Serum 14-3-3η is a novel joint-derived proinflammatory mediator associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of serum 14-3-3η and its correlation with clinical variables in patients with RA.
A total of 94 patients with RA and 80 age- and sex-matched controls, including 40 healthy subjects, were included. Serum 14-3-3η levels were assessed by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of 14-3-3η. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between 14-3-3η and other clinical measures in patients with RA.
Median (interquartile range) of serum 14-3-3η concentration (ng/ml) in RA patients (2.34 [1.56-3.39]) was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects (0.17[0.11-0.30]) and disease controls (1.66[1.21-2.74]; 
14-3-3η protein is a novel marker that can apparently enhance the detection rate of patients with RA. The level of serum 14-3-3η protein correlates to some degree with disease activity.