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Cartilage tissue engineering
Stem cells derived from the bone marrow could be used for the repair of cartilage lesions, British researchers write in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. The team successfully engineered three-dimensional hyaline cartilage by using mesenchymal stem cells from patients with osteoarthritis.
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Blood can lead to cartilage damage shortly
Already within two days hemarthrosis leads to prolonged impairment of joint cartilage. This is the result of an in vitro study from the Netherlands. Therefore aspiration of blood from the joint should be considered early to prevent joint damage in the long term, the authors recommend in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Low impact exercises effective in reducing fatigue
Gradually increasing levels of low impact aerobic exercises may help to reduce fatigue in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Australian researchers found out. They reviewed data from 36 scientific articles relating to non-pharmacological interventions for fatigue in adults with three common autoimmune conditions (multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis).
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Increased risk of large B cell lymphoma in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis
Severe rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, according to Swedish researchers. The results of a current survey “indicate a critical role of activated peripheral B cells as the cells of origin in these lymphomas”, the authors write in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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CRP not predictive of rheumatoid arthritis
In healthy women, an increased level of C-reactive protein (CRP) does not predict a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers from the Harvard Medical School in Boston report in the December issue of the “Archives of Internal Medicine”. However, the authors note that CRP testing still has a place in the management of patients with established rheumatoid arthritis, especially in evaluating disease activity.
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Younger patients with rheumatoid arthritis also on high cardiovascular risk
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events, even if they are young. This is the result of a current survey, published in the December issue of the “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases”. Surprisingly, the risk was not increased in patients who had experienced a previous cardiovascular event, the researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston report.
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Acupuncture and massage therapy effective in patients with osteoarthritis
Massage therapy and acupuncture are effective in reducing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to the results of two randomized controlled trials. “Massage therapy seems to be a viable option as an adjunct to more conventional treatment modalities”, scientists from the Yale University School of Medicine write. German researchers found out, “that acupuncture plus routine care is associated with marked clinical improvement in patients with chronic osteoarthritis associated pain of the knee”.
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Lower remission rates in female patients with early rheumatoid arthritis
Female patients with early rheumatoid arthritis have an unfavourable prognosis compared with male patients, researchers from Sweden found out in a current survey. “Women suffered a more severe disease with a significantly lower remission rate than men although the disease activity before treatment appeared similar”, they write in an online first publication of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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Fish oil reduces inflammatory mediators and improves lipid profile
Dietary fish oil reduces the cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by different mechanisms, Australian scientists write in the November issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. The results of a current survey suggest, that fish oil reduces a number of inflammatory mediators and improves the patients´ lipid profile.
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Osteopenia common in adult men with juvenile arthritis
Adult male patients with active juvenile idiopathic arthritis have significant lower bone mineral density compared to healthy controls, Indian scientists found out. The researchers identified disease activity, severity of disease and poor nutritional status as predictors of osteopenia, according to results of a current study published in the Journal of Rheumatology.
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Arthroscopic synovectomy recommended as second line therapy in some children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Is there a role for arthroscopic synovectomy in children with oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis? Italian experts say: Yes, but only in certain cases. They studied the long-term results of synovectomy in 22 young patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The procedure proved to be “safe but only partially effective“.
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Skin abnormalities common in rheumatoid arthritis
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a higher prevalence of cutaneous abnormalities compared to patients with non-inflammatory diseases, British scientists say. Therefore, rheumatologists need a good working knowledge of skin conditions as well as established relationships with dermatologists, the authors note in the October issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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Increased incidence of herpes zoster in rheumatoid arthritis
Herpes zoster infection, a common disorder that causes substantial pain and morbidity, is well documented in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Although most cases are limited to the typical cutaneous zoster eruption, more severe infections can occur such as disseminated cutaneous herpes zoster complicated by necrotising fasciitis, herpes zoster encephalomyelitis and lower motor neurone paresis.
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Animal model: Gene defect in macrophages linked to polyarthritis
If macrophages are unable to catabolise the DNA from erythroid precursors and apoptotic cells, they become activated and produce tumour necrosis factor (TNF), leading to the development of polyarthritis, findings from a current animal survey suggest.
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Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis in need of LDL cholesterol lowering therapy
A high percentage of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that may merit intervention, French researchers confirmed in a current survey. “Regular lipid evaluation should be performed in any patient with rheumatoid arthritis”, the authors write in the September issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. If hyperlipidemia is detected, an adequate therapy should be considered, as rheumatoid arthritis, like hypertension, is an additional risk factor for atherosclerosis.
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MRI of the hands useful for early diagnosis
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hands is helpful for the diagnosis of early rheumatoid arthritis, French researchers found out in a current survey. Early diagnosis improves the prognosis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis because treatment can be initiated before significant, irreversible damage occurs.
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Improved status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Today, functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis seems to be stable over a period of five years, scientists from Finland found out in a current survey published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. The results of their study provide further evidence of an improved status of these patients compared with the major declines observed in previous decades, the authors write.
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Total joint arthroplasty: Preoperative exercise program effective
A six week preoperative exercise intervention is effective in improving muscle strength in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. This is the result of a study reported in the October 15 issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Moreover, exercise participation prior to surgery dramatically reduces the odds of inpatient rehabilitation, the authors write.
