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, February 24, 2006
Glucosamine, Chondroitin don't work for Osteoarthritis, study says
"Two widely used nutritional supplements for arthritis pain do not effectively soothe patients' aching arthritic knees, a large federal study has found. No effect was found for glucosamine, chondroitin or a combination of the two.... But the study found that the patients who took celecoxib had a statistically significant improvement in their symptoms.... The study found that in a subgroup, consisting of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain, 79 percent of those who took the supplements together improved compared with 54 percent of those who took a placebo. Such findings are viewed by most researchers as fodder for further studies but not as rigorous evidence in themselves, because they can be caused by random fluctuations in data and tend not to be confirmed in subsequent studies." - from New York Times (free registration required)
"Two widely used nutritional supplements for arthritis pain do not effectively soothe patients' aching arthritic knees, a large federal study has found. No effect was found for glucosamine, chondroitin or a combination of the two.... But the study found that the patients who took celecoxib had a statistically significant improvement in their symptoms.... The study found that in a subgroup, consisting of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain, 79 percent of those who took the supplements together improved compared with 54 percent of those who took a placebo. Such findings are viewed by most researchers as fodder for further studies but not as rigorous evidence in themselves, because they can be caused by random fluctuations in data and tend not to be confirmed in subsequent studies." - from New York Times (free registration required)
Giving methotrexate a second try
"A second course of the drug methotrexate can still prove effective in rheumatoid arthritis patients who didn't respond to the drug the first time around, Austrian researchers report. Investigators at the Medical University of Vienna also found that a second treatment was particularly effective in patients who received low doses of the drug in their first treatment." - from HealthDay
"A second course of the drug methotrexate can still prove effective in rheumatoid arthritis patients who didn't respond to the drug the first time around, Austrian researchers report. Investigators at the Medical University of Vienna also found that a second treatment was particularly effective in patients who received low doses of the drug in their first treatment." - from HealthDay
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Vioxx story continues with research dispute
"The authors of a Vioxx (rofecoxib) study, published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, today defended the integrity of their findings, disputing harsh criticism by the NEJM's editors. The editors did not back off an inch." - from MedPage Today
"The authors of a Vioxx (rofecoxib) study, published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, today defended the integrity of their findings, disputing harsh criticism by the NEJM's editors. The editors did not back off an inch." - from MedPage Today
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Generic drugs recommended for chronic therapy
"Patients who take generic prescription drugs are more likely to adhere to their doctor's prescribed therapy plan than patients who take brand-name drugs, a new study finds. The findings are another reason why 'generic drugs should be prescribed for patients beginning chronic therapy, as long as there are no specific clinical reasons why a branded drug may be more appropriate,' researcher Dr. William Shrank, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a prepared statement." - from HealthDay
"Patients who take generic prescription drugs are more likely to adhere to their doctor's prescribed therapy plan than patients who take brand-name drugs, a new study finds. The findings are another reason why 'generic drugs should be prescribed for patients beginning chronic therapy, as long as there are no specific clinical reasons why a branded drug may be more appropriate,' researcher Dr. William Shrank, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a prepared statement." - from HealthDay
Monday, February 13, 2006
Genetics, SLE and effects of antimalarial treatment
"Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who carry polymorphisms producing high tumor necrosis factors alpha (TNF-a) and low IL-10 are those most likely to respond to antimalarial drugs, according to researchers in Spain....Lowering TNF-a levels in lupus patients through antimalarial drugs is influenced by polymorphisms at IL-10 and TNF-a promoters, the researchers concluded. "Our findings may have an important clinical application through the identification of patients who are most likely to benefit from antimalarial therapy," they added." - from MedPage Today
"Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who carry polymorphisms producing high tumor necrosis factors alpha (TNF-a) and low IL-10 are those most likely to respond to antimalarial drugs, according to researchers in Spain....Lowering TNF-a levels in lupus patients through antimalarial drugs is influenced by polymorphisms at IL-10 and TNF-a promoters, the researchers concluded. "Our findings may have an important clinical application through the identification of patients who are most likely to benefit from antimalarial therapy," they added." - from MedPage Today
Friday, February 10, 2006
Sham acupuncture and sugar pills in placebo battle
"In a dual between two placebos for treating self-reported arm pain, the better placebo emerged victorious, Harvard researchers have found. They attributed it to the placebo effect....'These findings suggest that the medical ritual of a device can deliver an enhanced placebo effect beyond that of a placebo pill,' Dr. Kaptchuk, Harvard researcher who ran the study, said. 'There are many conditions in which ritual is irrelevant when compared with drugs, such as in treatment of a bacterial infection, but the other extreme may also be true. In some cases, the ritual may be the critical component.'" - from MedPage Today
