P-3-05-13
The Role of Heat Shock Protein in Treatment-of Induced Arthritis by Ultrasound
Huang Mao-Hsiung, Yang Rei-Cheng*, Chai Chee-Yin**, Huang Ying. Hong***, Tsau Jyh-Taur. (Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine, Physiology*, Pathology**, and Nuclear Medicine*** Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan)
Purpose: To investigate the relationships of heat shock protein (HSP) and the therapeutic effect of ultrasound in the treatment of induced osteoarthritis.
Method: Forty-two rats with similar degree of early arthritis were divided at random into three groups. Group s: rats received sonication only; Group s+a: rats received sonication and intra-articulation injections of antibody against HSP-70; Group c: control rats received sam sonication. The severity of induced arthritis was evaluated from bone scan with 99Tcm. The presence and changes of HSP were identified from immunostain of HSP-70 antibody from frozen sections of arthritic cartilage and from electrophoresis of proteins extracted from chondrocytes of arthritic cartilage. The density of immunostained chondrocytes was also studied in each group.
Result: The results revealed that the density of HSP was increased markedly in treated rats after sonication, and it was closely related to the repair of arthritic cartilage. Once the pathohistology of arthritic cartilage improved, HSP declined significantly in the follow-up period.
Conclusion: Therapeutic ultrasound can enhance HSP production in chondrocytes. The extragenic production of HSP may help to preserve chondrocytes and bring about the repair of arthritic cartilage.
P-3-05-14
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: REHABILITATION OF ELDERLY PATIENTS
Potrebica S., Sekelj-Kauzlaric K., Cop-Rupic R.
(Med. Rehabilitation Cent., Varazdinkse Toplice, CROATIA)
A specific rehabilitation treatment of the patients over 60 and with Rheumatoid arthritics (RA) is described in this paper. So,115 such patients were rehabilitated in the Rehabilitation Centre in Varazdinske Toplice, Croatia during 1996 year.
They were classified according to age, sex, duration and degree of the illness. A great number of the patients (55,2%) developed degree III and IV of the illness. Only twenty patients (17,39%) reported using some "basic" RA treating drugs at coming to rehabilitation. However, around 60% of the patients reported taking some of such drugs with little or great effect during longer periods of RA.
Practically all patients, or 113, had been using some kind of nonsteroid antirheumatica. 35 patients (30%) with RA discovered in 1996 received special treatment. Their rehabilitation consisted of individually adjusted treatments according to the state of the illness, functional status at reception and depending on other parallel diseases typical for the age. The use of natural treatment factors such as thermal water, mud, relaxing and healthy environment were some of our advantages. Therefore, it is no wonder that 54 (46,9%) of these patients have been our regular patients for ten or more years.
