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Research Rheum

E-Learning in Physiotherapy

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

A physiotherapy-specific, Web-based e-learning platform, “RAP-el,” was studied to determine its effectiveness in assisting physiotherapists with the best-practice management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was shown to improve self-reported confidence, likely practice behaviors and satisfaction in physiotherapists’ ability to manage people with RA, and improve their clinical knowledge in several areas…

Knee Osteoarthritis Pain Worse with Insomnia

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—People suffering from osteoarthritis, the most common type of joint inflammation, are more likely to have knee pain when they also have difficulty getting enough sleep, a study suggests. Researchers found that people with knee osteoarthritis and insomnia were also more likely to suffer from a nervous system disorder called “central sensitization” that makes…

Zoledronic Acid May Improve Bone Density in Elderly Women

Anne Harding (Reuters Health)  |  

A single injection daily of zoledronic acid may improve bone mineral density (BMD) in frail elderly women in long-term care facilities, a new randomized controlled trial shows. However, the clinical importance of the improvement, observed over a two-year period, remains unclear, Dr. Neil M. Resnick, of the University of Pittsburgh, told Reuters Health in a…

Study Reveals Role of IL-17–Secreting CD4+ T Cells in Lupus

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Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are characterized by high-titer, highly specific, isotype-switched antibodies against DNA and RNA. Patients have both CD4+ T helper (Th) cell- dependent as well as Th cell-independent autoantibody production. Two mouse models of lupus demonstrate T-cell–independent autoantibody production: the pristane model of lupus, as well as in the MRL/lpr mouse…

COPA Genetic Mutation Identified in Lung Disease, Arthritis

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Researchers from California and Texas have identified a new genetic syndrome that is characterized by systemic autoimmune disease of the lung and joints. The syndrome is driven by a genetic variant of a vesicular transport protein and is the first documented association between intracellular transport and autoimmunity. Levi B. Watkin, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at Baylor…

Rheumatology Research Foundation Funding Aids Researcher’s Career

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For 30 years, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has been funding research and advancing treatments. During that time, Leonard L. Dragone, MD, PhD, received a Foundation award to help look for new strategies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in mouse models. Then, he was working as an assistant professor of pediatrics and immunology at the…

Pain Perception May Depend on Multiple Immediate-Environment Stimuli

Larry Hand (Reuters Health)  |  

Can merely crossing your fingers change the way your brain perceives pain when you touch different stimuli with three fingers? Perhaps so, according to a new study by UK-based researchers, when taken into context with the immediate environment. Changes in posture could potentially provide a way to influence chronic pain if basic science results lead…

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Redefined

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A report from the Institute of Medicine that gives new diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and recommends a new name for the disorder received mixed reviews from rheumatologists and other physicians.1 “Diagnosing ME/CFS often is a challenge … the new diagnostic criteria will make it easier for clinicians to recognize and accurately…