Table 1 Patient characteristics, ultrasonography, and synovial fluid cytokines
Characteristics | Untreated (n = 19) | Treated (n = 25) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
Demographics | |||
 Age (years) | 59 (49–71) | 64 (53–73) | n.s |
  Female n (%) | 14 (73%) | 23 (92%) | – |
  BMI | 22.8 (18.1–26.3) | 23.1 (17.5–29.4) |  |
  RF positivity n (%) | 13 (68%) | 20 (80%) | – |
  ACPA positivity n (%) | 12 (63%) | 22 (88%) | – |
  DMARDs n (%) | 0 (0%) | 23 (92%) | – |
  Corticosteroids n (%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (24%) | – |
 Anti-TNF biologics n (%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (40%) | – |
 Disease duration (years) | 0.3 (0.25–2) | 5.0 (0.7–10.5) | 0.004 |
 DAS28 | 5.6 ± 1.2 | 5.3 ± 1.4 | n.s |
 CRP (mg/dL) | 4.0 ± 2.9 | 3.8 ± 2.6 | n.s |
 ESR (mm/h) | 88.2 ± 35.2 | 83.7 ± 35.0 | n.s |
 MMP3 (ng/mL) | 368.3 ± 305.6 | 370.4 ± 288.1 | n.s |
 Synovial fluid cell count/μL | 6561 ± 6873.8 | 7138 ± 4503.3 | n.s |
Ultrasonography findings | |||
 GSUS score | 2.3 (2.0–2.7) | 2.3 (2.2–2.8) | n.s |
 PDUS score | 2.0 (1.7–2.7) | 1.9 (1.5–2.0) | n.s |
 Hypertrophy (×103 pixel) | 141.3 ± 49.5 | 135.2 ± 43.3 | n.s |
 Vascularity (×103 pixel) | 21.6 ± 16.3 | 16.8 ± 14.2 | n.s |
 Echogenicity | 40.3 ± 4.7 | 51.4 ± 5.7 | 0.009 |
Synovial fluid cytokines | |||
 IL-6 (ng/mL) | 25.1 ± 25.7 | 23.2 ± 24.3 | n.s |
 VEGF (pg/mL) | 611.3 ± 530.1 | 569.9 ± 522.3 | n.s |
 TNF-α (pg/mL) | 151.8 ± 449.9 | 132.6 ± 389.1 | n.s |
 IL-8 (pg/mL) | 1363.8 ± 1403.9 | 1999.1 ± 2045.3 | n.s |
 IL-1β (pg/mL) | 26.1 ± 29.6 | 41.4 ± 36.2 | n.s |
 IL-10 (pg/mL) | 29.8 ± 22.0 | 33.7 ± 18.9 | n.s |
 IL-17A (pg/mL) | 36.2 ± 61.6 | 49.9 ± 63.5 | n.s |
 Granzyme B (pg/mL) | 74.7 ± 93.9 | 89.7 ± 89.2 | n.s |
 Fractalkine (pg/mL) | 78.9 ± 75.3 | 83.9 ± 83.8 | n.s |