News and information about the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases (NDB) and arthritis and rheumatology research. Written for NDB participants and anyone with a rheumatic disease.
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Friday, October 28, 2005
A good trans fat
"Arthritis-ameliorating cheese, anyone? Asthma-moderating yogurt? How about a scoop of lupus-fighting ice cream? Although such foods don't yet exist, they might one day. Data from a new study finds that an unusual fatty acid, a type of dairy fat, can modulate the injurious, runaway inflammation that underlies these and many other diseases." - from Science News Online
"Arthritis-ameliorating cheese, anyone? Asthma-moderating yogurt? How about a scoop of lupus-fighting ice cream? Although such foods don't yet exist, they might one day. Data from a new study finds that an unusual fatty acid, a type of dairy fat, can modulate the injurious, runaway inflammation that underlies these and many other diseases." - from Science News Online
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Having joint surgery? Check out "Carol's Hip Replacement Diary"
Carol Eustice of Arthritis.About.Com is keeping a diary of an approaching surgery. It's very good reading:
"Time is still going fast as I approach my surgery date for revision hip replacement. It's about 33 or so days before surgery and I have several medical appointments scheduled, necessary appointments to ensure my surgery and recovery will go smoothly."
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Carol Eustice of Arthritis.About.Com is keeping a diary of an approaching surgery. It's very good reading:
"Time is still going fast as I approach my surgery date for revision hip replacement. It's about 33 or so days before surgery and I have several medical appointments scheduled, necessary appointments to ensure my surgery and recovery will go smoothly."
Rheumatoid Arthritis
dnaJP1, New RA drug passes phase II trials
"Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have announced successful completion of Phase II clinical trials of a novel drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), one that works without suppressing the patient’s immune system....Patients received 25mg of dnaJP1 daily by mouth for six months, and the treatment was found to be safe and well-tolerated. When compared with a placebo, patients in the treatment group experienced lessening of symptoms such as swollen joints, tenderness, pain and decreased mobility. Improvement was particularly significant at the follow up visits, indicating a lasting effect of the drug. Efficacy was quantified in data generated from physicians, patients and laboratories, measuring improvement according to standards set by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) from the beginning to later points in the trial. For instance, “ACR 20” indicates a 20% improvement in standardized symptoms. ACR 20 response was in the 50-55% range; ACR 50 in the 30-40% range; and ACR 70 in the 15-20% range of patients completing the trial." - from Science Daily
"Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have announced successful completion of Phase II clinical trials of a novel drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), one that works without suppressing the patient’s immune system....Patients received 25mg of dnaJP1 daily by mouth for six months, and the treatment was found to be safe and well-tolerated. When compared with a placebo, patients in the treatment group experienced lessening of symptoms such as swollen joints, tenderness, pain and decreased mobility. Improvement was particularly significant at the follow up visits, indicating a lasting effect of the drug. Efficacy was quantified in data generated from physicians, patients and laboratories, measuring improvement according to standards set by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) from the beginning to later points in the trial. For instance, “ACR 20” indicates a 20% improvement in standardized symptoms. ACR 20 response was in the 50-55% range; ACR 50 in the 30-40% range; and ACR 70 in the 15-20% range of patients completing the trial." - from Science Daily
Thursday, October 06, 2005
New Lupus drug fails
"Human Genome Sciences said yesterday that a lupus drug failed to significantly delay flare-ups or lessen symptoms of the painful chronic autoimmune disease in human testing....However, tests showed there was some reduction in symptoms among 75 percent of the 449 patients in the study who already had signs of lupus in their blood, helped reduce some of the damaging effects, and was safe for humans. Encouraged by those results, the company said it would consider moving to a late-stage study of the drug, known as Phase 3 trials....The results were a setback for Human Genome Sciences, which has yet to bring a product to market, and for the treatment of lupus, a disease that hasn't had a new treatment in 40 years." - from The Seattle Times
"Human Genome Sciences said yesterday that a lupus drug failed to significantly delay flare-ups or lessen symptoms of the painful chronic autoimmune disease in human testing....However, tests showed there was some reduction in symptoms among 75 percent of the 449 patients in the study who already had signs of lupus in their blood, helped reduce some of the damaging effects, and was safe for humans. Encouraged by those results, the company said it would consider moving to a late-stage study of the drug, known as Phase 3 trials....The results were a setback for Human Genome Sciences, which has yet to bring a product to market, and for the treatment of lupus, a disease that hasn't had a new treatment in 40 years." - from The Seattle Times
Guidelines for JRA treatments
"Experts have issued the first guidelines for the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and they highlight the need for individualized patient care. The guidelines, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, were prepared by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The researchers examined data from more than 279 clinical studies conducted between 1966 and 2005 to identify the most effective practices for treating the five most common forms of the disorder, which affects about one in every 1,000 children." - from HealthDay
"Experts have issued the first guidelines for the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and they highlight the need for individualized patient care. The guidelines, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, were prepared by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The researchers examined data from more than 279 clinical studies conducted between 1966 and 2005 to identify the most effective practices for treating the five most common forms of the disorder, which affects about one in every 1,000 children." - from HealthDay
Now available for your support group or arthritis meetings....Our new pamphlets explain what we do and how you and can help. Each one has a postage-paid postcard to request more information or join the project. The pamphlets and a small table-top stand are available free from the NDB. Just send us an email!