September 29, 2008, 10:35 PM CT

Pain is not a symptom of arthritis, pain causes arthritis

Pain is more than a symptom of osteoarthritis, it is an inherent and damaging part of the disease itself, as per a research studypublished recently in journal Arthritis and Rheumatism More specifically, the study revealed that pain signals originating in arthritic joints, and the biochemical processing of those signals as they reach the spinal cord, worsen and expand arthritis. In addition, scientists observed that nerve pathways carrying pain signals transfer inflammation from arthritic joints to the spine and back again, causing disease at both ends.

Technically, pain is a patient's conscious realization of discomfort. Before that can happen, however, information must be carried along nerve cell pathways from say an injured knee to the pain processing centers in dorsal horns of the spinal cord, a process called nociception. The current study provides good evidence that two-way, nociceptive "crosstalk" may first enable joint arthritis to transmit inflammation into the spinal cord and brain, and then to spread through the central nervous system (CNS) from one joint to another.

Furthermore, if joint arthritis can cause neuro-inflammation, it could have a role in conditions like Alzheimer's disease, dementia and multiple sclerosis. Armed with the results, scientists have identified likely drug targets that could interfere with key inflammatory receptors on sensory nerve cells as a new way to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which destroys joint cartilage in 21 million Americans. The most common form of arthritis, OA eventually brings deformity and severe pain as patients loose the protective cushion between bones in weight-bearing joints like knees and hips......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

September 29, 2008, 9:28 PM CT

Supplements no better than placebo in slowing cartilage loss

In a two-year multicenter study led by University of Utah doctors, the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate performed no better than placebo in slowing the rate of cartilage loss in the knees of osteoarthritis patients.

This was an ancillary study concurrently conducted on a subset of the patients who were enrolled in the prospective, randomized GAIT (Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial). The primary objective of this ancillary study was to investigate whether these dietary supplements could diminish the structural damage of osteoarthritis. The results, reported in the recent issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, show none of the agents had a clinically significant effect on slowing the rate of joint space width loss the distance between the ends of joint bones as shown by X-ray.

However, in line with other recent studies, the scientists found that all the study's participants had a slower rate of joint space width loss than expected, making it more difficult to detect the effects of the dietary supplements and other agents used in the study.

Rheumatologist Allen D. Sawitzke, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine, was lead investigator. "At two years, no therapy achieved what was predefined to be a clinically important reduction in joint space width loss," Sawitzke said. "While we found a trend toward improvement among those with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee in those taking glucosamine, we were not able to draw any definitive conclusions"......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

August 20, 2008, 8:16 PM CT

New test to diagnose osteoarthritis early

A newly developed medical imaging technology may provide doctors with a long-awaited test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), researchers from New York reported today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. By far the most common form of arthritis, OA is a bane of the Baby Boom generation, causing joint pain and disability for more than half of those over 65 nearly 21 million people in the United States.

Current diagnostic methods commonly do not catch the disease until OA is in advanced stages when joint damage may already have occurred. A method for early diagnosis could open a window of opportunity for preventing or reducing permanent damage particularly with evidence that dietary supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin can halt further joint degeneration, says Alexej Jerschow, Ph.D., who reported on the research jointly with Ravinder R. Regatte, Ph.D.

"Our methods have the potential of providing early warning signs for cartilage disorders like osteoarthritis, thus potentially avoiding surgery and physical treatment later on," states Jerschow. "Also, the effectiveness of early preventative drug therapies can be better assessed with these methods".

Particularly common in the knee and hip, osteoarthritis damages cartilage, the tough, elastic material that cushions moving parts of joints. OA is the most common reason for total hip and total knee replacement surgery. "It has all these painful consequences and makes it difficult to move it results in a severe loss of quality of life for those who are affected by it," says Regatte......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

August 20, 2008, 6:29 PM CT

How rheumatoid arthritis causes bone loss

Scientists have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone, as per a research studyreported in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry The findings are already guiding attempts to design new drugs to reverse RA-related bone loss and may also address more common forms of osteoporosis with a few adjustments.

