Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Long-range wind transport of an infectious agent may cause KD

Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection. In fact, if not diagnosed or treated in time, it can lead to irreversible heart damage. After 50 years of research, including genetic studies, scientists have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the disease.

10 Nov 2011

Experimental drug selectively destroys blood supply of fat tissue and decreases body fat

Obese rhesus monkeys lost on average 11 percent of their body weight after four weeks of treatment with an experimental drug that selectively destroys the blood supply of fat tissue, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in Science Translational Medicine.

10 Nov 2011

Human body better at fighting gum disease when fat cells disappear

Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.

10 Nov 2011

Study: Omega-3 supplements can decrease inflammation, anxiety

A recent study gauging the impact of consuming more fish oil showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, surprisingly, in anxiety among a cohort of healthy young people.

10 Nov 2011

New genetic approach to treat fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva

Scientists at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine Center for Research in FOP and Related Disorders have developed a new genetic approach to specifically block the damaged copy of the gene for a rare bone disease, while leaving the normal copy untouched.

9 Nov 2011

Idera third quarter net loss increases to $5.5 million

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011. Idera is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of DNA- and RNA-based drug candidates targeted to Toll-like receptors (TLRs).

9 Nov 2011

Safe disposal of needles, syringes and other sharps

Many people use needles, syringes and lancets—called "sharps"—to manage their medical conditions at home. These conditions include diabetes, allergies, infertility, arthritis, hepatitis, HIV, blood clotting disorders, migraines and cancer.

9 Nov 2011

Celgene to initiate apremilast Phase III placebo-controlled trial for ankylosing spondylitis

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today announced data from a Phase II study of apremilast, its investigational oral immunomodulatory compound, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were presented at the American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting in Chicago, IL.

9 Nov 2011

Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians have higher incidence of lupus

In an abstract being presented today during the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Dr. S. Sam Lim of Emory University School of Medicine will present data showing that black women have a significantly higher incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus than most reports in the scientific literature.

9 Nov 2011

Role of Vitamin D in preventing heart disease in children both HIV-positive and HIV-negative

While Vitamin D is essential for proper bone health, a number of research studies have linked it to guarding against cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. It is unique among vitamins in that it is made by the body in response to sunlight but is naturally present in very few foods. Recent studies have confirmed that vitamin D deficiency is common, even in sunny states such as Florida.

9 Nov 2011

Ligand third quarter total revenues decrease to $5.7 million

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and provided a business update.

9 Nov 2011

Omeros third quarter net loss decreases to $6.5 million

Omeros Corporation, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products targeting inflammation, coagulopathies and disorders of the central nervous system, today announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2011.

9 Nov 2011

Positive results from ChemoCentryx CCX354 Phase II study on RA

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported positive Phase II results for CCX354 at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

9 Nov 2011

Antares Pharma third quarter total revenues increase 26% to $3.9M

Antares Pharma, Inc. today reported financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011.

8 Nov 2011

BioScrip third quarter revenue increases 2.9% to $454.0 million

BioScrip, Inc. today announced 2011 third quarter financial results. Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2011 was $454.0 million and net income was $0.5 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, including $5.0 million in restructuring charges, severance and other employee costs.

8 Nov 2011

Five-year results from Abbott's HUMIRA ATLAS study on ankylosing spondylitis

Abbott today announced five-year results from the open-label extension of the ATLAS study, which evaluated the long-term impact of treatment with HUMIRA (adalimumab) on disease activity, including spinal mobility in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.

8 Nov 2011

New results from BioCryst's BCX4208 Phase 2b gout study

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presents new results from its Phase 2b randomized, double-blind, dose-response study of BCX4208 in patients with gout who have failed to reach the clinically important serum uric acid (sUA) goal of <6 mg/dL on allopurinol alone.

8 Nov 2011

ACR honors NYU Langone professor with Distinguished Basic Investigator Award

Steven B. Abramson, MD, senior vice president and vice dean of education, faculty and academic affairs and professor, Departments of Medicine and Pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center received the Distinguished Basic Investigator Award at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) & Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) annual scientific meeting this week in Chicago.

8 Nov 2011

Children's Hospital project to investigate effectiveness of BET antagonists against HIV

Terri Finkel, M.D., Ph.D., chief of Rheumatology at Children's Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will pursue an innovative global health research project, titled "Use of a BET Antagonist to Control and Cure HIV Infection."

8 Nov 2011

Low-grade inflammatory processes drive development of osteoarthritis

In a study to be published online Nov. 6 in Nature Medicine, investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that the development of osteoarthritis is in great part driven by low-grade inflammatory processes.

8 Nov 2011