Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Pegloticase can improve clinical outcomes of patients with chronic gout

Injections of pegloticase, a modified porcine enzyme, can produce significant and sustained clinical improvements in 2 out of 5 patients with chronic gout that is resistant to conventional therapies, researchers report in the August 17, 2011, issue of JAMA.

17 Aug 2011

Study: Vitamin D directly terminates production of MS-causing protein

While for years scientists have noted an association between levels of vitamin D in a person's body and the person's ability to resist or minimize the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), the mechanism involved has not been established.

17 Aug 2011

FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., an emerging leader in infectious disease, announced today that it has received FDA clearance to commence a Phase II proof-of-concept trial for its lead compound IkT-001. IkT-001, a host-directed kinase inhibitor, is intended to clear JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection, the causative agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

17 Aug 2011

HSS, pSivida enter orthopedic evaluation agreement

Drug delivery company pSivida Corp. today announced it has entered into an evaluation agreement with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation, to investigate pSivida's drug delivery technologies in orthopedics.

17 Aug 2011

Inflammation linked with RA increases patients risk of heart disease

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers are at an increased risk of dying due to cardiovascular disease. A new five year study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy showed that the risk of cardiovascular disease for people with RA is due to disease-related inflammation as well as the risk factors which affect the general population.

16 Aug 2011

New insights into causes of rheumatoid arthritis

Scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Toronto, University Health Network and McGill University have obtained significant new insights into the causes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune disorders including type 1 diabetes, lupus and Graves disease.

16 Aug 2011

Advanced MRI techniques can identify early OA

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center's Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Radiology found that advanced MRI techniques can be used to detect subtle changes in joint cartilage microstructure - and provide physicians a diagnostic tool for finding key markers of early osteoarthritis.

16 Aug 2011

Enrollment commences in RegeneRx RGN-259 Phase 2 trial for dry eye syndrome

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the first patients have been enrolled and randomized to receive RGN-259 or placebo in its 72-patient, Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with dry eye syndrome.

16 Aug 2011

Toclizumab for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

The arthritis drug Toclizumab could be a boon for hundreds of children suffering from severe arthritis. It has been re-launched in children after being already licensed for the treatment of adults. At least two thirds of children taking tocizilumab have been able to return to a normal life, after many were bedridden or forced into wheelchairs by the disease, the clinical studies reveal.

16 Aug 2011

Medgenics second quarter net loss increases to $2.32 million

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011.

12 Aug 2011

Teens involved in research studies prefer telephones over social media

If you think teenagers prefer social media over the telephone, you may want to think again, at least when it comes to teens involved in research studies.

12 Aug 2011

NSAIDs like ibuprofen slow the spread of breast cancers

Published online on Aug. 7, 2011, the journal Nature Medicine reports that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen reduce the severity of postpartum breast cancers in animal models.

12 Aug 2011

La Jolla Institute's new RNAi Center to focus on genetics behind myriad diseases

A major Center that will propel scientific efforts to pinpoint the specific genes involved in causing immune diseases, cancer and other diseases will be opened today at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology.

12 Aug 2011

Turmeric effective in tennis or golfer's elbow

A new study shows that turmeric – a common culinary spice could help in the treatment of painful tendinitis which includes the conditions known as tennis or golfer's elbow.

12 Aug 2011

State roundup: Debt deal and states; Ariz. judge appoves Medicaid plan

Many expensive programs are exempt from the trigger cuts, including most that are considered "mandatory," which means that some of the largest joint state-federal programs aren't vulnerable. Those include Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare) and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

12 Aug 2011

Spices may reduce oxidative stress and risk of chronic disease

Eating a diet rich in spices, like turmeric and cinnamon, reduces the body's negative responses to eating high-fat meals, according to Penn State researchers.

11 Aug 2011

Arthritis sufferers are not involved in physical activity critical to their health: Study

Being physically active is one of best ways people with arthritis can improve their health, but a new study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine shows that more than half of women and 40 percent of men with arthritis are virtually couch potatoes.

11 Aug 2011

Researchers identify novel sensory pathway that modulates pro-inflammatory cells

New research led by Derya Unutmaz, MD associate professor, the Departments of Pathology, Medicine, and Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine and Mark Sundrud, PhD, of Tempero Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has identified a novel sensory pathway that modulates the potency of Th17 cell responses.

11 Aug 2011

Gastroenterology journal publishes results of Lexicon LX1031 Phase 2 trial in IBS

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments for human disease, announced today that results from the Phase 2 clinical trial of LX1031 in patients with non-constipating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were published earlier this week in the August 2011 edition of the journal Gastroenterology.

11 Aug 2011

Israeli OCS approves $1.7M grant to support PROLOR's hGH-CTP program

PROLOR Biotech, Inc., a company developing next generation biobetter therapeutic proteins, today announced that the Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) has approved a 2011 grant to PROLOR's Israeli-based R&D subsidiary for the company's development program for hGH-CTP, its long-acting version of human growth hormone.

10 Aug 2011