MedicineWorld.Org brings daily rheumatology news from various sources to keep you updated on the latest events in the world on this topic. Medicineworld rheumatology news service is the most comprehensive rheumatology news service on the internet. We keep an archive of previous few days of news on this site. Please go down through the list to find the older news items. Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT en-us http://medicineworld.org/images/Rheumatology-news.jpg 90 90 http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/women-who-breastfeed-for-more-than-a-year.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/women-who-breastfeed-for-more-than-a-year.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Women who breast feed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a study published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The study also observed that taking oral contraceptives, which are suspected to protect against the disease because they contain hormones that are raised in pregnancy, did not have the same effect. Also, simply having children and not breast feeding also did not seem to be protective........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2008/back-pain-may-be-in-your-genes.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2008/back-pain-may-be-in-your-genes.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT What do you learn by looking at the spines of hundreds of Finnish twins? If you are the international team of scientists behind the Twin Spine Study, you find compelling proof that back pain problems may be more a matter of genetics than physical strain. The findings of the Twin Spine Study, an ongoing research program started in 1991, have led to a dramatic paradigm shift in the way disc degeneration is understood. Last month a paper presenting an overview of the Twin Spine Studys multidisciplinary investigation into the root causes of disc degeneration received a Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, arguably the most prestigious annual award in musculoskeletal research........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/vegan-diet-promotes-atheroprotective-antibodies.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/vegan-diet-promotes-atheroprotective-antibodies.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT A gluten-free vegan diet may improve the health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, as per new research from Karolinska Institutet. The diet has a beneficial effect on several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and cardiovascular diseases. The underlying causes are unknown, but scientists suspect that the disturbed balance of blood fats seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be part of the explanation........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/new-light-on-inflammatory-diseases.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/new-light-on-inflammatory-diseases.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a new mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism may also shed some light on why gene treatment experiments that use adenoviruses to deliver genes to humans have run into problems. The study will appear online on March 16 in the journal Nature Immunology........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/drugs-used-to-treat-rheumatoid-arthritis.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/drugs-used-to-treat-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Powerful drugs used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a profound, previously unrecognized effect on the immune system, breaking up molecular training camps for rogue cells that play an increasingly recognized role in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. A team of physicians and researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center reports that drugs known as anti-TNF compounds which include drugs such as Enbrel, Humira and Remicade affect our B cells, which play a role in a number of autoimmune diseases........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/osteoarthritis-index-to-ring-finger-length-ratio.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/osteoarthritis-index-to-ring-finger-length-ratio.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Index to ring finger length ratio (2D:4D) is a trait known for its sexual differences. Men typically have shorter second than fourth digits; in women, these fingers tend to be about equal in length. Smaller 2D:4D ratios have intriguing hormonal connections, including higher prenatal testosterone levels, lower estrogen concentrations, and higher sperm counts. Reduction in this ratio has also been associated with athletic and sexual prowess. Whether this trait affects the risk of osteoarthritis (OA), a progressive joint disease linked to both physical activity and estrogen deficiency, has not been examined. Until recently........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/link-between-obesity-poor-bone-health.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/link-between-obesity-poor-bone-health.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Being overweight is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and a host of other health conditions. Now, a University of Georgia study reported in the recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that obesity may also be bad for bone health. Scientists conducted advanced three-dimensional bone scans on 115 women ages 18 and 19 with normal (less than 32 percent) and high (greater than 32 percent) body fat. After adjusting for differences in muscle mass surrounding the bone, the scientists observed that the bones of participants with high body fat were 8 to 9 percent weaker than those of normal body fat participants........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/redesign-rheumatoid-arthritis-care.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/redesign-rheumatoid-arthritis-care.