Arthritis News

Friday, June 10, 2005 EULAR Report: TNF-α Inhibition and Mycobacterium TB Infection
Several epidemiological studies highlight the importance of prescreening for latent TB before initiation of TNF-α inhibitors... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Thursday, June 09, 2005 Dr. Gary Williams Weighs in on the Coxib Controversy
Gary Williams MD, PhD, chairman of the department of medicine at Scripps Clinic Medical Group, and co-chair of the symposium Clarifying the Risk/Benefit of COX-2 Selective Inhibitor Use at the 6th EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, spoke with CIAOMed on Wednesday regarding the current controversy over the fate of the COX-2 inhibitors

Thursday, June 09, 2005 Trials Examine Efficacy and Safety of B-cell Depletion in RA
Favorable results from the DANCER trial and other studies of rituximab suggest that this anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody may be a promising therapy, particularly for refractory patients... Emery P, et al. Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR;  June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Thursday, June 09, 2005 Study Helps Clarify Link Between RA and CVD
Il-6, rheumatoid factor, and chronic kidney disease predict endothelial dysfunction among RA patients and need to be suppressed to stave off atherosclerosis...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005 Radiographic Assessment Effective in Predicting Progression of Hip Osteoarthritis
A Kellgren and Lawrence score of 2 or higher at baseline is a strong predictor for progression of hip OA, particularly in patients with hip pain...Reijman M, et al. BMJ. 2005;330:1183-1188.

Monday, June 06, 2005 Trials Outline Effective Strategies for the Use of Existing Therapies in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Four new studies highlight ways to use non-steroidals, biologics, and methotrexate in ankylosing spondylitis. Marzo-Ortega H, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 May 26; [Epub ahead of print].

Friday, June 03, 2005 Recombinant Version of Alpha-Fetoprotein May Hold Promise in RA and Other Autoimmune Diseases
As a Phase II trial begins, experts are cautiously optimistic that the experimental immunomodulating agent may be safer than existing RA treatments, and that the work may help explain why RA tends to remit during pregnancy...National Jewish Medical and Research Center [press release]; June 2, 2005.

Thursday, June 02, 2005 Anti-TNF Blockade Modulates Androgen Production in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A new study links TNF to a deficiency in the production of the androgen DHEA in the synovial tissue of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and demonstrates that TNF inhibitors can reverse this effect...Weidler C, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:1721-1729.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005 More Evidence for the 'FitzGerald Hypothesis' on the Relationship of Coxibs and Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Vascular remodeling may interact with a predisposition to hypertension and atherosclerosis, contributing to the gradual increase in cardiovascular risk during extended periods of treatment with COX-2 inhibitors...Rudic RD, et al. Circ Res. Published online May 19, 2005.

Thursday, May 26, 2005 African-American and Hispanic Osteoarthritis Patients Less Likely Than Caucasians to Undergo Knee Replacement Surgery
These minority populations are significantly less likely to consider knee arthroplasty compared with their Caucasian counterparts regardless of health status, a finding that researchers attribute to differences in the perception of benefit, trust in the physician, and personal experience with the procedure...Suarez-Almazor ME, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1117-1124.