Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Molecule that destroys bone also protects it

An immune system component that is a primary cause of bone destruction and inflammation in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis actually protects bone in the oral cavity from infectious pathogens that play a major role in periodontal disease in humans, research at the University at Buffalo has shown.

7 May 2007

Infliximab fails to improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms

A promising anti-inflammatory drug failed to improve symptoms of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in a large, multi-center trial.

2 May 2007

New way to target and potentially treat tumors

Research teams at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island have demonstrated a new way to target and potentially treat tumors using a short piece of protein that acts like a nanosyringe to deliver tags or therapy to cells, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2 May 2007

Generic biologic drugs unlikely to be cheaper than brand-name drugs

Generic versions of a class of medicines called "biologics" would not be significantly cheaper than brand-name versions of the medicines, according to research from professors at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

2 May 2007

Rituximab reduces disease activity in multiple sclerosis

A new drug under investigation shows a reduction in disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to two studies that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston. The drug reduced disease activity as indicated by MRI scans.

2 May 2007

New class of nontoxic cancer treatments

A new class of compounds developed by two University of Kentucky researchers shows promise as a nontoxic treatment of some cancers previously treated with toxic chemotherapy, the researchers report today.

2 May 2007

Fish oil may help people with chronic kidney disease

Fish oil, it's been touted as an answer to Alzheimers, arthritis and even weight-loss but now a Queensland University of Technology researcher will test its health benefits in people with chronic kidney disease.

1 May 2007

Assessment of medical expenditures and earnings losses associated with arthritis

"Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions exact a large and growing economic toll on the nation as a result of the increase in numbers of persons affected, rather than an increase in mean expenditures and earnings losses," attests Charles G. Helmick, M.D., at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

30 Apr 2007

Genetic risk for early death in rheumatoid arthritis

A chronic autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is marked by inflammation that takes a progressive toll on not only the joints, but also various organs and the whole body.

30 Apr 2007

Green tea may help prevent bone destruction in arthritis

In rheumatoid arthritis, a person's own immune system attacks the joints by activating the synovial tissue that lines the body's movable joints, causing inflammation, swelling, pain and eventually erosion of the bone and cartilage and deformation of the joint.

30 Apr 2007

Green tea may soothe pain of rheumatoid arthritis

According to the latest research a compound in green tea may provide therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid arthritis.

30 Apr 2007

New genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes

In the most comprehensive look at genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes to date, a U.S.-Finnish team, working in close collaboration with two other groups, has identified at least four new genetic variants associated with increased risk of diabetes and confirmed existence of another six.

27 Apr 2007

Time for FDA to set the record straight on common painkillers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has caused an unnecessary scare about some pain relievers by adding a warning to drugs that are safe, says Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

25 Apr 2007

Professor Marc Feldmann wins top lifetime achievement award

The academic who developed a treatment for autoimmune diseases that has helped millions of patients around the world last night received a prestigious lifetime achievement award at this year's European Inventor of the Year awards.

24 Apr 2007

Green tea may help protect against Sjogren's syndrome

They found significantly less salivary gland damage in a group treated with green tea extract, suggesting a reduction of the Sjogren's symptom commonly referred to as dry mouth. Dry mouth can also be caused by certain drugs, radiation and other diseases.

20 Apr 2007

Method of mass-producing disease-fighting antibodies entirely within bacteria

The group led by Dr. George Georgiou developed the new antibody-production approach to improve upon processes used previously to identify new drugs.

19 Apr 2007

Bacteria barge inside guard cells and initiate a powerful immune response

Immune cells that are the body's front-line defense don't necessarily rest quietly until invading bacteria lock onto receptors on their outside skins and rouse them to action, as previously thought.

18 Apr 2007

Scientists find strong genetic link to Crohn's disease

An international team of scientists believe they have identified a number of genes that may indicate a pre-disposal to developing Crohn's disease and say their discovery confirms the suspicion that the inflammatory bowel ailment has a strong genetic link.

17 Apr 2007

Chondroitin for arthritis just doesn't work

According to Swiss researchers the dietary supplement chondroitin is no better than a placebo at easing the hip and knee pain of arthritis and they believe its use should be discouraged.

17 Apr 2007

New device to test for proteins that play important role in human health and disease

A new technology developed at the University of Toronto is revealing biochemical processes responsible for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and could one day pave the way for pharmaceutical applications.

15 Apr 2007