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Promising results with extremity MRI
Low-field dedicated extremity magnetic resonance imaging, a diagnostic procedure with low costs and reduced patient discomfort, is useful in assessing early rheumatoid arthritis and predicting erosive joint damage. This is the result of a current survey of Danish scientists.
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Psychological factors important for the onset of knee pain
Scientists from the United Kingdom found out, that psychosocial factors, in addition to mechanical injuries, are the main risk factors for the onset of knee pain in young men.
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One out of every three patients with rheumatoid arthritis have anemia
Anemia is a common co-morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the results of a current survey suggest. Two scientists from the USA say, that anemia occurs in 31,5 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients, which is approximately triple the rate in the general population. However, severe chronic anemia with hemoglobin levels below 10 g/dl is a rare finding, the authors note.
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Facioskeletal changes common in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Temporomandibular joint involvement is common in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. On this account experts recommend regular orthodontic evaluation to enable early intervention. Dentoskeletal morphology in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis also presents some special characteristics when compared to healthy children.
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Little effect of calcium supplementation in children with rheumatoid arthritis
In children with juvenile rheumatic disease daily calcium supplementation produces a significant but only small increase in bone mineral density, which is probably not clinically relevant, scientists from the USA and Mexico found out. “A lot of children with juvenile rheumatic disease are put on calcium supplementation as a routine part of their treatment", the authors note.
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Fetal DNA: Potential new therapeutic strategy?
According to a publication in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, higher fetal DNA levels in the serum of pregnant women are associated with improvements in the course of rheumatoid arthritis. "We think that this line of research could be relatively directly translated into new therapeutic approaches," one of the investigators said.
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New insights into cardiovascular co-morbidity
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis not only have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular events but also show a substantially increased risk of 30-day case fatality following myocardial infarction. This is the result of a current survey from Australian scientists. Contrariwise they found no increased cardiovascular mortality after stroke in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
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Fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by high fatigue levels, scientists from the United Kingdom confirm in a current publication. They say that fatigue is mainly linked to pain and depression, not to disease activity. Nevertheless, anti-rheumatic drug therapy decreases fatigue levels effectively, the researchers found out.
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Meniscus transplantation with potential chondroprotective effect
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative changes in the menisci are common and often more advanced than those in the cartilages. Clinical experiences showed, that meniscectomy is associated with a progression of the articular degeneration. Now two current studies found encouraging early-term and long-term results after meniscus allograft transplantation, indicating a potential chondroprotective effect.
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Abdominal fat aspiration with greater clinical value than biopsy of the rectum in detecting systemic amyloidosis
Amyloid deposits are common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in males with longer disease duration and in patients not treated intensively. In the majority of these patients, the deposits do not indicate clinically evident organic dysfunction, even after several years of follow-up. But patients with more extensive fat deposits may have a higher risk of developing clinical amyloidosis.
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Dyslipidemia in early rheumatoid arthritis
Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis are characterized by an atherogenic lipid profile, two current studies suggest. Researchers from the Netherlands report, that “future rheumatoid arthritis patients have a significantly more atherogenic lipid profile in comparison to matched blood donors, at least ten years before onset of symptoms.” In patients with disease durations of less than one year scientists from Greece found an atherogenic lipid profile, which improves after therapy.
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Open synovectomy of the elbow effective and safe
Open synovectomy of the elbow joint is a safe and effective procedure in differential treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, even in an early course of disease, researchers from Germany and from Japan showed in two recent surveys.
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Behavioural intervention increases dietary calcium intake in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may have greater dietary calcium needs than other children, but rates of long-term compliance with calcium supplementation are poor. Scientists now report in the April issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, that a behavioural intervention is effective in increasing dietary calcium intake and subsequent bone mineral content in these children.
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Children with night-time musculoskeletal pain should be checked for blood count changes
In children with unexplained musculoskeletal concerns, physicians should ask for night-time pain and control white blood cell count and platelet count to avoid a misdiagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, scientists from the USA and Canada recommend.
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Human endogenous retrovirus involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis?
Human endogenous retrovirus K10 is associated with rheumatoid arthritis, British scientists found out. In the May issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases they conclude, that “this could contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.”
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Strong association between smoking and rheumatoid nodules
Smoking is a strong risk factor for rheumatoid nodules in patients with early sero-positive rheumatoid arthritis, Swedish researchers write in the May issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. However, tobacco use other than smoking seems not to be associated with an increased risk of nodules.
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Lower urinary tract symptoms in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Recent studies have shown, that recurrent urinary tract infections are significantly more common in women with rheumatoid arthritis. In a current survey scientists from Taiwan found contrary results. “Female patients with rheumatoid arthritis have similar urinary complaints when compared to controls”, the researchers from the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei write in the April issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology.
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Infrared thermography with high potential
An innovative thermal imaging technique showed good diagnostic results in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting a future use in clinical practice. US-American researchers write, “the technique was highly sensitive and could measure directly two cardinal signs of inflammation (warmth and oedema)” in an area less than half the size of a human interphalangeal joint.
