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Previous Volume 356:2419-2420 June 7, 2007 Number 23 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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A long-standing question in rheumatology is why inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis involve the joints. Many studies have addressed this question; a recent article by Lee et al.¹ provides a new answer that is both obvious and intriguing. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints because of the essential role of the synovium in regulating inflammation.

The normal synovial membrane is a thin, glistening tissue that lines the diarthrodial joints. Its name (which contains the root "ovum") derives from its visual similarity to the thin lining under the shell of a chicken egg. The membrane normally consists of a lining layer . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

From the Autoimmunity Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

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