: To examine the clinical implications of disturbed calcium metabolism in sarcoidosis and how the pathophysiology affects management strategies.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has important applications in musculoskeletal medicine. It allows the visualization of bone and soft tissues in three dimensions using a multiplanar technique and is uniquely suited to imaging the rheumatoid joint. Bony erosions are seen well using MRI in early rheumatoid arthritis and are frequently detected before they appear on plain radiographs. Bone marrow oedema is another important MRI feature associated with inflammatory joint disease and may be a forerunner of erosion. Synovial membrane inflammation and hypertrophy are detected after contrast enhancement and also by the use of dynamic MRI techniques, which provide a non-invasive method to accurately measure the inflammatory process. This information can be analysed and collated using MRI scoring systems and ultimately may be used to improve diagnostic accuracy, predict prognosis and monitor therapy in these patients. This review examines the case for the use of MRI in early inflammatory arthritis, outlining its strengths and potential weaknesses as an imaging modality in this context and indicating its potential role in clinical practice.

The histopathological features of heart involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are not widely known. In internal and transplantation medicine, myocardial biopsies are increasingly used to diagnose cardiomyopathies including myocarditis. In two SSc patients presenting with dyspnoea with no evidence of pulmonary involvement, the cause of the compromised heart function was sought by myocardial biopsy. Immunohistological analysis revealed an increased number of CD3+ + T cells indicating myocarditis in one, and increased amounts of fibroblasts in both SSc patients. The authors think that myocardial involvement in SSc should be differentially evaluated and they propose the use of myocardial biopsies as a tool to distinguish between inflammatory and fibrotic forms of heart involvement in SSc patients.

CD1 is a novel class of molecules which present non-protein antigens to T cells. The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of CD1 in the skin and synovium of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in comparison with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).

To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of leflunomide and methotrexate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

To determine the effect of expert debridement of foot callosities on forefoot pain and plantar pressure distribution in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

To investigate the effects of lactation on the post-partum arthritic flare in MRL-lpr/fas mice.

To determine the effects of methotrexate (MTX) treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (a) on the circulating levels and (b) on the ex vivo production of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC).