Is There a Standout When Comparing Novel Therapies?

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Randomized clinical trials are needed to show efficacy and safety, and are needed to back up the claims and indications for a particular drug. The issue of treatment choice has become challenging, especially when choosing to start or augment therapy.

Drug-Induced Lupus is Rare with TNF inhibitor Therapy

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Real World Biologic Success in Systemic JIA

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A retrospective review of 77 SoJIA patients revealed that 50-70% achieved inactive disease or remission when treated with IL-1 inhibitors (anakinra, canakinumab). Good responses were seen with tocilizumab or abatacept, but only 8% responded to etanercept.

DRESS Trial Shows TNFi Dose Reduction is Possible - Without Major Flares

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Can TNF inhibitor therapy be withdrawn in RA patients who are in remission?  The DRESS trial reports the results of randomized trial of 180 RA patients taking either etanercept or adalimumab. Patients were randomly assigned to either usual care (no dose reduction) or a stepwise increase

Calprotectin as a Biomarker in RA

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Calprotectin a major S100 protein, produced by leukocytes is a potential new biomarker for use as it may be more sensitive disease activity changes than conventional acute-phase proteins.

Chronobiology: When Will It's Time Come?

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Morning stiffness is a historic feature of RA and may be related to prolonged inactivity or the chronobiology of rheumatoid inflammation. Chronobiology and chronopharmacology are receiving consideration in investigation and RA trial design. Researchers from Maynooth, Berlin, Vienna and

Lyme disease: recent advances and perspectives

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Lyme disease remains endemic in many parts of North America and continues as a public health concern. This article reviews endemic and nonedemic areas, the lack of an available Lyme vaccine, immune pathways and what is known about the vector and bug.

HLA-DRB1 Alleles Augment RA Severity and TNF Inhibitor Responses

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The HLA-DRB1 haplotype is a known risk factor for RA.

A different point of view on RA

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Professor Fergus Shanahan, a consultant gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at University College Cork, has an issue with the label “auto-immune” disease being applied to conditions such as RA, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, asthma and type 1 diabetes.

The Science and Faith of Herpes Zoster Management

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RA Associated With Higher 90-Day Hospital Readmission Rates Compared to OA After Hip or Knee Arthroplasty

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Using administrative claims data, Doctor Jas Singh and colleagues examined readmission rates after hip or knee replacement surgery. RA patients had a higher rate of readmission (8.5% vs 6.7%) compared to OA.

Chikungunya rises in the US and Worldwide

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The chikungunya epidemic has grown significantly in the Western hemisphere with an additional 3,000 cases worldwide during the past week.

Turmeric vs. Ibuprofen: Which is Better for Arthritis?

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Ibuprofen has a corner on the over-the-counter pain market, accounting for one-third of OTC analgesics in the U.S.