Inflammatory Disease News and Research

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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.

10 Apr 2013

Researchers identify link between immune response and blood clotting

Rice University researchers have found an unexpected link between a protein that triggers the formation of blood clots and other proteins that are essential for the body's immune system.

2 Apr 2013

Inflammation and epigenetics: an interview with Dr Belkina and Dr Denis, Boston University School of Medicine

Inflammation can be thought of as taking two major forms: acute or chronic. Acute inflammation, which can be painful, usually arises quickly and resolves quickly. It accompanies bacterial infections, traumatic injury and is useful to fight infections and promote healing.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers study gene variants that bear signature for inflammatory disease susceptibility

In new research published in the April 4, 2013 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital demonstrate that some variants in our genes that could put a person at risk for inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease or rheumatoid arthritis, have been the target of natural selection over the course of human history.

25 Mar 2013

Hepatitis C and HIV co-infection treatment: an interview with Prof Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Chronic hepatitis C infection is one of the most frequent chronic infectious diseases worldwide. The WHO estimates that 150 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

20 Mar 2013

Study finds significant variation over diuretics use in BPD patients

Even though there is little data to support the extended use of diuretic medications to help reduce fluid build-up in the lungs of premature infants, researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found significant variation in how babies receive these medications at hospitals across the nation.

20 Mar 2013

Phase 1b study of olesoxime initiated in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

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14 Mar 2013

Research findings have potential implications for treating human infections

Half of the world's human population is infected with the stomach bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, yet it causes disease in only about 10 percent of those infected. Other bacteria living in the stomach may be a key factor in whether or not H. pylori causes disease, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

14 Mar 2013

Drugs that combat ageing may be available within five years

Drugs that combat ageing may be available within five years, following landmark work led by an Australian researcher.

11 Mar 2013

Investigational treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) has Marketing Authorisation Application submitted

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) today announced that a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) has been submitted to The European Medicines Agency (EMA) for vedolizumab, an investigational, gut-selective humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), the two most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

8 Mar 2013

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory subtypes: an interview with Dr Vanessa McDonald, University of Newcastle, Australia

COPD is defined as a preventable and treatable disease associated with significant extrapulmonary consequences that may contribute to severity. The pulmonary component of COPD is characterised by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles (GOLD Strategy Document). Airflow obstruction in COPD is not highly variable and largely irreversible.

8 Mar 2013

RA patients who initiate anti-TNF therapies do not have higher risk of shingles: Study

Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a disproportionately higher incidence of herpes zoster (shingles), an analysis that included nearly 60,000 patients with RA and other inflammatory diseases found that those who initiated anti-tumor necrosis factor therapies were not at higher risk of herpes zoster compared with patients who initiated nonbiologic treatment regimens, according to a study appearing in the March 6 issue of JAMA.

7 Mar 2013

Sanford-Burnham enters into partnership to test furin for treatment of dengue fever

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and 60- Pharmaceuticals, LLC, have entered into a partnership to test furin, a human proteinase, as a drug target for the treatment of dengue fever, one of the most common infectious diseases in the tropics and subtropics.

5 Mar 2013

Eating your greens may be even more important than previously thought

Eating your greens may be even more important than previously thought, with the discovery that an immune cell population essential for intestinal health could be controlled by leafy greens in your diet.