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C5orf30 Gene is a Negative Regulator of Tissue Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis
PNAS has reported the work of an international team of scientists from the University College Dublin and the University of Sheffield, who have studied DNA samples and biopsy samples from joints of over 1,000 rheumatoid arthritis patients in the UK and Ireland and determined the C5orf30 gene to be
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Fasenmyer Grant to Calabrese and Lederman Will Further the Interface Between Rheumatology and Virology
Two longtime collaborators studying HIV/AIDS at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University have received an $18.5 million grant from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation.
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Priorities for NIAMS Research Funding
Dr. Steven Katz describes how NIAMS sets priorities for investing congressionally-appropriated funds.
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Metformin May Improve Netosis Driven Lupus Activity
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are first line defense tools used to trap microbial pathogens.
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10 Year Study Identifies Predictors of Skin Progression in Systemic Sclerosis
The European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort has reported the results of their prospective study to identify onset symptoms and risk factors for skin sclerosis and digital ulcers (DUs) in early onset systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.
Read ArticleB cell Inhibition with Epratuzumab Fails in Two Phase III Lupus Trials
Targeting B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus, the prototypic autoimmune disorder, has long been an attractive target for researchers. Despite negative trials with rituximab and the limited success of belimumab, efforts to inhibit B cell activity have continued.
Read ArticleAlpha-1-Anti-Trypsin-Fc Fusion Protein Ameliorates Gouty Arthritis
Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting adults and, probably, one of the most underestimated.
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Lithium May Have Chondroprotective Effects in OA
Several studies have suggested that lithium chloride exhibits significant chondroprotective effects on cartilage degradation (in animal models) in response to inflammatory cytokines.
Read ArticlePost-Translationally Modified Proteins as Potential New Early Arthritis Activity Markers
Defects in protein citrullination and its consequences in patients with RA have been studied widely in the recent decade. It appears that autoantibodies, including those against citrullinated proteins, are of diagnostic and prognostic relevance.
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Limited Counseling for Increased Sodium Intake in the U.S.
Increased sodium intake has been shown to increase Th17 cell activity, and in animal models high-salt diets have been shown to drive IL-23-dependent TH17 cells to cause experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (citation source (http://url.ie/z238). I
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The Unproven Use of Stem Cell Therapy in OA of the Knee
Regenerative medicine and the use of bone marrow stromal cells (or mesenchymal stem cells - MSC) is controversial in many areas of medicine, including osteoarthritis. MSC use is at a very early stage in orthopedic research, but has been investigated in osteoarthritis of the kn
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Utility of Drug Levels and Anti-Drug Antibodies When Starting TNF inhibitors
A prospective cohort of 331 patients tested for anti-adalimumab (n=160) and anti-etanercept (n-171) antibodies after initiation of their TNF inhibitor therapy.
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The History of Citrullination
1998 marked the introduction of citrulline as a unique target in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The hallmark article by Schellekens et al in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has since been cited over 500 times. Dr.
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The Danger Model as an Alternative Cause of Autoimmunity
The danger model was proposed by Matzinger as an alternative (or complement) to the traditional self-non-self (SNS) model of autoimmunity.
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Blau Syndrome - the Prototypic Autoinflammatory Granulomatous Disorder
The defining triad of Blau's syndrome includes granulomatous polyarthritis, dermatitis and uveitis. This rare, monogenic, autosomal dominant disorder stems from a "gain in function" mutation of the pattern recognition receptor NOD2.
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The Risk of Listeriosis in RA
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.
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HLA-DRB1 Alleles Augment RA Severity and TNF Inhibitor Responses
The HLA-DRB1 haplotype is a known risk factor for RA.
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