Does metabolic profiling predict response to anti-tumor necrosis factor α therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
The clear relationship between urine metabolic profiles of RA patients at baseline and their response to anti-TNF therapy may allow development of novel approaches to the optimization of therapy. Differences in metabolic profiles during treatment with infliximab and etanercept in RA and PsA may reflect distinct mechanisms of action.
(1) Alcohol-enhanced liver apoptosis may not involve regulatory steps at the transcriptional level. LPS-induced liver apoptosis seems to involve transcriptional regulation of several apoptosis adaptors. Therefore, alcohol and LPS may enhance liver apoptosis through different mechanisms. (2) Alcohol-enhanced liver apoptosis precedes and may facilitate the hepatic effects of LPS. LPS superimposed on alcohol further elevates the rate of apoptosis in the liver. This may exceed the phagocytosing capacity of the liver so that all the apoptotic cells are not phagocytosed, but rather die of necrosis.