Two million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes swelling, pain and deformity in joints and also lead to the thinning of bone. In autoimmune diseases like RA, the body's disease-fighting immune cells mistakenly identify parts of a person's body as foreign invaders, akin to bacteria, and produce chemicals to destroy them. Among the immune chemicals known to play a central in autoimmune disease is tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), which ramps up the production of immune cells and chemicals as part of the body's response to disease. When overproduced in RA patients, TNF alpha signals for the destruction of cartilage and bone.

Beyond its control over immune cells, TNF alpha also influences bone mass. Human bone is continually regenerated to maintain strength. Under the control of signaling molecules which include TNF alpha, two cell types, balanced against each other, make bone recycling possible. Osteoclasts break down aging bone to make way for new bone, while osteoblasts build new bone at the sites where osteoclasts have removed it. Going into the study, the field understood that TNF alpha decreases the number of bone-building osteoblasts, but not how. The current study provides the first direct proof that the TNF alpha affects osteoblasts through an enzyme called Smad Ubiquitin Regulatory Factor 1 (Smurf1), which in turn shuts down two proteins that would otherwise drive bone-building......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

June 4, 2008, 10:53 PM CT

Regular tipple may curb risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Alcohol cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to 50%, reveals research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The Scandinavian scientists base their findings on more than 2750 people taking part in two separate studies, which assessed environmental and genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.

Over half the participants (1650) had the disease and had been matched for age, sex, and residential locality with randomly selected members of the general public.

All participants were quizzed about their lifestyle, including how much they smoked and drank. And blood samples were taken to check for genetic risk factors.

The results showed that drinking alcohol was linked to a significantly lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. And the more alcohol was consumed, the lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Among those who drank regularly, the quarter with the highest consumption were up to 50% less likely to develop the disease compared with the half who drank the least.

The effect was the same for both men and women.

Among those with antibodies to a specific group of proteins involved in the development of the disease, alcohol cut the risk most in smokers with genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

June 3, 2008, 10:31 PM CT

Toward Ending Cartilage Loss

Researchers have long wrestled with how to aid those who suffer cartilage damage and loss. One popular way is to inject an artificial gel that can imitate cartilage's natural ability to act as the body's shock absorber. But that solution is temporary, requiring follow-up injections.

Now Brown University nanotechnology specialist Thomas Webster has found a way to regenerate cartilage naturally by creating a synthetic surface that attracts cartilage-forming cells. These cells are then coaxed to multiply through electrical pulses. It's the first study that has shown enhanced cartilage regeneration using this method; it appears in the current issue of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A.

"Cartilage regeneration is a big problem," said Webster, an associate professor in the Division of Engineering and the Department of Orthopaedics at Brown. "You don't feel pain until significant cartilage damage has occurred and it's bone rubbing on bone. That's why research into how to regenerate cartilage is so important".

Webster's work involves carbon nanotubes, which are molecular-scale tubes of graphitic carbon that are among the stiffest and strongest fibers known and are great conductors of electrons. They are being studied intensively worldwide for a range of commercial, industrial and medical uses......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

June 3, 2008, 10:23 PM CT

Recommendations for Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

To manage the painful and incapacitating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic, inflammatory joint disease, the majority of patients rely on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In addition to trusted nonbiologic DMARDs, many biologic agents now promise to improve therapy for RA. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), respected worldwide for its devotion to fostering excellence in patient care, has not updated recommendations for non-biologic DMARDs since 2002 and has not previously developed recommendations for biologic agents. In view of that, ACR decided it was time for a major re-evaluation of the use of DMARD treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.

