Down regulation of glucocorticoid receptors in early-diagnosed XXXX .

@entity1 @entity4738 @entity701 @entity158 @entity309
OBJECTIVE: In @entity1 with @entity309 ( @entity309 ) of longer duration, @entity4738 ( @entity4738 ) down-regulation has been reported without any change in @entity701 levels. This phenomenon might play a role in the aetio-pathogenesis of @entity309 . Therefore we studied @entity4738 expression, as well as the serum @entity701 levels, in @entity1 with recently diagnosed @entity309 . METHODS: In 81 early diagnosed @entity309 @entity1 with disease duration < 1 year (52F/29M; mean (SD) age 63 (13) years) and in 39 age and sex matched controls (23F/16M; mean age 63 (15) years) blood samples were taken between 8-10 h AM. @entity4738 expression ( @entity4738 -number and @entity4738 -affinity), serum @entity701 levels, ESR, CRP, @entity158 and swollen joints were measured. RESULTS: A significantly lower @entity4738 -number was found in the female @entity1 compared with female controls: 7.0 versus 9.8fmol/million cells, respectively (difference: 2.8, 95% CI 1.1 - 4.6). Interestingly, also serum @entity701 levels were significantly lower in the female @entity1 compared with the female controls: 0.21 versus 0.41 micromol/l, respectively (difference: 0.20, 95% CI 0.12 - 0.28). However, between the male @entity1 and male controls no difference was found in @entity4738 expression nor in serum @entity701 levels. Neither in female nor in male @entity1 were correlations found between @entity4738 expression and parameters of disease activity nor was there a relation between @entity4738 expression and serum @entity701 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in @entity4738 expression as well as serum @entity701 were not a general phenomenon in early diagnosed @entity309 @entity1 , being present only in females and not related to disease activity. Therefore it seems unlikely that @entity4738 expression per se is causally involved in the pathogenesis of @entity309 . We cannot preclude that it may be involved in the incidence, severity and course of @entity309 , as this may be differentially regulated in males and females.
