Dear All,

Wishing you all a very happy 2015!

Highlights of this issue are
1. Expert comments by Sir Ravinder Maini on anti-TNF drugs 
2. A new biomarker for RA by Professor Maksymowych WP

Dr. Maini has discussed in depth how he started thinking about the role of TNF in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the initial trials to two decades of experience that is worth reading for every rheumatologist.

Professor Maksymowych WP and his team assessed the diagnostic utility of 14-3-3η in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The 14-3-3η isoform is expressed extracellularly in the joints of patients with RA and its expression in both serum and joint fluid correlates strongly with the expression of metalloproteinases. 14-3-3η activates proinflammatory signaling cascades and inflammatory mediators relevant to the pathogenesis of RA. A new ELISA-based assay that detects this isoform has diagnostic utility in RA with a sensitivity of 63.6% and specificity of 92.6%. Adding 14-3-3η to anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) results in an identification rate of 72% compared to 59% for ACPA alone. Adding rheumatoid factor (RF) to ACPA increases diagnostic capture from 59 to 72% and this increased further to 78% when 14-3-3η is added.

We sincerely request all members to post their questions to us so that we can put those questions to the experts.

We welcome your suggestions to improve this IRA activity. Please post your suggestions/comments on iraenewsleter@hotmail.com

Regards,

Banwari Sharma
Editor, IRA e-Newsletter