Conditions

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Titanium Dioxide Additives May Boost Intestinal Inflammation

David Douglas | March 3, 2016

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Murine and other studies suggest that titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, widely used as food additives and in drug formulations, may be involved in intestinal inflammation, according to Swiss researchers. As Dr. Gerhard Rogler told Reuters Health by email, “It seems that titanium dioxide nanoparticles are not harmful for a healthy person with…

Does PTSD Increase Risk of RA for Women?

Arthritis Care & Research | March 1, 2016

Multiple studies have linked post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), specifically in men. Using data from a 22-year cohort study, researchers were able to analyze the association between PTSD and the risk of RA in women. This large study builds on and expands previous findings by exploring whether the effects of PTSD differ for RA subtypes. As a secondary objective, researchers also examined smoking as a behavioral confounder and/or mediator in the relationship between PTSD and risk for RA…

Denosumab Does Not Stimulate Early Bone Formation

Reuters Staff | February 29, 2016

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The early elevation in intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) seen with denosumab treatment is not associated with increased bone formation, according to research from Eli Lilly and Company. Denosumab is a member of the anticatabolic/antiresorptive class of drugs used to treat osteoporosis; iPTH levels are increased in the first several months after denosumab…

Clinical Trials Confirm Secukinumab Can Effectively Treat Ankylosing Spondylitis

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | February 29, 2016

Secukinumab, an anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, has successfully completed multiple clinical trials, which found the intravenous treatment may be safe and effective for treating patients with active ankylosing spondylitis…

The Effect of Tofacitinib on Live Vaccine Responses

Richard Quinn | February 26, 2016

New research indicates that vaccination for the herpes zoster virus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis starting tofacitinib appears to be both safe and useful. Rheumatologists may want to check the patient’s pre-existing immunity status prior to administering the vaccine…

Cholesterol Levels in Patients with RA Starting Methotrexate

Arthritis & Rheumatology | February 25, 2016

Although research regarding the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has burgeoned in recent years, the need remains for a better understanding of the effects of widely used DMARDs on CV risk and risk factors in RA patients. These authors set out to evaluate the long-term changes in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA. Decreases in RA disease activity over long-term follow-up were associated with increases in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA treated with either biologic or nonbiologic therapies…

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Tied to Higher Mortality

David Douglas | February 24, 2016

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and all-cause mortality, according to Danish researchers. HS is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease and is most common in women. It is typically diagnosed after long delays, Dr. Alexander Egeberg of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues…

Apremilast Proves Effective for PsA with Skin Involvement

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | February 24, 2016

A recent Phase 3 clinical trial found apremilast safe and effective for treating patients with active psoriatic arthritis and skin symptoms who found conventional and biologic DMARDs ineffective…

Amgen, UCB Say Osteoporosis Drug Meets Main Goal in Late-Stage Trial

Reuters Staff | February 23, 2016

(Reuters)—Amgen Inc. and Belgium-based UCB SA said on Monday that their osteoporosis drug met all the primary endpoints by reducing the incidence of new vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in a late-stage study. The topline results, from a Fracture study in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (FRAME), showed that the drug romosozumab met a…

Dermatology & Immunology: Skin Issues Can Present Challenges

Thomas R. Collins | February 23, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…