Under the guidance of a Core Expert Panel of clinicians and methodologists and based on a systematic review of the scientific evidence, a second group of internationally recognized clinicians, methodologists, and patient representatives with extensive expertise in the use of nonbiologic and biologic DMARDs developed these recommendations for the ACR and the results of their work will be presented in the June 2008 issue of Arthritis Care & Research (www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritis). These recommendations on the use of non-biologic and biologic DMARDs in RA address 5 key areas pre-specified by the ACR: indications for use, monitoring for side-effects, assessing the clinical response, screening for tuberculosis (a risk factor linked to biologic DMARDs), and under certain circumstances (i.e. high disease activity) the roles of cost and patient preference in choosing biologic agents. When developing these recommendations, RA disease duration, disease severity, and prognostic features were also considered......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

May 19, 2008, 6:41 PM CT

Cause of lupus

Scientists at Wake Forest University have uncovered evidence that the abnormal editing of gene messages in a type of white blood cell may be behind the development of lupus. Researchers hope the finding will lead to earlier diagnosis, a way to monitor patients response to treatment and possibly a new way to treat the disease.

The findings, reported online in the journal Immunology, involve an enzyme that edits and modifies the messages of genes before the protein-making process. It is protein molecules that carry out the instructions of our genes and determine how an organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and even how it behaves.

Dama Laxminarayana, Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and senior author, said that in systemic lupus erythematosus, the normal editing process goes awry, causing a shift in the balance of proteins that results in impaired functions in T cells, a type of white blood cell involved in the regulation of immune functions.

Impaired T cell function is a hallmark of lupus, a complex chronic autoimmune disorder that can range from a non-malignant skin disorder to severe, life-threatening multisystem disease. It primarily affects women in the child-bearing years and is more common in blacks......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

May 12, 2008, 9:45 PM CT

Women who breastfeed for more than a year

Women who breast feed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a study published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The study also observed that taking oral contraceptives, which are suspected to protect against the disease because they contain hormones that are raised in pregnancy, did not have the same effect. Also, simply having children and not breast feeding also did not seem to be protective.

The scientists compared 136 women with rheumatoid arthritis with 544 women of a similar age without the disease. They observed that that those who had breast fed for longer were much less likely to get rheumatoid arthritis.

Women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to get rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breast fed. Those who had breast fed for one to 12 months were 25 per cent less likely to get the disease.

The proportion of women breast feeding for more than six months has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. The authors concluded that it was difficult to say whether there was a correlation between higher rates of breast feeding and a corresponding fall in the number of women affected by rheumatoid arthritis, but that the results of the study provided yet another reason why women should continue breast feeding......... Posted by: Janet      Read more         Source

April 8, 2008, 10:01 PM CT

Back pain may be in your genes

What do you learn by looking at the spines of hundreds of Finnish twins? If you are the international team of scientists behind the Twin Spine Study, you find compelling proof that back pain problems may be more a matter of genetics than physical strain.

The findings of the Twin Spine Study, an ongoing research program started in 1991, have led to a dramatic paradigm shift in the way disc degeneration is understood. Last month a paper presenting an overview of the Twin Spine Studys multidisciplinary investigation into the root causes of disc degeneration received a Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, arguably the most prestigious annual award in musculoskeletal research.

In the past, the factors most usually suspected of accelerating degenerative changes in the discs were various occupational physical loading conditions, such as handling of heavy materials, postural loading and vehicular vibration, said lead researcher Michele Crites-Batti of the University of Albertas Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Drawing on information from 600 participants in the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort147 pairs of identical and 153 pairs of fraternal male twinsthe Twin Spine Study has turned the dominant injury model approach to disc degeneration on its head. Scientists from Canada, Finland, the United States and the United Kingdom compared identical twin siblings who differed greatly in their exposure to a suspected risk factor for back problems; for example, one of the twins had a sedentary job while the other had heavy occupational physical demands, or one routinely engaged in occupational driving while the other did not. The studies yielded startling results, suggesting that genetics play a much larger role in disc degeneration than previously thought......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

March 18, 2008, 8:57 PM CT

Vegan Diet Promotes Atheroprotective Antibodies

A gluten-free vegan diet may improve the health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, as per new research from Karolinska Institutet. The diet has a beneficial effect on several risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and cardiovascular diseases. The underlying causes are unknown, but scientists suspect that the disturbed balance of blood fats seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be part of the explanation.

