A Master's thesis at the College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, examined "An extensive study of stimulated WISP-1/CCN4, VCAM-1, MMP3, and GM-CSF proteins and their correlation with disease activity to identify risk factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients." The thesis, presented by the student Ahmed Taha Yassin, included a study on Rheumatoid Arthritis, an inflammation-dependent condition with a clinical phenotype strictly relying on the incidence of Rheumatoid Factor and Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies.
The novel aspect of this study is the potential use of serum CCN4 levels to monitor the treatment efficacy for Rheumatoid Arthritis in newly diagnosed, responsive patients during the early stage of the disease, prior to receiving treatment and reaching irreversible damage. The study's results confirmed significant statistical variations in serum levels of CCN4, VCAM-1, MMP3, and GM-CSF associated with demographic characteristics (gender, menopausal status, smoking, coffee consumption, sun exposure, disease activity, and treatment protocol) within the Rheumatoid Arthritis patient group.
The study aimed to verify the reliability and efficacy of serum concentrations of Cellular Communication Network Factor 4 (CCN4), Vascular Cell Adhesion Protein 1 (VCAM-1), and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) in monitoring the clinical stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis and bone damage, as well as their association with the trajectory of disease activity. Furthermore, the study targeted the identification of the most efficient immunological markers for diagnosing seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis, alongside examining the potential link between the latter and a lower risk profile.
