What factors drive inflammation and progressive disease in ankylosing spondylitis (AS)? The answers have long eluded rheumatologists. Although 90% of patients with AS test positive for the HLA-B27 gene, pieces remain missing in our understanding of this chronic, inflammatory disease, which often leads to pain, spinal fusion and, in about half of patients, gut involvement,…
MADRID—Research into pharmacodynamic biomarkers has shown that macrophages may have an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including systemic sclerosis, an expert said at the 2017 Annual European Congress on Rheumatology (EULAR). The findings were discussed in a session that also covered how an understanding of M1 macrophages’ role in fibrosis has evolved…
A growing understanding of the immunomodulatory effect of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is edging closer to having clinical applications that could one day benefit patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers pursuing this as an alternative path to biomarkers are investigating whether autonomic status can be used to predict response to therapy. Seattle-area rheumatologist and…