From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have discovered direct proof of how osteoarthritis destroys cartilage. Currently almost 21 million Americans are affected by the disease, which is the leading cause of disability in the US. Although previous research indicated osteoarthritis was associated with higher levels of beta-catenin, a signaling protein, no direct evidence of this link had ever been found. Now researchers, through studies with mice, have found proof that high beta-catenin levels are associated with loss of articular cartilage, which protects and covers the ends of bones within joints. It is also associated with the bony growths and microfractures suffered by osteoarthritis patients. The next step for the researchers is to confirm what causes higher levels of beta-catenin in joints. They hypothesize that it is a result of mechanical loading and meniscal injury. Once researchers have established the exact model of how osteoarthritis occurs, they can begin work on preventive treatments for the disabling disease.

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