Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

FDA Class 1 recall for two medical devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a Class 1 recall today for two unapproved and uncleared devices whose manufacturers claimed could treat various medical conditions. A Class 1 recall means that there is a reasonable probability that the use of a device will cause adverse health consequences or death.

15 Dec 2008

Gene therapy used to treat periodontal disease

Scientists at the University of Michigan have shown that gene therapy can be used to successfully stop the development of periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

12 Dec 2008

Mathematical models of adaptive immunity

More than five million people die every year from infectious diseases, despite the availability of numerous antibiotics and vaccines. The discovery of penicillin to treat bacterial infections, along with the development of vaccines for previously incurable virus diseases such as polio and smallpox, achieved great reductions in mortality during the mid-20th century.

11 Dec 2008

12 percent of U.S. children use alternative medicine

Approximately 38 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 years and over and nearly 12 percent of U.S. children aged 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a new nationwide government survey.

10 Dec 2008

Experimental drug successfully blocks mutation in bone marrow cancers

Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute researchers have found that an experimental drug successfully blocks an enzyme that causes some bone marrow cancers.

10 Dec 2008

Pycnogenol reduces inflammatory marker C-reactive protein in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), a type of arthritis caused by the breakdown and loss of cartilage, affects more than 20 million Americans.

10 Dec 2008

FDA announces permanent injunction against Wilderness Family Naturals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that Wilderness Family Naturals LLC of Silver Bay, Minn., and its owners have signed a consent decree that prohibits them from manufacturing and distributing any products with unapproved claims that the products cure, treat, mitigate or prevent diseases.

10 Dec 2008

When is a gun a medical device?

Reports from the United States that authorities there have approved a handgun designed for those crippled by conditions such as arthritis and muscular dystrophy have given rise to confusion and debate.

9 Dec 2008

Rituxan in combination with chemo improves survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec have announced that two global Phase III studies in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), CLL8 and REACH, showed Rituxan (rituximab) plus chemotherapy significantly increased the time patients lived without their disease advancing, as defined by the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), when compared to chemotherapy alone.

8 Dec 2008

Incyte's selective Janus kinase inhibitor demonstrates rapid and durable clinical benefits in Myelofibrosis patients

Incyte Corporation will present updated results from an ongoing Phase II trial of INCB18424, its selective, orally available Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, in patients with myelofibrosis (MF) at the 50th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.

8 Dec 2008

Cartilage transplants used to repair damaged shoulder joints

Rush University Medical Center is the only hospital in Illinois - and one of only a few nationwide - using cartilage transplants to repair damaged shoulder joints.

5 Dec 2008

Better targeted, more cost-effective osteoporosis treatment could soon be a reality worldwide

A new method for determining more accurately at which point someone needs further diagnostic tests, or when immediate treatment is warranted, has been developed by The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group in the UK.

3 Dec 2008

Light exposure therapy, dark sunglasses help night-shift workers

A new study finds the use of light exposure therapy, dark sunglasses and a strict sleep schedule can help night-shift workers create a "compromise circadian phase position," which may result in increased performance and alertness during night shifts while still allowing adequate nighttime sleep on days off.

3 Dec 2008

Natural killer T cells play important role in Lyme disease

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and Albany Medical College has illuminated the important role of natural killer (NK) T cells in Lyme disease, demonstrating that the once little understood white blood cells are central to clearing the bacterial infection and reducing the intensity and duration of arthritis associated with Lyme disease.

3 Dec 2008

Tobacco plants grown in novel mist bioreactor system provide new soure of interleukin-12

Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system.

3 Dec 2008

Virtual colonoscopy has potential to screen for colorectal cancer and osteoporosis at same time

New research reveals that computed tomography (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, has the potential to screen for two diseases at once-colorectal cancer and osteoporosis, both of which commonly affect adults over age 50.

3 Dec 2008

Worrying about your health? more government money will help you stay well

A national poll by the Australian medical research body, Research Australia, has found that many Australians are worried about developing a range of chronic diseases during their lifetime, particularly diseases such as arthritis.

2 Dec 2008

Poor quality HDL cholesterol bad for you

If you think your levels of "good cholesterol" are good enough, a new study published in the December 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that you may want to think again.

1 Dec 2008

Etanercept found to be ineffective in treating alcoholic hepatitis

A new study from Mayo Clinic finds the use of the drug therapy etanercept ineffective in treating alcoholic hepatitis, an acute inflammation of the liver caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. The results of the study are published in the December issue of Gastroenterology.

1 Dec 2008

Research identifies cell receptor as target for anti-inflammatory immune response

Cell reception. By comparing normal mice (left) with mice that are genetically engineered to lack certain receptors in their spleen (right), scientists have shown SIGNR1 receptors (blue) are required to facilitate an anti-inflammatory action.

28 Nov 2008