ObjectiveTo analyze the correlation of thrombopoietin (TPO) and anti-TPO antibody with thrombocytopenia in patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (PSS). MethodsWe included in our study 40 PSS patients with thrombocytopenia (group A), 22 PSS patients who once had thrombocytopenia and returned to normal (group B), 40 PSS patients with normal platelet counts (group C) and 40 healthy controls (group D) between September 2013 and October 2014. Anti-TPO antibody was detected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and serum TPO levels were measured by ELISA. We analyzed the relationship between the assay results and the clinical manifestations and parameters. ResultsThe serum TPO levels in groups A, B, and C were (129.74±17.47) , (330.23±18.07) and (364.19±12.25) pg/mL, respectively, and they were significantly higher than that in group D [(54.04±10.71) pg/mL] (P ＜ 0.05) . The serum level of TPO was positively correlated with CRP and IgA (rs=0.224, P=0.039; rs=0.239, P=0.033) , and was negatively correlated with C4 level (rs=?0.220, P=0.041) , but it was not significantly correlated with platelet count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the level of antiphospholipid antibodies and the titer of antinuclear antibodies (P ＞ 0.05) . The positive rate of PSS patients was 20.59% (21/102) and the rate in groups A, B, and C was respectively 17.5% (7/40) , 22.72% (5/22) , and 22.5% (9/40) . There was no statistically significant difference between the positive and negative groups in various clinical indexes (P ＞ 0.05) . ConclusionAntiTPO antibody may not be the main mechanism of thrombocytopenia in PSS patients, and there is a certain correlation between TPO and inflammatory factors.
ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of self-behavior management combined with glucosamine hydrochloride for patients with early knee osteoarthritis. MethodsBetween October 2013 and March 2015, 240 patients with early knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to behavior therapy group (n=80) , drug treatment group (n=80) and combined treatment group (n=80) . Patients in the behavior therapy group were treated only by self-behavior management; patients in the drug treatment group were treated by glucosamine hydrochloride (0.48 g, three times per day); patients in the combined treatment group were treated by self-behavior management combined with glucosamine hydrochloride. The effect of treatment, adverse reactions, efficiency and expulsion rate were assessed 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment. ResultsThe Lequesne index and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) significantly decreased from week 4 when compared with week 0 after treatment in the combined treatment group, and there was a significant difference between the combined treatment group and single therapy group at week 8 and 12 (P ＜ 0.05) . The Lequesne index in the behavior therapy group and drug treatment group began to significantly decrease from week 8, and the WOMAC score significantly decreased from week 4 in the drug treatment group and from week 8 in the behavior therapy group. The efficiency increased with the treatment time prolonged in all three groups, but the efficiency in the combined treatment group was significantly higher than the single therapy group (P ＜ 0.05) . The shedding rates in the behavior therapy group, drug treatment group and combined treatment group were respectively 12.5%, 7.5% and 6.3%, without statistically significant difference (P ＞ 0.05) . The adverse reaction rate was low in all the three groups. ConclusionThe self-behavior management combined with glucosamine hydrochloride is an effective, safe and well-tolerated treatment for early knee osteoarthritis.