Rheumatology News and Research

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Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists mainly deal with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues and allied conditions of connective tissues.

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Low doses of an inexpensive, FDA-approved hypertension medication may improve the results of nanotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. In a report in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describe experiments showing that the generic drug losartan, by modifying the network of collagen fibers that characterizes most solid tumors, improved the effectiveness of two nanotherapeutics against several types of cancer.

3 Feb 2011

Orexigen, Takeda announce FDA's issue of complete response letter for Contrave NDA

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter dated January 31, 2011 regarding the New Drug Application for Contrave® (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl) extended-release tablets for the treatment of obesity, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss.

1 Feb 2011

Phase II trial finds fostamatinib ineffective in RA patients not responsive to biologic agents

In a previous study, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who failed to respond to methotrexate were shown to experience positive results with fostamatinib disodium (R788), an oral spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) inhibitor that is thought to block immune cell signaling involved with bone and cartilage destruction. In the current study, RA patients who failed to respond to biologic agents were studied.

28 Jan 2011

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Researchers in China have demonstrated interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For the first time, IFN-α priming was shown to promote lipid uptake and foam cell formation—a crucial step in plaque build-up. This activation of the IFN signaling pathway may be linked to the premature atherosclerosis risk in SLE.

27 Jan 2011

AVRF and UPEI collaboration awarded Innovation PEI Pilot and Discovery Fund grant

Atlanta Vascular Research Foundation (AVRF), together with its collaborators at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), has been awarded an Innovation PEI Pilot and Discovery Fund grant by Innovation PEI. The grant is to continue research and development in combining nutraceuticals to magnify clinical benefits for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The funding from this grant is $25,000.

27 Jan 2011

Study: Low SES is linked to high risk of depression in patients with RA

Physical and Mental Health Disparities Found in Those with Low Socioeconomic Position. A recent study confirmed that low socioeconomic status is associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

26 Jan 2011

NYU Langone to expand Emergency Department and dedicate separate area for pediatric emergency care

NYU Langone Medical Center today announced its plan to transform its Emergency Department (ED) into a state-of the-art emergency facility to meet the growing need for emergency care services in the community. Once completed, the new facility will nearly triple the size of the current ED and will include for the first time a separate area dedicated to pediatric emergency services.

20 Jan 2011

New long-term survival data from OPUS, CRYSTAL studies demonstrate strong tumor shrinkage of Erbitux

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today highlighted a further analysis of the large randomized Phase II OPUS study demonstrating an association between early tumor shrinkage and long-term median overall survival (OS) of more than 2 years for patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with Erbitux® (cetuximab) plus FOLFOX standard chemotherapy.

19 Jan 2011

Uric acid levels linked to severe osteoarthritis

The amount of uric acid in one's joints may increase the likelihood of severe osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis worldwide, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

19 Jan 2011

'Master switch' protein in white blood cells linked to inflammation

Scientists have identified a protein that acts as a "master switch" in certain white blood cells, determining whether they promote or inhibit inflammation. The study, published in the journal Nature Immunology, could help researchers look for new treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis that involve excessive inflammation.

18 Jan 2011

Tri-Valley Medical Group physicians discuss issues impacting roll-out of health care reform

Local physicians from Tri-Valley Medical Group recently spent a week in Washington D.C. to discuss the fundamental issues impacting the roll-out of health care reform - and came away with a new appreciation of its challenges.

11 Jan 2011

Sucampo, Takeda initiate dosing in third lubiprostone phase 3 trial for opioid-induced bowel dysfunction

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. today announced the dosing of the first patient in the third phase 3 clinical trial of lubiprostone for the treatment of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) in subjects with chronic, non-cancer pain, excluding those taking methadone. The primary endpoint is an overall responder rate based on the change from baseline in the reported frequency of spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs).

7 Jan 2011

New research finds physicians are not following standard care guidelines for OA

New research found clinicians who care for patients with osteoarthritis are likely not following standard care guidelines that are based on current medical evidence.

5 Jan 2011

Clinicians rely upon analgesics and surgery; overlook exercise and weight loss for OA patients

New research found clinicians who care for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are likely not following standard care guidelines that are based on current medical evidence. Researchers noted physicians were prescribing medications for pain and inflammation, or opting for surgical interventions rather than recommending weight loss plans or exercise programs to OA patients.

4 Jan 2011

Past smoking history does not affect RA patient's response to treatments

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are current smokers were less likely to achieve good response to methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors than those who never smoked. The study by researchers from Sweden also found that RA patients who smoked in the past did not experience a lower response to these therapies. Results of the 10-year study appear in the January 2011 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

4 Jan 2011

New research finds pattern for detecting 'false-positive' ANA results

The presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) indicates the possibility of autoimmunity and the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay on HEp-2 cells is the standard blood test (ANA-HEp-2) used to detect ANA. However, studies have shown that a "false-positive" ANA test occurs in up to 13% of healthy individuals. In such cases the test detects the presence of autoantibodies that apparently are not associated with autoimmunity.

4 Jan 2011

Interventions aimed at infants improve school readiness and achievement

Parent education programs delivered through pediatric primary care offices increased parent-child play and reading activities critical for child development and school readiness during infancy in at-risk families, according to two concurrent reports in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Jan 2011

Sleep-deprived physicians not to perform elective surgeries without patient's consent

While regulations have been put in place to restrict the work hours of doctors in training, no such regulations exist for fully trained physicians. An editorial in this week's New England Journal of Medicine argues that sleep-deprived physicians should not be permitted to proceed with an elective surgery without a patient's informed, written consent.

30 Dec 2010

Centocor Ortho Biotech files REMICADE sBLA for ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. announced today that it has filed a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the approval of REMICADE® (infliximab) for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in pediatric patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy.

29 Dec 2010

Takeda completes settlements in patent litigation over generic ACTOS, ACTOplus met, and duetact ANDAs

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") today announced that Takeda and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. ("TPNA"), have completed settlements with all defendants in patent litigation brought against the companies in response to their Abbreviated New Drug Applications ("ANDAs") for generic ACTOS® (pioglitazone HCl), ACTOplus met® (pioglitazone HCl and metformin HCl), and duetact® (pioglitazone HCl and glimepiride).

22 Dec 2010

Rheumatology News and Research

Further Reading

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Orexigen, Takeda announce FDA's issue of complete response letter for Contrave NDA

Phase II trial finds fostamatinib ineffective in RA patients not responsive to biologic agents

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

AVRF and UPEI collaboration awarded Innovation PEI Pilot and Discovery Fund grant

Study: Low SES is linked to high risk of depression in patients with RA

NYU Langone to expand Emergency Department and dedicate separate area for pediatric emergency care

New long-term survival data from OPUS, CRYSTAL studies demonstrate strong tumor shrinkage of Erbitux

Uric acid levels linked to severe osteoarthritis

'Master switch' protein in white blood cells linked to inflammation

Tri-Valley Medical Group physicians discuss issues impacting roll-out of health care reform

Sucampo, Takeda initiate dosing in third lubiprostone phase 3 trial for opioid-induced bowel dysfunction

New research finds physicians are not following standard care guidelines for OA

Clinicians rely upon analgesics and surgery; overlook exercise and weight loss for OA patients

Past smoking history does not affect RA patient's response to treatments

New research finds pattern for detecting 'false-positive' ANA results

Interventions aimed at infants improve school readiness and achievement

Sleep-deprived physicians not to perform elective surgeries without patient's consent

Centocor Ortho Biotech files REMICADE sBLA for ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients

Takeda completes settlements in patent litigation over generic ACTOS, ACTOplus met, and duetact ANDAs

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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