Inflammatory Disease News and Research

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Research could lead to new ways to combat chlamydia

A protein secreted by the chlamydia bug has a very unusual structure, according to scientists in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. The discovery of the protein's shape could lead to novel strategies for diagnosing and treating chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease that infects an estimated 2.8 million people in the U.S. each year.

12 Jun 2013

Genetically engineered immune cells appear to promote healing in mice infected with MS-like disease

Genetically engineered immune cells seem to promote healing in mice infected with a neurological disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), cleaning up lesions and allowing the mice to regain use of their legs and tails.

1 Jun 2013

Only one-fifth of RA patients had overall adherence rate to prescribed oral medications, study finds

A new study conducted in an ethnically diverse and predominantly low income population found that only one-fifth of rheumatoid arthritis patients had an overall adherence rate to prescribed oral medications at 80% or greater.

1 Jun 2013

Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center has revealed the roots of a common type of childhood asthma, showing that it is very different from other asthma cases.

24 May 2013

Researchers reveal roots of a common type of childhood asthma

24 May 2013

Patient compliance: an interview with Dr. Bassam Damaj, CEO of Innovus Pharma

A medication’s optimal results are achieved with specific dose levels and times of administration. In order for patients to achieve the maximum benefit from a medication, they have to adhere to the prescribed dose and time of use.

20 May 2013

Research reveals vitamin C does not reduce urate levels in gout patients

Despite previous studies touting its benefit in moderating gout risk, new research reveals that vitamin C, also known ascorbic acid, does not reduce uric acid (urate) levels to a clinically significant degree in patients with established gout. Vitamin C supplementation, alone or in combination with allopurinol, appears to have a weak effect on lowering uric acid levels in gout patients according to the results published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis & Rheumatism.

17 May 2013

UIC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science selects six research projects for new pilot grants

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Clinical and Translational Science has selected six research projects to receive pilot grants in 2013.

15 May 2013

Better understanding of cells' development has implications in study of inflammatory diseases

Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells. Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that protect boundary tissues such as the skin, the lining of the lung, and the lining of the gut from microbial onslaught. They also have shown they play a role in inflammatory disease, when the body's immune system is too active.

15 May 2013

Study suggests that a blood protein contributes to early development of atherosclerosis

It's on Saturday that the Journal of the American Heart Association published the conclusive results from a study directed by Dr. Éric Thorin of the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI), which suggests for the first time that a blood protein contributes to the early development of atherosclerosis.

14 May 2013

Kinase inhibitors: an interview with Jan Hoflack, CSO of Oncodesign

Kinase inhibitors are molecules that block the activity of kinases. Kinases are a specific class of enzymes. They are extremely important in signal transduction processes in the human body meaning that they actually regulate most of the physiological processes that take place in the body.

7 May 2013

Pancreatitis and diabetes drugs: an interview with Dr Sonal Singh, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas which leads to leakage of pancreatic enzymes. Apart from certain drugs such as GLP-1 based therapies, the most common causes of pancreatitis are Gallstones and Alcohol use.

30 Apr 2013

New treatment options for influenza

The flu is caused by an infection with the influenza virus, which mainly attacks the upper respiratory tract - the nose, throat and bronchi and rarely also the lungs. According to the World Health Organization, around five to 15 percent of the population are affected by upper respiratory tract infections during seasonal flu outbreaks, and between 250 000-500 000 people die of the illness every year.

29 Apr 2013

Study identifies gene variants associated with histological features of NAFLD

More patients could be diagnosed earlier with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease after a cohort study presented at the International Liver Congress 2013 identified variants within four genes significantly associated with the histological features of the disease.

24 Apr 2013

Study: Use of anti-TNF therapies in RA patients does not increase risk of herpes zoster

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated use of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapies were not at a higher risk of developing herpes zoster (shingles), compared with patients who initiated nonbiologic treatment regimens, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Oregon Health and Science University. The findings appeared in the March 6, 2013, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 Apr 2013

Investigators report that cell-permeable NLS peptide shows promise in controlling atherosclerotic disease

Atherosclerosis - sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" - is a leading cause of death and morbidity in Western countries. A cell-permeable peptide containing the NF-ĸB nuclear localization sequence (NLS) shows promise as a potential agent in controlling the development of atherosclerotic disease.

18 Apr 2013

Study: Women with RA exposed to anti-tumor necrosis drugs may have increased abortion rates

A new study published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis Care & Research, reveals that women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were on methotrexate (MTX), a drug commonly used to reduce inflammation caused by RA, had lower rates of induced abortions compared to women with RA who were not exposed to the medication.

16 Apr 2013

Research: Mobility shoes improve knee loading for osteoarthritis patients

New research suggests that patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who wear flat, flexible footwear (mobility shoes) had significant reduction in knee loading-the force placed upon the joint during daily activities.

10 Apr 2013

Physicians uncertain about hospitalization for PID treatment

A Johns Hopkins Children's Center survey of 102 clinicians who treat teenage girls with pelvic inflammatory disease has found that official guidelines designed to inform decisions about hospitalization versus outpatient care leave some clinicians scratching their heads.