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Copyright of Turkish Journal of Rheumatology is the property of Turkish League Against Rheumatism / Turkiye Romatizma Arastirma ve Savas Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Polyarthritis and panniculitis can be the presenting manifestations of pancreatitis. Early recognition of this triad is critical because of the high mortality rate from pancreatic disease when the diagnosis is delayed. Although this association can be seen at any age, its frequency peaks around the fifth decade of life. We report this case because of the rarity of the association and the high morbidity and mortality in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the role of reactive oxygen metabolites in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to elucidate plasma and especially erythrocyte oxidant and antioxidant status in RA patients and to assess the relationship between disease activity scores (evaluated by Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 as mild, moderate and severe) and antioxidant status. Materials and Methods: Fasting blood samples were obtained from 50 RA patients and 26 control subjects. DAS28 was used to evaluate the activity. Plasma and erythrocyte levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), xanthine oxidase (XO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were investigated in both groups. Results: The plasma levels of MDA and XO and erythrocyte levels of MDA and SOD were significantly higher in RA patients than in control subjects. Although increases in plasma MDA levels in mild and moderate and erythrocyte MDA levels in mild activity groups of RA were not significant (p>0.05), plasma MDA levels in severe (p=0.001) and erythrocyte MDA levels in moderate and severe activity groups of RA were significantly higher (p<0.001). Whereas plasma SOD levels showed no significant change (p=0.241), erythrocyte SOD levels were significantly increased in RA patients (p<0.001). Although increase in erythrocyte SOD activity in mild RA was not significant, it was significant in moderate and severe RA (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: These results suggest that increased plasma and erythrocyte MDA levels in RA patients, especially in those with severe activity, indicate an increased oxidative stress due to inflammation. Nonetheless, an increase particularly in erythrocyte SOD activity in moderate and severe RA patients suggests that the cellular antioxidant system might counterbalance the oxidant status in RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]