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT With the nation collectively spending about $18 billion per year on osteoporosis related bone fractures, Geisinger scientists observed that streamlining the ordering process for osteoporosis bone density scans quadrupled the number of patients who received the exam. An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Like most providers, Geisinger Health System measures the mineral content in the bones of patients who are at high-risk for osteoporosis through DXA scans........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/golimumab-for-ankylosing-spondylitis.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/golimumab-for-ankylosing-spondylitis.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT More than half of patients receiving monthly subcutaneous (SC) injections of golimumab (CNTO 148) 50 mg and 100 mg experienced significant and sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms of active ankylosing spondylitis, according to Phase 3 study results presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual meeting. At week 14 of the study, 59 percent of patients receiving golimumab 50 mg and 60 percent of patients receiving golimumab 100 mg achieved at least 20 percent improvement in the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis criteria (ASAS 20) compared with 22 percent of patients receiving placebo........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/gene-behind-rheumatoid-arthritis.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2007/gene-behind-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT University of Manchester scientists have identified a genetic variant in a region on chromosome 6 that is linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting 387,000 people in the UK. Professor Jane Worthington and her team at the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) Epidemiology Unit at the University investigated 9 genetic regions identified earlier this year as potentially harbouring DNA variants determining susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Association to one of the variants on chromosome 6 was unequivocally confirmed, reports this week's Nature Genetics (4 November 2007). Eventhough this variant is not located in a gene, Professor Worthington suggests that it may influence the behaviour of a nearby gene: tumour necrosis factor associated protein (TNFAIP3) as this is a gene that is known to be involved in inflammatory processes........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/new-cements-to-heal-spinal-fractures.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/new-cements-to-heal-spinal-fractures.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT New research could offer hope for victims of the most devastating spinal injuries - typically those caused in car crashes. Biological cements to repair burst fractures of the spine are being developed and tested in a major new collaborative project between the University of Leeds and Queens University Belfast. The team has been awarded just under 500,000 by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop and examine the effects of novel cement materials for the therapy of burst fractures........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/breakthrough-for-ankylosing-spondylitis.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/breakthrough-for-ankylosing-spondylitis.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Arthritis Research Campaign has identified two genes implicated in the disease ankylosing spondylitis, a common disease primarily causing back pain and progressive stiffness. The research, published online today in Nature Genetics, suggests that a therapy currently being trialled for Crohn's disease may also be applied to this disease........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/whats-been-causing-your-knee-to-ache-smurfs.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/whats-been-causing-your-knee-to-ache-smurfs.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT A new clinical trial seeks to predict who is most likely to experience osteoarthritis, and to test whether an experimental therapy can prevent it altogether. Physicians are setting their sights on people who sustain a knee injury, seeking to understand why nearly half of them will later go on to develop osteoarthritis, a debilitating condition that causes pain and disability in more than 20 million Americans each year........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/genes-that-increase-rheumatoid-arthritis-risk.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/genes-that-increase-rheumatoid-arthritis-risk.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT Scientists in the United States and Sweden have identified a genetic region linked to increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease of the joints that affects an estimated 2.1 million Americans. The U.S. arm of the study involved a long-time collaboration between intramural scientists of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and other organizations. NIAMS is one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health. The results appeared in the New England Journal (NEJM)........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/fda-approves-knee-injury-device.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/10-2007/fda-approves-knee-injury-device.html Tue, 13 May 2008 03:45:32 GMT A new knee-surgery device investigated by University of Missouri-Columbia scientists that will help to repair meniscus tears, which were previously defined as irreparable, has been approved by the FDA for use in humans. Prior therapy options forced surgeons to completely remove the damaged portion of the meniscus. Typically the removal of the meniscus leads to painful, debilitating arthritis in the knee. Herb Schwartz, president and CEO of Schwartz Biomedical, LLC, and James Cook, MU professor of veterinary medicine and surgery and William C. Allen Endowed Scholar for Orthopedic Research in MUs College of Veterinary Medicine, developed the BioDuct Meniscal Fixation Device. Schwartz and Cook think that patients with meniscus tears will now be able to have their meniscus saved along with long-term knee function........ ]]>