Table 1.

Cases of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their histological features of the synovial lining regions in knee joints.

							Immunostaining positive cells*
				Biopsy after onset	Lymphocyte infiltrating	Plasma cell *	T cell	Plasma cells		B cells	Macrophages	Remarkst †
Case	Age	Sex	RF	(months)	patterns	(H&E)	(CD3)	(CD38)	(CD138)	(CD20)	(CD68)	(theraph, etc.)
1	50	F	+	2	Diffuse	−	+	+	−	−	+ +	NSAIDs
2	34	F	−	4	Diffuse	+	+	+	−	−	+	NSAIDs
3	34	F	+	3	Diffuse	+ +	+ +	+ +	+ +	+	+ + +	NSAIDs
4	77	F	−	2	Diffuse+ aggregate	+ +	+ + +	+ +	+	+	+ + +	NSAIDs
5	50	M	−	4	Diffuse	+ +	+	+ +	−	+	+
6	37	F	+	7	Diffuse	+	+	+ +	−	+	+
7	61	F	−	2	Diffuse	+	+	+ +	+	+	+ +	PSL (5 mg)
8	25	F	−	12	Diffuse	+ + +	+	+	+ + +	+ +	+ +	NSAIDs
9	60	F	+	4	Diffuse+ aggregate	+ + +	+	+ + +	+ + +	+ + +	+ +	NSAIDs

^*Relative amounts of infiltrating cells of lymphocyte subsets and macrophages between the cases examined were scored; −; none, + ; mild, + + ; moderate, and + + + ; severe.

^†NSAIDs; non-steridal anti-inflammatory drugs, PSL; prednisolone.