A Microneedle Pill as an Alternative to Injectable Drug

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Carl Schoellhammerhas just won the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize for his invention - the microneedle pill.

The Danger Model as an Alternative Cause of Autoimmunity

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The danger model was proposed by Matzinger as an alternative (or complement) to the traditional self-non-self (SNS) model of autoimmunity.

Pisetsky on Digital Infarcts and Rheumatoid Vasculitis

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"As scholars of disease have noted, RA today appears to be a less severe disease than it was when I started my career in the 1970s. Then, patients routinely ‘went up in smoke’ and rapidly became crippled, wasting away in a state we called ‘burnt out’.

Early DMARD Therapy Averts Cardiovascular Risk in RA

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A Finnish early RA register studied 14,878 incident RA patients from 2000-2008 and identified 1157 deaths.  Patients receiving DMARDs and MTX had lower mortality rates. The standardized moratility ratio for the entire cohort was reduced (0.57, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.62).

The National Prevalence of HLA-B27 in the U.S.

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HLA-B27 is found 6.1% of the US population, but with is seen in >90% patients with ankylosing spondylitis. HLA-B27 increases risk of spondylitis, uveitis and heart block. [Image credit: "HLA-B*2705" by Pdeitiker - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons]

Economic Impact of Biosimilars

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According to the Federal Trade Commission biosimilars have the potential to save the U.S. healthcare system $250 billion through 2022.

Hepatotoxicity and TNF Inhibitors

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Hepatic enzyme elevations with TNF inhibitor use is not uncommon.

Lancet: Increase Serious Infection Risk with Biologics

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RA Compliance Undermines Treatment Success

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Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston prospectively studied 107 RA patients with regard to oral medication (DMARDs, steroids) adherence. They report that adherence was low, ranging from 58-71% overall.

The Risk of Listeriosis in RA

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In the mid-1990s, our Rheumatology Division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School became involved with an early trial of a brand new TNF inhibitor.

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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