Determination of Rheumatoid Factor in Suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Attending Selected Hospitals in Zaria, Nigeria

The study was carried out to provide information on RF among RA especially in the Northern part of Nigeria is relatively scarce. As such, rheumatoid factor levels in blood could serve as a predictive index for the onset of Rheumatoid arthritis. A total of 182 sera samples were analyse for the presence of IgM rheumatoid factor by ELISA. Seventeen (17) were found to be positive and 165 negative giving a prevalence of 9.3% and 90.7% respectively. The age range of 50 and above had the highest RF positive cases of 4.9%. This is followed by the eighteen (18) to thirty (30) age range. The association was not significant at p-value of 0.05. Similarly, the relationship between RF and gender showed that 5.5% (n=101) of females were positive while than 3.8% (n=81) of males were positive. The association was not significant. The highest participants had tertiary level of education which has a RF prevalence of 4.4%. Most of the participants that tested positive for RF were married (8.2%). There was no significant association between positivity for RF and level of education as well as marital status. There was however no statistical significant association between RF and the signs and symptoms (stiffness of joints, swelling around the joints, general fatigue, muscle pains, fever 13 and joint pains). Out of the 29 patients with history investigated for RA, 4 (2.2%) were positive for RF. Among the participants that smoke cigarette (n=4), none was RF positive. Both factors did not show significant association at a p-value of 0.05. The information in this study would serve as a predictive index for the onset of Rheumatoid arthritis. Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Factor, Auto-immune disease, synovial inflammatio

Tumour acidosis: from the passenger to the driver's seat.

The high metabolic demand of cancer cells leads to an accumulation of H(+) ions in the tumour microenvironment. The disorganized tumour vasculature prevents an efficient wash-out of H(+) ions released into the extracellular medium but also favours the development of tumour hypoxic regions associated with a shift towards glycolytic metabolism. Under hypoxia, the final balance of glycolysis, including breakdown of generated ATP, is the production of lactate and a stoichiometric amount of H(+) ions. Another major source of H(+) ions results from hydration of CO2 produced in the more oxidative tumour areas. All of these events occur at high rates in tumours to fulfil bioenergetic and biosynthetic needs. This Review summarizes the current understanding of how H(+)-generating metabolic processes segregate within tumours according to the distance from blood vessels and inversely how ambient acidosis influences tumour metabolism, reducing glycolysis while promoting mitochondrial activity. The Review also presents novel insights supporting the participation of acidosis in cancer progression via stimulation of autophagy and immunosuppression. Finally, recent advances in the different therapeutic modalities aiming to either block pH-regulatory systems or exploit acidosis will be discussed