P. Brooks., H. Lapsley., E. Bathie, J. Schwarz.*, A. Howland., E. Oh., M. Cross., M. Crotty., T. Black. VALIDATION OF SELF‐REPORTED OSTEOARTHRITIS, Lyn March 1 ,*, Jennifer Schwarz 1 , Barbara Carfrae 1 , Eva Bagge 2 . REDUCED BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND FRACTURE RISK IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, Y. Kipen *., E. F. Morand., R. Buchbinder., B, Strauss., G.O. Littleiohn. EFFECTS OF PULSE METHYLPREDNISOLONE ON PERIPHERAL BLOOD AND SYNOVIAL FLUID NEUTROPHIL SURFACE PHENOTYPE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS:, P.P. Youssef*., P.J. Roberts‐Thomson., M.J. Ahern., M.D. Smith PULSE METHYLPREDNISOLONE REDUCES SERUM AND SYNOVIAL FLUID TNFα AND SYNOVIAL FLUID INTERLEUKIN‐8 IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, P.P. Youssef*., D.R. Havnes., L.M. Noack., P.J. Roberts‐Thomson., MJL Ahern., M.D. Smith REGULATION OF ADHESION MOLECULE EXPRESSION BY HUMAN SYNOVIAL MICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN VITRO., S.S.T. To*., P.M. Newman, V.J. Hvland., B.G Robinson, L. Schrieber. ELBOW SYNOVECTOMY AND RADIAL HEAD EXCISION IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: PREDICTIVE FACTORS AND LONG‐TERM OUTCOME., KD Pile*., NST Gendi., JMC Axon., PD Burge., AG Mowat. FREQUENCY, SEVERITY AND MORTALITY OF METHOTREXATE LUNG IN SLOW ACTING ANTI‐RHEUMATIC DRUG TREATMENT., Chula Raiapakse *, Yasantha Raiapakse, Blair Treadwell., Michael Corkill. METHOTREXATE IN RA: A DECADE OK EXPERIENCE WITH LIVER BIOPSIES., Gireis L*., Gillies M., Painter D., York J. Abstract :This rheumatology unit's experience with liver biopsies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated svith low dose weekly methotrexate has been reviewed. 54 patients were identified, with a total of 75 liver biopsies. The mean age was 57 years and mean total cumulative dose of methotrexate was 2.21g. The majority of biopsies showed grade 1 methotrexate changes or were normal, not prompting any change in management. However there was a 6.7% incidence of grade 2 changes and 8.0% of grade 3 changes (iefibrosis).None of the patients had clinically evident liver disease. There was no correlation between cumulative dose of MTX or duration of treatment and liver biopsy outcome. LFT's had a sensitivity of only 18% and a positive predictive value of 8.7% for a liver biopsy grade of 2 or 3. There was also no correlation between NSAJD use, folic acid supplementation, alcohol consumption and the biopsy outcome or LFT results. Thus there is a low but definite risk of hepatic fibrosis with low dose oral methotrexte which is not predicted by the above listed clinical or laboratory parameters. EFFECT OF METHOTREXATE AND SULFASALAZINE ON RAT OSTEOBLAST‐LEKE CELLS ANTI‐RHEUMATIC DRUGS INHIBIT THE OXIDATIVE INACTIVATION OF TIMP‐1 BY HYPOCHLOROUS ACID (HOCI).,*F. Shabanl., J. Mc Nell., L. Tlppett INACTIVATION OF TISSUE INHIBITOR OF METALLOPROTEINASES (TIMP‐1) BY OXIDANTS., F, Shabanl*., J. MC Nell, L. Tlppett, C. Easton CLINICAL ASSOCIATIONS OF ANTI‐LAMIN AUTOANTIBODIES,*CL Hill 1 , PJ Roberts‐Thomson 2 ., A Pollard 3 ., D Gillis 4 ., BW Kirkham 5 EVIDENCE FOR NORMAL T CELL TOLERANCE IN PRIMARY SJOGREN'S SYNDROME,*Maureen Rischmueller + ., Scott Burrows # ., Ihor Misko # ., Denis Moss # , Tom Gordon + ., Tobv Coates + , James McCluskev + . cANCA ‐ A FAMILY OF ANTIGENS NOT EXCLUSIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH PROTEINASE 3., John C Neil*, Russell J Collins TYPE II PROCOLLAGEN GENE (COL2A1) MUTATION ASSOCIATED WITH MILD SPONDYLOEPIPHYSEAL DYSPLASIA AND TALL STATURE: FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR COL2A1 MUTATIONAL “HOT SPOTS”., JF Bleasel*., D Holderbaum., V Mallock., RW Moskowitz., HJ Williams. THE HLA COMPONENT OF THE GENETIC CONTRIBUTION TO ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS., KD Pile*., MA Brown., K Gibson., LG Kennedy., A Calin., M Farrall., BP Wordsworth. * EXPRESSION AND