Lupus Erythematosus News and Research

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Genetic cause discovered for systemic lupus erythematosus

Mutations in a gene researchers call TREX1 is one cause for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a severe and incurable autoimmune disease.

24 Sep 2007

New genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

A genetic variation has been identified that increases the risk of two chronic, autoimmune inflammatory diseases: rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus).

10 Sep 2007

MS patients given hope with new vaccine treatment

Canadian researchers have developed a vaccine to stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and they say encouraging results have already been seen.

14 Aug 2007

Interferon-alpha levels may predict who might be at risk to develop lupus

Certain families produce higher levels of a specific molecule, called interferon-alpha, that primes the body's immune system to turn on, and in some cases initiate an autoimmune attack on itself, according to new research from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

1 Aug 2007

High frequency of sperm abnormalities associated with reduced testicular volume in male lupus patients

The prognosis for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that mainly affects women in their reproductive years, has improved recently, prompting a shift toward improving quality of life.

29 Jun 2007

Study on B-cell depletion therapy

36% of patients with refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) remain well after undergoing B-cell depletion therapy (BCDT) without needing further standard immunosuppressive agents, according to a study presented at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain.

17 Jun 2007

Genes add up risk of autoimmune disease

Geneticists have identified a link between the number of copies of a specific gene an individual has and their susceptibility to autoimmune diseases like lupus.

22 May 2007

Complement receptor 3 sends a signal to dampen the immune system

Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania reported that complement receptor 3 (CR3), a protein found on cell surfaces, inhibits dendritic cells, the sentinels of the immune system, from setting off an alarm signal that brings on a full immune response.

16 May 2007

New fetal heart monitor

New technology, the size of a mobile phone, which could save the life of an unborn child, has been developed by scientists from The University of Nottingham.

27 Apr 2007

Translocation kidney cancer after chemotherapy in childhood

This article out of Johns Hopkins reviewed the risk of renal cell carcinoma occurring as a secondary malignancy after chemotherapy in childhood.

21 Apr 2007

Genelabs Tech reaches agreement with FDA on special protocol assessment for phase III trial of Prestara in lupus

Genelabs Technologies has announced that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for a Phase III clinical trial of Prestara (prasterone) for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus).

4 Apr 2007

Estradiol and its metabolites and their association with knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, which usually develops between the ages of 40 and 50, is more prevalent in women. It is thought that sex hormones may play a role in developing the disease, since they can be involved in inflammation of the tissues affected by it.

26 Jul 2006

Trust in physicians and elements of the medical interaction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

Trust between a patient and doctor is a key factor in promoting improved quality of life, compliance with treatment, and better health outcomes.

31 May 2006

Researchers find gene connected to Lupus

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a variant of a gene that is present in most people with lupus, a complex and chronic autoimmune disease.

20 Apr 2006

Epstein-Barr virus infection linked to multiple sclerosis

Young adults with high levels of antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that most often causes mononucleosis, may be more likely to develop multiple sclerosis 15 to 20 years later, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology.

11 Apr 2006

Anti-malarials most effective in lupus patients genetically at risk of high levels of TNF-alpha

Anti-malarial drugs are most effective in people with lupus who are genetically predisposed to high levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha and low levels of the cytokine IL-10.

16 Feb 2006

Identity Swap: Finding the variants that human history has favoured

Sequence differences in less than 0.2% of the 3-billion-base human genome play a vital role in a bewildering variety of human disease. Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Cambridge University’s Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, together with international colleagues report in PLoS Genetics their detailed maps of differences implicated in disease as well as genes that are unchanged in recent human history.

26 Jan 2006

Breakthrough in lupus research

A major breakthrough in lupus research - one that may fundamentally change thinking on how the disease affects behavior and cognition - was reported in the January 17, 2006 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

25 Jan 2006

Study explains complex infection fighting mechanism

Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Nature Immunology how infection fighting mechanisms in the body can distinguish between a virus and the healthy body, shedding new light on auto immune disorders.

11 Jan 2006

Women suffering lupus OK to take oral contraceptives

Major study of women with either inactive or stable systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) – a disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and damages healthy tissues of the skin, joints and internal organs – were able to take oral contraceptives without increased risk of flares, or periods of increased disease activity, that characterize the disease.

22 Dec 2005