Table 1.
Characteristics of plasma cohorts 1 and 2
| Plasma cohort 1 | Healthy subjects | Patients with RA | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 33 (78.6) | 36 (81.8) | ns |
| Male, n (%) | 9 (21.4) | 8 (18.2) | ns |
| Age, yr (mean ± SEM) | 60.9±0.8 | 61.83±2.1 | ns |
| TNF-α, pg/ml (median [IQR]) | 75.0 [51.4–88.9] | 87.8 [57.8–126.4] | 0.0235 |
| PAF, ng/ml (mean ± SEM) | 27.9±1.4 | 33.4±1.7 | 0.0185 |
| Plasma cohort 2 | ACPAneg patients with RA | ACPApos patients with RA | P value |
| Female, n (%) | 26 (78.8) | 25 (75.8) | ns |
| Male, n (%) | 7 (21.2) | 8 (24.2) | ns |
| Age, yr (mean ± SEM) | 56.0±2.8 | 55.6±2.6 | ns |
| DAS44 (mean ± SEM) | 3.1±0.8 | 3.2±0.1 | ns |
| ACPA (AU/ml) (median [IQR]) | 6.2 [2.6–14.6] | 238.7 [98.4–1093] | 0.0001 |
| RF IgM (median [IQR]) | 1.0 [0.0–2.5] | 23.0 [6.0–80.0] | 0.0001 |
| TNF-α, pg/ml (mean ± SEM) | 62.8±8.8 | 77.6±6.1 | ns |
| PAF, ng/ml (mean ± SEM) | 146.1±11.5 | 120.9±9.7 | ns |
ACPA anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, DAS44 Disease Activity Score in 44 joints, IgM immunoglobulin M, IQR interquartile range, ns not significant, PAF platelet-activating factor, RA rheumatoid arthritis, RF rheumatoid factor, TNF tumour necrosis factor