Published: Apr 17, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Long-term moderate alcohol drinking was associated with a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), researchers found. The association appeared to be stronger in seropositive RA cases. Women who consumed alcohol moderately over the long term had a decreased […]
Published: Apr 16, 2014 | Updated: Apr 17, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Note that several studies have begun to implicate particular commensal pathogens as potentially etiologic in the development or perpetuation of rheumatoid arthritis. Be aware that no interventional trials, such as a trial of pathogen […]
by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today April 15, 2014 A plant extract used in traditional Chinese medicine was as effective as methotrexate for the short-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and was superior when the two agents were given in combination, an open-label randomized trial showed. At 6 months, 46.4% of patients receiving methotrexate had improved by […]
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 04/08/2014 Evidence Based Medicine Clinical Article Kelley GA, et al. – Depression is a major public health problem among adults with arthritis and other rheumatic disease. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of previous meta–analyses addressing the effects of exercise (aerobic, strength or both) on depressive symptoms in adults […]
Megan Brooks April 07, 2014 A new study provides evidence at a population level for an autoimmune cause of epilepsy, prompting the research team to suggest that patients with either condition be screened for the other. “The potential role of autoimmunity must be given due consideration in refractory epilepsy so that we are not overlooking […]
Randomized, and double-blind trial Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine , 03/25/2014 Clinical Article Reed GW, et al. – The study aims to determine whether a combination of borage seed oil rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is superior to either oil alone for treatment of rheumatoid […]
Frontline Medical News, 2014 Feb 26, B Jancin News February 27, 2014 Full Story SNOWMASS, COLO. (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – Mounting circumstantial evidence points to perturbation of bacterial communities in the gut and skin as important environmental triggers for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. A distinctive pattern of alterations in the skin microbiota, termed bacterial “cutaneotypes,” has recently been […]
The present review discusses the beneficial effects that vitamin A might have for controlling multiple sclerosis (MS), although it must be clearly stated that, at the present time, there is no clear indication for using vitamin A as a treatment for MS. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient with important roles in immunological responses and […]
Published: Jan 30, 2014 | Updated: Jan 30, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who have higher 25(OH)D levels are more likely to have lower disease activity. Patients with lupus who have higher 25(OH)D levels are also less likely to have hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Low […]
Published: Jan 14, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Text Article Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/GeneralRheumatology/43797 Action Points Note that a relatively large evidence base suggests that Epstein-Barr virus infection, while not directly causing autoimmunity, may be an important co-factor in the development of autoimmunity. Be aware that a meta-analysis examining EBV serostatus in […]
January 14, 2014 Full Story Shoulder replacement surgery improved range of motion and reduced pain in nearly all cases of rheumatoid arthritis, especially when patients had an intact rotator cuff, based on study results recently published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. Using the data in the Mayo Clinic Total Joint Registry, researchers studied […]
Jonathan Kay, MD December 20, 2013 Hello. I’m Jonathan Kay, Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Rheumatology at UMass Memorial Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, both in Worcester, Massachusetts. Welcome to my Medscape blog. Patients often come to my office interested in alternative treatments — […]
12.12.2013 by Nancy Walsh Staff Writer, MedPage Today Peripheral neuropathy is a more common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than has been previously appreciated, and often is a small-fiber neuropathy affecting the dorsal root ganglia, a large retrospective study found. In a 25-year study of 2,097 patients, 82 had SLE-specific peripheral neuropathy, which in […]
Eliot N Mostow, MD, MPH We are now in an age of treatments for psoriasis that some patients perceive as very expensive or risky, and yet, these patients have a skin disease that can be incredibly debilitating and significantly impacts their quality of life. More than ever, especially in more severe cases of psoriasis (based […]
Published: Nov 11, 2013 | Updated: Nov 12, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/GeneralRheumatology/42844 Action Points In pediatric patients, hypergammaglobulinemia was most commonly associated with autoimmune diseases. In female patients with hypergammaglobulinemia, the presence of leukopenia, anemia, and normal CRP was highly predictive of underlying autoimmune disease. High levels of […]
Published: Nov 8, 2013 | Updated: Nov 8, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42799 Action Points The study found that the presence of Prevotella copri in stool samples strongly correlated with disease in new-onset untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients. The increases in Prevotella abundance correlated with a reduction in Bacteroides and a loss of reportedly beneficial microbes […]
Published: Nov 7, 2013 | Updated: Nov 8, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/BackPain/42789 Action Points A loss of peripheral bone mineral density accompanied the spinal changes seen in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Point out that the results are consistent with a link between trabecular bone loss in the […]
AY Nemet, J Hanhart, I Kaiserman, S Vinker Clin Ophthalmol 2013 Oct 18;2013(7)2079-2084 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Study results showed an increased prevalence of osteoporosis in a large cohort of patients ≥ 50 years who underwent cataract surgery compared with age- and gender-matched controls. SUMMARY PracticeUpdate Editorial Team Background: Calcium is considered an important factor in the […]
A broader range of autoantibodies may play a role in Sjogren’s syndrome than has previously been appreciated, researchers found.
Published: Oct 22, 2013 | Updated: Oct 22, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42424 Action Points In patients with DMARD-naive early RA receiving therapy, hand BMD loss at 6 months was associated with erosion scores at 12 months. Note that baseline erosion scores correlated with erosion severity/progression. Early decline in […]