The recent ruling by federal judge Royce C. Lamberth halting embryonic stem cell research may present a hurdle for some disease research but not necessarily for arthritis. A key note presentation, entitled “Guided Mesenchymal Stem Cell Layering Technique for Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee” will be made on November 9, 2010 at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Atlanta. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease associated with the loss of cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones and which provides cushioning and shock absorption…

People with rheumatoid arthritis will benefit from two new pieces of NICE guidance published today (25 August 2010). NICE recommends rituximab, adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab and abatacept , in certain circumstances, as possible treatments for rheumatoid arthritis after treatment with a tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor has failed. In separate guidance, NICE also recommends tocilizumab , under certain circumstances, as an additional option for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis…

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has extended the range of drugs that NHS healthcare professionals can prescribe for people who have active and progressive psoriatic arthritis…

You’ve heard of tennis elbow and runner’s knee, but how about “percussionist’s wrist”? A case of overuse injury of the wrist occurring in a professional percussionist is presented in a report in the August issue of JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy. Drs. Naoto Yokogawa and H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr…

For people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the level of disease activity measured using the standard DAS 28 score is the factor most strongly affecting the level of RA-related disability, according to a study in JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy…

People with arthritis who exercise have less pain, more energy, improved sleep, and better day-to-day function, according to the American College of Rheumatology. One form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is the most common form of joint disease in humans and is a leading cause of disability among the elderly. Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive joint disease typically seen in middle-age to elderly people. It occurs when the joint cartilage breaks down, causing the underlying bone to fail…

New criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, could prevent thousands of people from developing disabling late stage disease, by redefining how RA should be classified. Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune inflammatory disease, primarily of the joints. If untreated, it leads to damage of bone and cartilage, joint deformities and disability. Around 350,000 people in the UK are living with RA, which affects around three times as many women as men…

Autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), occur when an individual’s immune system turns on other cells in the body. Inappropriate and excessive production of the soluble immune mediators IL-17 and IL-21 have been linked to several autoimmune disorders. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this aberrant production might identify new therapeutic targets…

An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is fairly common, especially among young athletes. While it can often be corrected through surgery, the injury can lead to increased risk of developing degenerative joint diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). The problem is that fluid in the knee joint, which lubricates the cartilage, is impacted by the trauma of the injury and begins to deteriorate. A new study from Rhode Island Hospital researchers identifies options for restoring that lubrication to potentially prevent development of OA…

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced today that it has received a notification from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) that the conditions for approval (surveillance of all patients) are lifted with “rheumatoid arthritis(RA)” and “polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA)” indications for the humanized anti-human IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, ACTEMRA®…