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.

Can TNF inhibitor therapy be withdrawn in RA patients who are in remission?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 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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

In September 2014, the participating members of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus (AMP RA/Lupus) Program funded a research Network to implement the program.

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

Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said on Monday the European Union has approved the use of its drug RoActemra in patients with early-stage rheumatoid arthritis.