Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Both very high and low physical activity levels associated with knee cartilage degeneration

Both very high and very low levels of physical activity can accelerate the degeneration of knee cartilage in middle-aged adults, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

26 Nov 2012

Apitope announces completion of recruitment in ATX-MS-1467 Phase I trial for MS

Apitope, the European drug discovery and development company focused on treating the underlying cause of autoimmune diseases, today announced completion of recruitment into its second Phase I clinical trial of ATX-MS-1467 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

26 Nov 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis patients adhere to both adalimumab, etanercept

Patients with active rheumatoid arthritis are as likely to persist with adalimumab treatment as they are with etanercept, show the results of a 2-year randomized efficacy and discontinuation study of the two tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

23 Nov 2012

Well-characterised population cohorts important for clinical decision making

Clinicians are being urged to ask about a patient's history of falls as new research shows that the information is valuable in determining their future risk of fracture.

23 Nov 2012

Medgenics’ EPODURE Biopump technology for EPO delivery receives U.S. patent

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of BiopumpTM a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced a patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) protecting the use of Medgenics' EPODURE Biopump technology for delivery of erythropoietin (EPO).

22 Nov 2012

New approach could help orthopaedic surgeons better deal with battlefield injuries

Bones are resilient and heal well after most fractures. But in cases of traumatic injury, in which big pieces of bone are missing, healing is much more difficult, if not impossible. These so-called "large segmental defects" are a major clinical problem, and orthopaedic surgeons struggle to treat them, especially among the military in places like Afghanistan.

22 Nov 2012

Two organizations partner to fund Arthritis and Aging Research Grant

The Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) in Long Beach, CA and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) in New York, NY proudly announce their collaboration to fund an Arthritis and Aging Research Grant.

22 Nov 2012

Scientists discover telomerase as cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers

A*STAR scientists have identified the enzyme, telomerase, as a cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers. Chronic inflammation is now recognized as a key underlying cause for the development of many human cancers, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

22 Nov 2012

Rituximab may help patients with aPL-related clinical problems

Rituximab, a drug used to treat cancer and arthritis, may help patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) who suffer from aPL-related clinical problems that do not respond to anticoagulation, such as cardiac disease and kidney disease, according to a new study by rheumatology researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The study appears online ahead of print, in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

21 Nov 2012

Sectra OneScreen can effectively identify people at high risk for osteoporosis

A research team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has conducted a study that shows how Sectra's online service, Sectra OneScreen, provides an efficient and inexpensive method for early identification of people in the "at-risk group" for osteoporosis. Sectra OneScreen can be combined with routine mammography examinations.

21 Nov 2012

Scientists uncover new role for TLR4 in development of tissue fibrosis or scarring

An international multi-disciplinary research team led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has uncovered a new role for the protein toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the development of tissue fibrosis, or scarring.

21 Nov 2012

Generic scale compares manual ability across diagnoses

Researchers have developed a generic manual ability scale unbiased by diagnosis that could allow quantitative comparisons of manual ability between diagnostic groups.

20 Nov 2012

Treatment-related heart failure risk for rheumatoid arthritis patients revealed

Rheumatoid arthritis patients have no greater risk for heart failure with tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy than with nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, research suggests.

19 Nov 2012

Texting service helps patients reduce their blood pressure

A simple telehealth intervention could be an effective way to reduce blood pressure in patients, research suggests.

19 Nov 2012

Two equally effective TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis

Adalimumab and etanercept are equally effective as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in the treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, report researchers.

19 Nov 2012

MusculoskeletalNetwork features special coverage of sessions from ACR annual meeting

UBM Medica US announces that MusculoskeletalNetwork features special coverage of sessions from the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), including the latest information about new FDA processes for approval of biosimilars that are like generic versions of expensive medications now used to treat painful rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

17 Nov 2012

Caterpillar fungi may benefit asthma patients

Research shows that cordycepin, extracted from a group of rare parasitic caterpillar fungi of the genus Cordyceps, has unusual anti-inflammatory properties that may make it a good candidate for treating conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

16 Nov 2012

First HSS medical symposium to take place in Rio de Janeiro from Nov. 28-29

The first medical symposium in Brazil presented by Hospitalys Ortopedia in Rio de Janeiro and New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) will take place November 28 and 29 in Rio de Janeiro.

16 Nov 2012

Peak interest in health issues comes at about age 51 for baby boomers

For baby boomers, the peak interest in health issues comes at about age 51, with a second peak coming near age 65, according to a new study.

16 Nov 2012

Tanshinones protect against sepsis: Study

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that tanshinones, which come from the plant Danshen and are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, protect against the life-threatening condition sepsis. The findings are published in the December issue of Biochemical Pharmacology.

16 Nov 2012