| IntroductionRheumatoid Arthritis ( RA) is a chronic polysystemic and inflammatory autoimmune disease mainly involved in peripheral joints and characterized by cartilage damage and bone destruction. The patients with RA are found globally and the incident rate of RA is from 0. 32% to 0. 36% in China. RA is one of the main causes that result in the loss of labour ability and disability of people in China.The disease course of RA is diverse and is self ?restrictive, progressive and destructive. During the development of RA, changes in bone metabolism often occur, including local and generalized osteoporosis , even fractures. The pathogenetic mechanisms that determine the incidence of osteoporosis in RA is not fully understood. Since the fracture is a serious complication, it is indispensible to determine and monitor bone metabolism in RA.Osteocalcin, also known as bone 7 - carboxyglutamic acid protein, is the most abundant non - collagenous protein in bone sythe-sized by osteoblasts. The biological function of Osteocalcin is to maintain the normal mineralization of bone and to inhibit the abnormal hydroxyapatite. Osteocalcin has been used as a sensitive and specific marker of bone formation, an indicator of bone turnover. Osteocalcin is indicative of osteoblastic activity and indicates the status of bone metabolism.The aim of this study is to determine serum osteocalcin concentrations in patients with RA and to further detect the role of osteocalcin in bone metabolism in RA.Materials and MethodsSubjects. Total 32 patients with RA were selected, who attended the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology in No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from July, 2000 to March, 2002, and fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria in 1987 for RA. No patient had serious heart, liver, renal or endocrine diseases. None received slow - acting - anti - rheumatic - drugs or glucocoticoids for at least one month or non - steroidal antiinflammato-ry drugs for at least one week before the study. Of the patients with RA, females were 27 and males were 5. Their ages ranged from 18 to 77 years (mean SD49. 84 13. 31 years). Their disease duration ranged from 2 to 168 months (mean SD 41. 47 42. 11 months). Fifteen healthy subjects were selected as controls. Of the controls, females were 13 and males were 2. Their ages ranged from 27 to 70 years ( mean SD 49. 33 12. 56years) . Fasting venous blood samples were collected in the morning from patients and controls for 5 ml and were placed at room temperature for 4 hours. Sera were separated by centrifugation 10 minutes and frozen at - 201 until assay. The osteocalcin radioimmunoassay ( RIA) kit was provided by Beijing Bi-otinge Tech. Co. LTD.Methods. Serum osteocalcin was determined by RIA. ESR was determined according to the Westergren method and ALP was determined by the serial determination method.Statistical analysis. All the data were expressed as X ?SD. Comparison between mean values in the two groups were calculated using t test. Correlations between the parameters were calculated using linear correlation analysis.ResultsThe serum osteocalcin concentration in patients with RA (5.1 2. 3ng/ml) was significantly lower (P <0.001) than the concentration in controls (8. 3 1. 7ng/ml). Female patients with RA or female controls less than 50 years had serum osteocalcin concentration similar to that of females greater than 50 years in the same group, respectively (5.4 1. 7ng/ml vs 4. 9 2. 3ng/ml, 7. 9 1. 4ng/ml vs 8.6 1. 9ng/ml). In female patients with RA less than or greater than 50 years, the serum osteocalcin concentration was significantly lower ( P <0. 005 ) than that of the corresponding ages in controls, respectively (5.4 1. 7ng/ml vs 7. 9 1. 4ng/ml, 4.9 2. 3ng/ml vs 8. 6 1. 9ng/ml) . There was no significant correlation ( P > 0. 05 ) between serum osteocalcin and ESR in patients with RA. There was a significant positive correlation (P <0. 05) between serum osteocalcin and ESR in patients with RA less...
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