MSK Report News

Monday, October 24, 2005 General: Endogenous Opioids May Not Be Effective in Chronic Pain
Activating endogenous opioids may not be an effective way to treat chronic pain, according to an experimental study in male rats with chronic- and acute-induced arthritis. Li Z, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:3210-3219.

Thursday, October 20, 2005 Orthopaedics: Novel Hereditary Cartilage Debonding Syndrome Identified
Researchers have identified a new cartilage friability and osteochondral debonding syndrome that may provide insight into cartilage-bone interaction in other forms of joint degeneration ... Holderbaum D, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:3300-3304.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 Autoimmunity: Fatigue in Lupus Linked to Depression and Pain, but Often Missed by Standard Disease Assessment Tools
New research suggests that depression, pain, and perceived lack of social support are often-overlooked predictors of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—findings that may lead to a better understanding of psychosocial factors and a more specific therapeutic target for the treatment of this debilitating disease... Jump RL, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:1699-1705.

Monday, October 17, 2005 Autoimmunity: Autoimmune Disease May Contribute to Increase in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Particularly Among Women
Providing further insight into the dramatic rise in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) over the last 20 years, a new study suggests that autoimmune diseases, as well as the potent immunosuppressive drugs commonly used for their treatment, may partly account for the increase in NHL, especially among women... Cuttner J, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:1884-1887.

Monday, October 17, 2005 Arthritis: Infliximab Found Highly Effective for Skin and Nail Psoriasis
Infliximab (Remicade®) monotherapy shows rapid onset of action and sustained efficacy as both induction and maintenance therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe skin and nail psoriasis, according to the results of a new multicenter Phase III study ... Reich K, et al. Lancet 2005;366:1367-1374.

Friday, October 14, 2005 Rheumatology: New Risk Factors Linked to Pathogenesis of Giant Cell Arteritis
Early menopause, low body mass index, and smoking all increase the risk of developing giant cell arteritis.... Larsson K, et al. Ann Rheum Dis [serial online]. August 26, 2005.

Friday, October 07, 2005 Latest News: Novel Population of T Cells Found to Produce IL-17; In Vivo Analysis Reveals Role of Cytokine in Inflammatory Disease
New research examining the production and function of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17) may pave the way for more effective ways to prevent and treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune and inflammatory conditions . . . Nat Immunol [serial online]. October 2, 2005.

Friday, October 07, 2005 Autoimmunity: Marked Decrease in Pregnancy Loss Seen in Women with Lupus

Largely due to improvements in perinatal monitoring and disease management, there has been a significant decrease in pregnancy loss among women with systemic lupus erythematosus over the past 40 years . . . Clark CA, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:1709-1712.

Thursday, October 06, 2005 Osteoporosis: New Study Results Suggest That Two Courses of Parathyroid Hormone May Reduce Fracture Risk in Patients with Severe Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis patients who remain at high risk for fracture despite a course of parathyroid hormone (PTH) therapy may benefit from a second discrete course of PTH . . . Presented at: 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; September 23–27, 2005; Nashville, Tenn. Presentation 1079.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 General: New Bone Biopsy Data Support Safety of Dual-Acting Strontium Ranelate for Osteoporosis 
A potentially dual-acting new osteoporosis medication, strontium ranelate, may safely decrease bone resorption while increasing bone formation, rebalancing bone turnover toward formation . . . Presented at: 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; September 23–27, 2005; Nashville, Tenn. Abstract 1084.