"In a dual between two placebos for treating self-reported arm pain, the better placebo emerged victorious, Harvard researchers have found. They attributed it to the placebo effect....'These findings suggest that the medical ritual of a device can deliver an enhanced placebo effect beyond that of a placebo pill,' Dr. Kaptchuk, Harvard researcher who ran the study, said. 'There are many conditions in which ritual is irrelevant when compared with drugs, such as in treatment of a bacterial infection, but the other extreme may also be true. In some cases, the ritual may be the critical component.'" - from MedPage Today
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Used artificial joints contribute to research
"It may seem impolite, but doctors at one Chicago hospital routinely ask patients with artificial knees and hips if they wouldn't mind returning their joints when they're done with them. Post-mortem studies can tell researchers a lot about how prosthetic joints wear down or stay strong over time, said Dr. Joshua Jacobs of Rush University Medical Center. Jacobs and his colleagues hope their work can help build longer-lasting joints for the more than 400,000 Americans who have joints replaced each year." - from WTOP
"It may seem impolite, but doctors at one Chicago hospital routinely ask patients with artificial knees and hips if they wouldn't mind returning their joints when they're done with them. Post-mortem studies can tell researchers a lot about how prosthetic joints wear down or stay strong over time, said Dr. Joshua Jacobs of Rush University Medical Center. Jacobs and his colleagues hope their work can help build longer-lasting joints for the more than 400,000 Americans who have joints replaced each year." - from WTOP
Monday, February 06, 2006
Cartilage fix works in rats
"Researchers say they have turned adult muscle stem cells into cartilage, and used them in animals to heal the kind of damage caused by arthritis. That is potentially good news for the many people who now face joint-replacement surgery because there is no available technique to repair cartilage damage from osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear condition that afflicts many older people. The transformed cells have successfully replaced damaged cartilage in rats for as long as 24 weeks, much longer than has been reported in studies using other methods, according to a report in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism....It's not possible to say when human trials of the transformed cells might start.... But human trials are underway to test the safety of muscle stem cells against a different condition, bladder dysfunction."
"Researchers say they have turned adult muscle stem cells into cartilage, and used them in animals to heal the kind of damage caused by arthritis. That is potentially good news for the many people who now face joint-replacement surgery because there is no available technique to repair cartilage damage from osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear condition that afflicts many older people. The transformed cells have successfully replaced damaged cartilage in rats for as long as 24 weeks, much longer than has been reported in studies using other methods, according to a report in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism....It's not possible to say when human trials of the transformed cells might start.... But human trials are underway to test the safety of muscle stem cells against a different condition, bladder dysfunction."
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Small study calls flu vaccines safe for RA
"Adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can safely receive the flu vaccine each year as recommended, although their response to the vaccine may be somewhat lower than in healthy individuals, research hints. There is some reluctance to vaccinate RA patients because there have been reports of post-vaccination flares in disease activity, note Israeli researchers in the Annals of the Rheumatic Disease. Also, the immune response to the vaccine in RA patients is uncertain." - from MedlinePlus
Of course, always consult your personal physician before making medical decisions.
"Adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can safely receive the flu vaccine each year as recommended, although their response to the vaccine may be somewhat lower than in healthy individuals, research hints. There is some reluctance to vaccinate RA patients because there have been reports of post-vaccination flares in disease activity, note Israeli researchers in the Annals of the Rheumatic Disease. Also, the immune response to the vaccine in RA patients is uncertain." - from MedlinePlus
Of course, always consult your personal physician before making medical decisions.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Stem cells fight Lupus
"Doctors say they have helped people with lupus, a disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissue and organs, by using stem cell transplants to give them a new, less harmful, immune system. The technique is potentially applicable to lupus patients for whom all conventional treatments have failed, said lead researcher Dr. Richard Burt, an associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University. 'No one can say this is a cure,' Burt said. 'But some people have been in remission for a long time.' There's a chance that some have gone into permanent remission, he added. The findings appear in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association." - from HealthDay
"Doctors say they have helped people with lupus, a disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissue and organs, by using stem cell transplants to give them a new, less harmful, immune system. The technique is potentially applicable to lupus patients for whom all conventional treatments have failed, said lead researcher Dr. Richard Burt, an associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University. 'No one can say this is a cure,' Burt said. 'But some people have been in remission for a long time.' There's a chance that some have gone into permanent remission, he added. The findings appear in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association." - from HealthDay
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