Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows potent immune response

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate that underwent extensive preclinical testing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this spring and summer shows potent preclinical immune responses -; including several that distinguish it from other COVID-19 vaccine approaches -; according to a preprint deposited in the BioRxiv repository this week.

13 Oct 2020

Study reveals why immobilization after injury helps in healing

By far, the most common injuries seen in emergency rooms in the United States are those affecting extremities. Immobilization is the most common treatment, and yet, until recently, it was unknown exactly why this technique worked to advance healing.

12 Oct 2020

Stem cells that repair broken bones can also generate arthritic bone spurs

The same stem cells that heal broken bones can also generate arthritic bone spurs called osteophytes, according to a new study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

12 Oct 2020

Exuberant activation of immune cells in severe COVID-19 resembles lupus

In severe cases of COVID-19, Emory researchers have been observing an exuberant activation of immune cells, resembling acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease.

9 Oct 2020

New drug delivery systems can improve treatment for diseases that affect connective tissues

University of Delaware Professor Kristi Kiick is leading collaborative research to create new drug delivery systems with the potential to improve treatment for diseases that affect connective tissues, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease.

9 Oct 2020

Hard lives made harder by COVID: Homeless endure a ‘slow-moving train wreck’

The message wasn't lost on Daniel Gonzalez. Early in the pandemic, one of the first things Imperial County did to ward off the virus was close the public bathrooms and, later, public cooling centers. In this sprawling Southern California desert, where summer brings blistering triple-digit heat, that lack of access could amount to a death sentence for people without shelter.

8 Oct 2020

Case report of arthritis in a COVID-19 patient

The current paper published in the The Lancet Rheumatology discusses arthritis in a 58-year-old white woman with COVID-19 of less than severe intensity.

7 Oct 2020

NIH awards grants for using bioengineered models to improve clinical trial design

Clinical Trials on a Chip researchers plan to build and test common and rare disease models to help improve the clinical trial process.

30 Sep 2020

New trial to evaluate anti-TNF drug as a treatment for COVID-19 patients begins

Researchers at the University of Oxford are starting a new study to explore the effectiveness of the anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug adalimumab as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 in the community, especially care homes.

30 Sep 2020

Study shows tofacitinib drug can repair permeability defects in the intestine

A team of researchers led by biomedical scientist Declan F. McCole at the University of California, Riverside, has found that the drug tofacitinib, also called Xeljanz and approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, can repair permeability defects in the intestine.

30 Sep 2020

Auto-antibodies may explain why some people develop severe COVID-19

Now, a new study by an international team of health experts shows that some life-threatening cases of COVID-19 can be traced to specific weak spots in the patients' immune system.

28 Sep 2020

FDA approves first drug for patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome in nearly 14 years

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Nucala (mepolizumab) for adults and children aged 12 years and older with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) for six months or longer without another identifiable non-blood related cause of the disease.

25 Sep 2020

People with musculoskeletal pain report worsening symptoms during lockdown

People with bone, joint and muscle pain saw their symptoms worsen during lockdown - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

25 Sep 2020

About 10% patients with severe disease create auto-antibodies that attack the immune system

People infected by the novel coronavirus can have symptoms that range from mild to deadly. Now, two new analyses suggest that some life-threatening cases can be traced to weak spots in patients' immune systems.

25 Sep 2020

HSS researchers use novel MRI technique to study Parsonage-Turner Syndrome

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to use a novel MRI technique known as magnetic resonance neurography, or MRN, to study Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), a painful nerve disorder that leads to severe weakness.

24 Sep 2020

SMART program helps patients make more informed decisions about health

Researchers at Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, collaborated with scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to examine whether the Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) program affects people's abilities to make informed decisions about their medical treatment options.

24 Sep 2020