<b>Background:</b> Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common debilitating rheumatic disease in which the innate immune components especially the Interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 axis related genes play important role in its pathogenesis.
CD94 and NKG2 are members of the NK cell receptor families, and are encoded in the natural killer gene complex (NKC) on human chromosome 12p12-13, one of the candidate chromosomal regions for rheumatic diseases.
MAS has been reported to occur in association with almost any rheumatic disease, it is by far most common in the systemic form of Juvenile Idiopthic Arthritis (SoJIA).
MGP levels were measured with two commercially available competitive and two novel sandwich assays in healthy controls, in patients with rheumatic disease, aortic valve disease, and end-stage renal disease, as well as in volunteers after vitamin K supplementation (VKS) and treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKA).
Interferon regulatory factor 5 gene polymorphism confers risk to several rheumatic diseases and correlates with expression of alternative thymic transcripts.
Interleukin-32 gamma (IL-32γ) is a recently discovered cytokine that is elevated in inflamed tissues and contributes to pathogenic features of bone in human inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
Progranulin was first identified as a growth factor and, recently, it was characterised as an adipokine implicated in obesity, insulin resistance and rheumatic disease.
TMP-SMX prophylaxis significantly reduces the PCP incidence with a favourable safety profile in patients with rheumatic disease receiving prolonged, high-dose steroids.