Immune System

Drop in BMD in Hands Signals Worsening RA

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 […]

Measles Vaccine: First Dose at 12 Months May Erode Potency Later

Diedtra Henderson October 21, 2013 Full Story:  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/812875 Quebec schoolchildren were 6.2 times more likely to contract measles during a 2011 outbreak if they had received the first of a 2-dose vaccination at 12 to 13 months of age than if they received it at 15 months of age, according to a case-control study. Fannie […]

Vitamin D and Flu Prevention

October 22, 2013 by MARCO TORRES Vitamin D Proven More Effective Than Both Anti-Viral Drugs and Vaccines At Preventing The Flu The risk of children suffering from flu can be reduced by 50% if they take vitamin D, doctors in Japan have found. The finding has implications for flu epidemics since vitamin D, which is […]

Psoriasis, Kidney Disease Link Found

Published: Oct 16, 2013 | Updated: Oct 16, 2013 By Chris Kaiser Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Dermatology/Psoriasis/42321 Action Points Note that this study of a large U.K. registry suggested an association between psoriasis and chronic kidney disease. Be aware that this relationship does not appear to be mediated by the use of nephrotoxic prescription drugs, but over-the-counter […]

Role of Adipokines in the Modulation of T Cells Function

Procaccini C,et al. Front Immunol. 2013 Oct 18;4:332. Abstract The field that links immunity and metabolism is rapidly expanding. Apparently non-immunological disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes have been linked to immune dysregulation, suggesting that metabolic alterations can be induced by or be consequence of an altered self-immune tolerance. In this context, adipose […]

Erosive Hand OA Linked to Lipids

Published: Oct 10, 2013 | Updated: Oct 10, 2013 By Nancy Walsh Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42192 Erosive osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand is a severe form of radiographic hand OA, rather than a distinct clinical entity, and may be driven by the presence of metabolic abnormalities, researchers reported. The pattern of joint involvement in erosive OA […]

Food Allergy: The Perspectives of Prevention Using Vitamin D

Diego G. Peroni Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;13(3):287-292. Abstract Purpose of review We reviewed the scientific publications in the last 2 years on the connections between vitamin D and food allergy, and endeavor to focus on the possible indications for supplementation in order to prevent allergies. Recent findings Ecological studies have suggested a possible […]

Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Psoriasis

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis E.A. Dowlatshahi The British Journal of Dermatology. 2013;169(2):266-282. Abstract Studies investigating systemic inflammation in psoriasis use different serum markers and report discrepant results. We set out to determine whether systemic inflammation is elevated in patients with psoriasis compared with healthy controls, and to measure the extent of this elevation, by […]

Fish Oil Shows Benefits in RA

Published: Oct 2, 2013 | Updated: Oct 2, 2013 By Nancy Walsh Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42007 Action Points Note that this small randomized trial demonstrated that fish oil, in addition to standard therapy, increased the remission rate in new-onset rheumatoid arthritis. Be aware that larger studies in other populations will be needed to validate the use […]

Probiotic Supplementation Reduces the Duration and Incidence of Infections in Elite Rugby Players

Keywords: INFECTIONS, ATHLETES, IMMUNE FUNCTION – Probiotics Reference: “Probiotic supplementation reduces the duration and incidence of infections but not severity in elite rugby union players,” Haywood BA, Black KE, et al, J Sci Sport, 2013 Aug 30; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, New Zealand). Summary: In a randomized, […]

Infographic for Rheumatoid Arthritis

http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/rheumatoid-arthritis/Infographic/i/38228  

Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in Children With Psoriatic Disease

Full Article:  http://www.practiceupdate.com/journalscan/5988Journal Abstract: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pde.12218Pediatr Dermatol 2013 Sep 09;[EPub Ahead of Print], AM Goldminz, CD Buzney, N Kim, SC Au, DE Levine, AC Wang, EM Volf, SS Yaniv, TA Kerensky, M Bhandarkar, NM Dumont, PF Lizzul, DS Loo, JW Kulig, ME Brown, JM Lopez-Benitez, LC Miller, AB Gottlieb  TAKE-HOME MESSAGE What is the prevalence of metabolic […]

Copper Bracelets Don’t Help Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Nicky Broyd WebMD Health News Reviewed by Rob Hicks, MD EmedicineHeath Article:  http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=173737 Sept. 18, 2013 — Copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps have no real effect on pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis, a new study finds. They also seem to have no effect in preventing the disease from getting worse. The practice […]

Comorbidities in Children with Psoriasis

In this interview, Dr. Kelly Cordoro, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at UCSF speaks with Dr. Sarah Chamlin, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, about her recent presentation from the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting discussing the topic of pediatric psoriasis and related comorbidities.

Vaccine Rates High, but Measles On the Rise

Interesting statistics in this article…

Do Vaccines Cause Autism?

Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Must-see new video reveals the systematic suppression of evidence of vaccine-damaged children Mike Adams Natural News September 11, 2013. There is systematic suppression in the United States on the truth about the links between vaccines and autism. Drug companies and the federal government have conspired to deny parents of vaccine-damaged children […]

Vitamin D and Autoimmune Diseases

Vitamin D and Autoimmune Diseases Reference: “High-dose cholecalciferol supplementation significantly increases peripheral CD4+ Tregs in healthy adults without negatively affecting the frequency of other immune cells,” Prietl B, Treiber G, et al, Eur J Nutr, 2013 Sept 3; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 15, 8036, […]

Vaccine Court Awards Millions to Two Children With Autism

Vaccine Court Awards Millions to Two Children With Autism Posted: 01/14/2013 9:43 am David KirbyAuthor/Journalist The federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, better known as “vaccine court,” has just awarded millions of dollars to two children with autism for “pain and suffering” and lifelong care of their injuries, which together could cost tens of millions of […]

iSpot Lyme Test: “a Game-Changer”

A new test that measures T-cell response to antigens from Borrelia bergdorferi has the potential to vastly improve Lyme disease diagnosis—especially in the early phases.

RA Risk Falls as Omega-3 Intake Rises

8/14/13 Action Points A diet rich in fatty fish appeared to protect against rheumatoid arthritis in women. Point out that fish oil supplementation is the only source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (PUFAs) consistently associated with a reduced risk of RA, and studies of dietary sources of n-3 PUFAs have yielded inconsistent results. […]