Tumour necrosis factor {alpha} blockade reduces circulating N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: results from a prospective cohort study

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide) in the context of rheumatoid arthritis, published as a clinical trial.

Data on the effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha(TNFalpha) blocking agents on circulating NT-proBNP levels in patients with active RA are lacking but may be informative.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 171 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

171 consecutive patients with RA (28-joint disease activity score >3.2) without congestive heart failure (NYHA class III or IV) were scheduled to receive adalimumab once every 2 weeks.

How the Study Was Run

Serum NT-proBNP concentrations were measured simultaneously on stored baseline and 16-week samples.

Paired sample t tests were used to observe differences in biomarkers before and after adalimumab administration.

Correlations between the biomarkers and changes in circulating log NT-proBNP levels were evaluated with the Pearson test and multivariable linear regression analyses of correlates were performed (forward selection procedure).

What Was Measured

Data on the effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha(TNFalpha) blocking agents on circulating NT-proBNP levels in patients with active RA are lacking but may be informative.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adalimumab, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized, Antirheumatic Agents, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Biomarkers and Blood Pressure.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of BNP (Nesiritide) in 171 patients in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Results are reported in around 5 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2010 (Annals of the rheumatic diseases), a journal based in United States.

More context: the BNP (Nesiritide) compound page, Rheumatoid arthritis research.