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Unfavourable effects of coenzyme Q(10) supplementation in arthritic rats
Co-enzyme Q(10) supplementation showed conflicting results in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists from the Slovak Republic observed unfavourable consequences on the rheumatic processes but a positive effect on biochemical parameters as markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
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Higher risk of pregnancy complications
Woman with rheumatoid arthritis face an increased risk of pregnancy complications, scientists found out in a current survey. These women “appear to have a higher age-adjusted risk of adverse outcomes of pregnancy and longer hospital stays than pregnant women in the general population”, Eliza Chakravarty from the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto and colleagues write in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Rheumatoid arthritis and oxidative stress – new results
Turkish researchers say, the relationship between oxygen free radicals and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis is more complex than it has yet been assumed. The team from the Gazi University in Ankara assessed two different markers of oxidative stress in 22 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 18 age- and gender-matched controls.
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High prevalence of schizophrenia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
In an epidemiological study, scientists have found a strong association of schizophrenia with a large range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. “A history of any autoimmune disease was associated with a 45% increase in risk for schizophrenia”, the researchers write in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Sleep fragmentation in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Sleep abnormalities are common in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers from Brazil showed, that pain symptoms and functional disability are related to sleep fragmentation in these patients.
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Long-term mortality after cervical spine surgery
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, surgical treatment of atlantoaxial subluxation may result in more symptom-free life-years, but it may not decrease the mortality, scientists from Finland report in the March issue of the “Journal of Rheumatology”.
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One of five patients with chronic pain doesn’t inform his physician
More than 20% of patients with chronic pain do not seek physician care for their pain. This is the astonishing result of a current study by experts from the Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester (Minnesota, USA). The researchers called these patients “silent sufferers”.
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Aggressive treatment reduces lymphoma risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis may present a potential risk factor for the development of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, a meta-analysis of twenty surveys, published last year in the “Archives of Internal Medicine” (165: 2337-2344), showed. However the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms related to lymphomagenesis in autoimmune patients are still unclear.
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Cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Until optimal preventative strategies can be defined, comprehensive assessment and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors should be part of the routine care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, two experts from South Africa suggest in a current editorial.
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Human retrovirus-5 not associated with rheumatoid arthritis
In contrast to earlier studies, scientists from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester did not find an association between human retrovirus-5 (HRV-5) and rheumatoid arthritis. This is the result of a current survey, published in the February issue of “Arthritis Care & Research”.
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Vaccination against influenza generates a good humoral response even in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis vaccination against influenza virus is effective and safe, although response is lower than in healthy controls, scientists from Israel write in the February issue of the “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases“.
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High risk of vascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a high incidence of peripheral arterial and venous thromboembolic events, researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester (Minnesota, USA) say. In a retrospective survey, Kimberly Liang and her colleagues analysed data of 609 patients with rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed during 1955 to 1994 and followed up from 1955 to 2000.
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Smoking is associated with anticitrulline antibodies
Smoking may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in some subjects by triggering specific immune reactions to citrullinated proteins, Swedish scientists write in the January issue of “Arthritis & Rheumatism”. Lars Klareskog from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and his colleagues examined interactions between smoking, HLA-DR shared epitope genes and antibodies to proteins modified by citrullination in a case-control study including patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis.
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Prosthetic joint infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis and prosthetic joint infection, two-stage exchange is associated with the best outcome, researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester (Minnesota, USA) found out. Despite its superior results, this surgical procedure, in which the infected joint is removed, the patient is treated with antibiotics and a new joint is implanted once the infection has been eradicated, was used in only 19 percent of all episodes during this study.
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History of physical or psychological abuse increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Research has allready shown a strong relationship between childhood trauma and psychological difficulties in later life like eating disorders, substance abuse, phobias and multiple personality disorders. More recent surveys have indicated that the long-term effects are even greater for physical diseases.
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Early inflammatory joint disease: Autoantibody testing should start with rheumatoid factor
In patients with very early inflammatory joint disease, autoantibody profiling, starting with rheumatoid factor (RF), followed by anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide auto-antibodies (anti-CCP) and finally anti-RA33, may help identify rheumatoid arthritis patients who are at high risk of a poor outcome, scientists from Austria report in the December issue of the “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases”.
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Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis report driving problems
Scientists from Canada observed a high rate of driving problems in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers performed a cross-sectional, self-administered mail survey with more than 700 participants.
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Wrist splints generally with positive effects
Static wrist splint use can improve hand function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in many daily activities, Canadian researchers found out. But for some exercises, the splints might be a handicap.
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Need for novel biomarkers for heart failure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not fully explain the excess risk of heart failure among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota) say.
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Higher rates of pregnancy complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Scientists from the Stanford University School of Medicine observed higher rates of pregnancy complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to the general population.
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Rheumatoid involvement of the lumbar spine – a case report
Rheumatoid arthritis may cause cauda equina symptoms, although involvement of the lumbar spine is relatively rare, scientists from Japan report. They describe the case of a 72-year-old woman, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis since two decades. She was admitted to a local hospital because of motor weakness and drift while walking.
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