Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19319624›Full record

Trial reportClinical rheumatology2009

Effects of rituximab treatment on endothelial dysfunction, carotid atherosclerosis, and lipid profile in rheumatoid arthritis.

György Kerekes, Pál Soltész, Henriett Dér, Katalin Veres, Zoltán Szabó, Anikó Végvári, Gyula Szegedi, Yehuda Shoenfeld, Zoltán Szekanecz

Open access · greenAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical rheumatology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
60citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

60 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 127 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Residual Traditional Risk in Non-Traditional Atherosclerotic Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

György KerekesCardiovascular Unit, Third Department of Medicine, University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Center, Móricz Zs krt. 22., 4032, Debrecen, Hungary.
Pál Soltész
Henriett Dér
Katalin Veres
Zoltán Szabó
Anikó Végvári
Gyula Szegedi
Yehuda Shoenfeld
Zoltán Szekanecz
University of Debrecen · HUHungarian Academy of Sciences · HUSheba Medical Center · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Increased cardiovascular mortality has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There have been reports indicating that tumor necrosis factor blockers may exert favorable but transient effects on lipid profile, flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, and common carotid intima-media thickness (ccIMT) in RA. In this study, we assessed the effects of rituximab on FMD, ccIMT, and lipid profile. Five female RA patients received two infusions of 1000 mg rituximab i.v. High-resolution B-mode ultrasound was used to assess brachial FMD and ccIMT. We also determined plasma total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglyceride (Tg) levels. Assessments were performed at baseline, as well as at weeks 2, 6, and 16 after the first infusion. Rituximab (RTX) treatment resulted in a rapid and sustained improvement in FMD. The mean improvement was 30%, 22%, and 81% at weeks 2, 6, and 16, respectively. RTX had little effect on atherosclerosis within this short period of time; however, we observed 10%, 9%, and 2% decreases in ccIMT at weeks 2, 6, and 16, respectively. RTX therapy resulted in 3-11% decrease in TC, as well as 14-35% increase in HDL-C levels. Two infusions of RTX exerted early and sustained favorable effects on endothelial dysfunction, as well as plasma TC and HDL-C levels. RTX may also decrease ccIMT; however, longer follow-up is needed to assess the prolonged effects of RTX on vascular function and lipid profile in RA patients.

Indexed as

AdultAntibodies, MonoclonalAntibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-DerivedAntirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidBrachial ArteryCarotid Artery DiseasesCholesterol, HDLCholesterol, LDLEndothelium, VascularFemaleHumansLipidsMiddle AgedRegional Blood FlowRituximabAntibodies, MonoclonalAntibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-DerivedAntirheumatic AgentsCholesterol, HDLCholesterol, LDLLipidsRituximabTriglycerides

Identifiers

PMID19319624
OpenAlexW1970142855

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.