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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Thursday, September 28, 2006
Education level tied to joint replacement rate
"Better-educated patients with arthritis who are open to having surgery are most likely to have hip and knee joint replacement, Canadian researchers find. Income or gender were not decisive factors, according to the study, which appears in the October issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. The researchers believe their findings underline the need for community-based education about arthritis treatments, including total joint arthroplasty (TJA)." - from HealthDay
Rheumatoid Arthritis
"Better-educated patients with arthritis who are open to having surgery are most likely to have hip and knee joint replacement, Canadian researchers find. Income or gender were not decisive factors, according to the study, which appears in the October issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. The researchers believe their findings underline the need for community-based education about arthritis treatments, including total joint arthroplasty (TJA)." - from HealthDay
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Monday, September 18, 2006
Cancer drug Gleevec stops RA in mice
The cancer "wonder" drug Gleevec, used to beat back leukemia and certain types of stomach tumors, also shows promise against autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. "The data are very impressive, as impressive as anything I've ever studied," said study researcher and Stanford University rheumatologist Dr. William H. Robinson. His team's findings were published online Sept. 14 in advance of their publication in the October print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Robinson's group was screening drugs that might possibly help the estimated 50 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not adequately respond to current therapies. Intrigued by case reports showing that rheumatoid arthritis symptoms improved in patients who received Gleevec (imatinib) as part of their cancer treatment, the researchers decided to test the drug in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. These mice developed a disease similar to rheumatoid arthritis called collagen-induced arthritis. Gleevec almost completely prevented the development of collagen-induced arthritis in healthy mice, Robinson's team reported. Compared to results in untreated mice, the drug also stopped disease progression and significantly reduced levels of bone destruction, inflammation, and tumor-like growth in and around the linings of joints. - from MedlinePlus
The cancer "wonder" drug Gleevec, used to beat back leukemia and certain types of stomach tumors, also shows promise against autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. "The data are very impressive, as impressive as anything I've ever studied," said study researcher and Stanford University rheumatologist Dr. William H. Robinson. His team's findings were published online Sept. 14 in advance of their publication in the October print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Robinson's group was screening drugs that might possibly help the estimated 50 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not adequately respond to current therapies. Intrigued by case reports showing that rheumatoid arthritis symptoms improved in patients who received Gleevec (imatinib) as part of their cancer treatment, the researchers decided to test the drug in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. These mice developed a disease similar to rheumatoid arthritis called collagen-induced arthritis. Gleevec almost completely prevented the development of collagen-induced arthritis in healthy mice, Robinson's team reported. Compared to results in untreated mice, the drug also stopped disease progression and significantly reduced levels of bone destruction, inflammation, and tumor-like growth in and around the linings of joints. - from MedlinePlus
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Spleen cells targeted for lupus treatment in mice
"Research done on mice specially bred to develop lupus has uncovered an area of the spleen that may give rise to the disease. The area is called the marginal zone of the spleen and it appears that this is where B cells from the immune system go awry and turn into cells that attack the body's own tissues and organs, researchers say. "This current work gives rise to new possibilities for targeted therapies that are perhaps much milder and more effective than current therapies," said the study's lead author, Thomas Enzler, a visiting scholar, internist and immunologist at the University of California, San Diego. However, he was quick to add that it would be a long time before any such potential therapy could be available for humans." - from HealthDay
"Research done on mice specially bred to develop lupus has uncovered an area of the spleen that may give rise to the disease. The area is called the marginal zone of the spleen and it appears that this is where B cells from the immune system go awry and turn into cells that attack the body's own tissues and organs, researchers say. "This current work gives rise to new possibilities for targeted therapies that are perhaps much milder and more effective than current therapies," said the study's lead author, Thomas Enzler, a visiting scholar, internist and immunologist at the University of California, San Diego. However, he was quick to add that it would be a long time before any such potential therapy could be available for humans." - from HealthDay
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Spinal Injections May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis
"Drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis were more effective when they were delivered into the central nervous system of rats, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, used the drugs to block a protein called p38, which is involved in a number of cellular processes associated with the development of RA. It's believed that p38 is activated in the central nervous system in response to peripheral pain and inflammation. Several substances that block the action of p38 have been shown to be effective in animal models of arthritis and are currently undergoing clinical trials in people with rheumatoid arthritis." - from HealthDay
"Drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis were more effective when they were delivered into the central nervous system of rats, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, used the drugs to block a protein called p38, which is involved in a number of cellular processes associated with the development of RA. It's believed that p38 is activated in the central nervous system in response to peripheral pain and inflammation. Several substances that block the action of p38 have been shown to be effective in animal models of arthritis and are currently undergoing clinical trials in people with rheumatoid arthritis." - from HealthDay
Thursday, September 07, 2006
How RA pain affects depression
Even after a depressive episode is passed, depression continues to influence people with chronic disease, a new study finds. The emotions of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a history of depression are more affected by the pain than the emotions of those who have never been depressed, says a study yet to be published in the scientific journal Pain. - from Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Even after a depressive episode is passed, depression continues to influence people with chronic disease, a new study finds. The emotions of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a history of depression are more affected by the pain than the emotions of those who have never been depressed, says a study yet to be published in the scientific journal Pain. - from Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
TNF blockers look good in new study
Concerns that rheumatoid arthritis drugs called TNF blockers and related medications could cause cancer appear to be unfounded, a new study shows. - from HealthDay
Concerns that rheumatoid arthritis drugs called TNF blockers and related medications could cause cancer appear to be unfounded, a new study shows. - 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!