Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Treatment deteriorates giant cell arteritis imaging sensitivity

Patients with suspected giant cell arteritis should undergo imaging before or as soon as possible after treatment has started to minimize the chance of a false–negative result, advise German researchers.

16 Jul 2012

Sectra acquires product rights for Intulo from Krucom

The IT and medical technology company Sectra has acquired the product rights for Intulo, a system that monitors radiation doses, from the Swedish medical IT company Krucom AB.

16 Jul 2012

Rehabilitation after rotator cuff surgery may be partially to blame for high rates of failed healing

A new Hospital for Special Surgery study suggests that the current rehabilitation used for patients undergoing tendon-bone repairs such as rotator cuff repair may be partially to blame for the high rates of failed healing after surgery. Experiments in a rat model of this injury suggest that immobilizing the limb for four to six weeks after surgery, rather than quickly starting physical therapy, improves healing.

16 Jul 2012

Researchers discover HVEM’s unknown role in fighting off E. coli infections

Despite ongoing public health efforts, E. coli outbreaks continue to infiltrate the food supply, annually causing significant sickness and death throughout the world. But the research community is gaining ground. In a major finding, published today in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have discovered a molecule's previously unknown role in fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections, a discovery that could lead to new ways to protect people from these dangerous microorganisms.

16 Jul 2012

MedStar NRH, Georgetown University create new Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery

Georgetown University and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network announced today a new research and patient care partnership that extends the boundaries of neuroscience. The new Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery marks the launch of a rare research continuum spanning basic and translational science in brain recovery.

14 Jul 2012

More reason to restrict hormone therapy during menopause

Researchers have found further evidence to show that menopausal hormone therapy increases the risk for high blood pressure in postmenopausal women.

13 Jul 2012

Study demonstrates superiority of AE technique for ACL reconstruction in children

A new study demonstrates the superiority of a specific technique to perform anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in children. In recent years, the number of ACL surgeries in pediatric athletes has skyrocketed.

13 Jul 2012

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics receives pilot project award from PCORI

The Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics has been received one of 50 pilot project awards by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study stakeholder views of streamlined informed consent options for comparative effectiveness research (CER) studies.

12 Jul 2012

SRI receives NIAID grant to develop HIV vaccine

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a grant expected to total more than $77 million from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2012

FDA approves Watson’s ANDA for generic ARTHROTEC

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories, Inc - Florida has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Diclofenac Sodium and Misoprostol Delayed-Release Tablets, the generic equivalent to G.D. Searle's ARTHROTEC.

12 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis risk reduced by moderate alcohol consumption

Moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a study published on bmj.com today.

11 Jul 2012

FDA clears Asthmapolis’ sensor system and associated software

Asthmapolis announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market its asthma sensor system and associated software to healthcare providers and their patients.

11 Jul 2012

Osteoarthritis gene tic markers identified

Scientists have used data from the Arthritis Research UK Osteoarthritis Genetics study to identify five gene loci significantly associated with the development of the disease.

10 Jul 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine recommendations questioned in patients on biologics

Administration of the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine is not associated with an increased risk for shingles shortly after vaccination in patients receiving biologic treatments for immune-mediated diseases, researchers report in JAMA.

10 Jul 2012

BP variability link to stroke risk reinforced

Analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative supports the contention that variability in a person’s blood pressure affects their risk for stroke.

10 Jul 2012

Salt content in UK takeaway meals ‘alarmingly high’

The level of salt in hot takeaway meals from small independent outlets in the UK should be reduced to minimize adverse health consequences, say researchers who found that levels were disturbingly high.

10 Jul 2012

RA patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than general population: Study

New research reveals that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than the general population. Results of the study, funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), found that RA and non-RA patients receive routine screening for breast, cervical, and colon cancer at similar rates.

10 Jul 2012

Study clarifies anti-inflammatory impact of boswellic acids

It was one of the gifts of the Magi - in addition to myrrh and gold they offered frankincense to the newly born baby Jesus. Since the ancient world the aromatic fragrance of burning Boswellia resin has been part of many religious ceremonies and is still used as a means to indicate special festive atmosphere in the church today. But frankincense can do much more: "The resin from the trunk of Boswellia trees contains anti-inflammatory substances," Professor Dr. Oliver Werz of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) says.

10 Jul 2012