FUNCTION OF CD80 AND CD86 COSTIMULATOR MOLECULES ON SYNOVIAL DENDRITIC CELLS IN CHRONIC ARTHRITIC DISEASE, KL Summers*, JL O'Donnell., LA Williams, DNJ Hart INTERACTION OF LIPOSOMES AND MONOCYTES/MACROHAGES: POTENTIAL FOR INITIAL EXACERBATION OF INFLAMMATION., J. Highton*., B Carlisle. DUMONDE‐GLYNN, ANTIGEN INDUCED ARTHRITIS IN THE SHEEP., J Highton*, J Scholield., B Carlisle., M Munasiri., J Cross ADHESION MOLECULE EXPRESSION IN RHEUMATOID SYNOVIAL XENOGRAFTS IN SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENT (SCID) MICE., S.M. Proudman*., L.G. Cleland, G Mayrtiofer 1 EVIDENCE FOR AN ANTI‐INFLAMMATORY ACTION OF LIPOCORTIN 1 IN EXPERIMENTAL ARTHRITIS, YuanHane Yang., Eric F. Morand*. EFFECT OF TREATMENT WITH ANTI‐CD4 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY IN THE INDUCTION OF RAT ADJUVANT ARTHRITIS., LL Santos*., P Hutchinson, SR Holdsworth. INDUCTION OF APOPTOSIS IN SYNOVIAL FLUID NEUTROPHILS, Buckmaster L+, D' Amico A + , Wicks IP *# + bcl‐2/PCNA‐1 EXPRESSION IN THE SYNOVIUM, Sachthep S # ., Gibson LJ + ., Wicks IP *# +. CHARACTERISATION OF A SYNOVIAL CELL ANTIGEN, Sachthep S # ., Gibson LJ + ., D'Amico A + ., Cicuttini FM*., Bovd AW*, Wicks IP*+ # . GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN THE SYNOVIAL MEMBRANE, Sachtheo S # ., Gibson LJ+., Wicks IP *# +. MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE (MMP) SECRETION BY HUMAN SYNOVIAL MICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS., Chris Jackson*., Minh Nguven, Les Schrieher. MATHEMATICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF COMPETITIVE PCR, Connolly A.R*., Kirkham B. W., Cleland L. G. + THE ANATOMIC INDEX: POTENTIAL AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS., D M Gardiner., J Highton*., C Solomon., T C A Dovle. ASSESSMENT OF NAILFOLD CAPILLARIES BY VIDEO IMAGE ANALYSIS L., Simmons*., G. Chandran., C. L. Lui., P. Youssef, M.D. Smith., M. J. Ahern., P. J. Roberts‐Thomson LEFT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION IN SCLERODERMA, G. Armstrong*, G. Whalley., R. Doughty., G. Gamble., S. Flelt., P. T an, D. N. Sharpe. CYTOKINE PROFILES IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, M. D. Smith*., S. Triantafillou., A. Parker., M. Coleman., M. J. Ahem., P.J. Roberts‐Thomson THE EFFECT OF DRUG TREATMENT ON THE CYTOKINE PROFILES SEEN IN SYNOVIAL MEMBRANES FROM PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, M. D. Smith*, S. Triantafillou., A. Parker, M. J Ahern., M. Coleman, P. J. Roberts‐Thomson PATIENT TOLERANCE OF KNEE ARTHROSCOPY PERFORMED AS A DAY PROCEDURE UNDER LOCAL ANAESTHESIA, P. P. Youssef., G. Chandran, T. Darby., M.J. Ahern., M.D. Smith* ARTHROSCOPY IN RHEUMATOLOGY ‐ A PILOT STUDY, P. P. Youssef., G. Chandran., T. Darby., M. J. Ahern., M. D. Smith* IS GOUT ON THE INCREASE IN NEW ZEALAND?, P Klemp†*., S Stansfield†., B Castle †. , C Robertson. CAN A LONG 1/2 LIFE NSAID (TBNOXICAM) BE REDUCED TO 5 DAYS PER WEEK IN PATIENTS >55 YEARS OF AGE WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS?, R. F. Waterworth* HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION HAS NOT INCREASED GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLICATIONS IN CHRONIC USERS OF NON‐STEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY AGENTS.,*EKM Li., JJY Sung., R Sucn., VKS Leung., E Hui., SCS Chung., TKW Ling., AFB Cheng., J Woo CLINICAL EXAMINATION AND PSYCHOPHYSICAL EVALUATION IN REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROMES., R R Sheather‐Rpiri and, M I Cohan* CLINICAL FEATURES OF WOMEN WITH SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS, M J Ahem*., T Brama, H Chua, P Youssef., MP Smith., P Roberts‐Thompson. A PROFILE OF 13 ASIAN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE DERMATOMYOSITIS IN SINGAPORE, YVONNE WONG*, GIAM YOKE CHIN, CHNG HIOK HEE. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND “CORNEAL MELT”, RSK Axtens., A Hall # ., R Stawell # , A. Apice., LE Clemens *