A research team at Karolinska Institutet has shown in a new study that a gluten-free vegan diet has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The effect was seen when a group of patients who kept to a gluten-free vegan diet for a year were compared with a control group which had followed ordinary dietary advice.

Vegan food had a positive effect on symptoms of the disease, which were more pronounced in the control group. Blood levels of oxidised LDL-cholesterol, a risk factor for atherosclerosis, were also lower in the group which kept to the vegan diet. The vegan group also had higher levels of anti-PC, a type of antibody that the scientists believe has a protective effect against atherosclerosis......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

March 16, 2008, 9:20 PM CT

new light on inflammatory diseases

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a new mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism may also shed some light on why gene treatment experiments that use adenoviruses to deliver genes to humans have run into problems. The study will appear online on March 16 in the journal Nature Immunology.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is known to play a role in several important inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. While much is known about early signaling pathways activated by TNF, little is known about delayed and chronic TNF responses. In addition, cells called macrophages produce TNF, but little is known about the effects of TNF on the macrophages themselves.

In studies using human blood cells and mice, researchers examined the responses of macrophages during a two-day period after being stimulated with TNF. They observed that macrophages secreted TNF and that then the TNF activated surface receptors on the macrophages themselves, spurring the cells into a low and sustained production of a protein called interferon-beta. This protein acted synergistically with TNF signals to induce 1) sustained expression of genes encoding inflammatory molecules and 2) delayed expression of genes encoding interferon-response molecules......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

January 21, 2008, 8:06 PM CT

A new view of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis

Powerful drugs used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a profound, previously unrecognized effect on the immune system, breaking up molecular training camps for rogue cells that play an increasingly recognized role in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

A team of physicians and researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center reports that drugs known as anti-TNF compounds which include drugs such as Enbrel, Humira and Remicade affect our B cells, which play a role in a number of autoimmune diseases.

As per a research findings reported in the cutting-edge section of the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology, the team observed that anti-TNF compounds help eliminate abnormal B cell activity in patients, raising the possibility that the drugs improve the health of patients in a way no one has realized before.

The most important considerations for any drug are: Is it safe, and does it work? said Ignacio Sanz, M.D., professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and one of two rheumatologists leading the research. The answer is certainly yes to both questions for these anti-TNF compounds. The drugs have revolutionized the therapy of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. But it also turns out that, even though millions of patients have been treated with these medications, we really havent understood to a significant degree how they actually work......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

January 2, 2008, 10:39 PM CT

Osteoarthritis and index to ring finger length ratio

Index to ring finger length ratio (2D:4D) is a trait known for its sexual differences. Men typically have shorter second than fourth digits; in women, these fingers tend to be about equal in length. Smaller 2D:4D ratios have intriguing hormonal connections, including higher prenatal testosterone levels, lower estrogen concentrations, and higher sperm counts. Reduction in this ratio has also been associated with athletic and sexual prowess. Whether this trait affects the risk of osteoarthritis (OA), a progressive joint disease linked to both physical activity and estrogen deficiency, has not been examined. Until recently.

Scientists with the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom conducted a case-control study to assess the relationship between the 2D: 4D ratio and the risk of knee and hip OA. Their findings, featured in the January 2008 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritis), suggest that having unusually long ring fingers raises the risk for developing OA of the knee, independent of other risk factors and especially among women.

For the study, 2,049 case subjects were recruited from hospital orthopedic surgery lists and a rheumatology clinic in Nottingham. All had clinically significant symptomatic OA of the knees or hips, requiring consideration of joint replacement surgery. Recruited from hospital lists of patients who had undergone intravenous urography (IVU) within the past five years, 1,123 individuals with no radiographic evidence of hip or knee OA, no present hip or knee symptoms, and no history of joint disease or joint surgery served as controls. The study population was comprised of both men and women, with an average age of roughly 67 years for cases and 63 years for controls......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

November 26, 2007, 3:55 PM CT

Link Between Obesity, Poor Bone Health

Being overweight is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and a host of other health conditions. Now, a University of Georgia study reported in the recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that obesity may also be bad for bone health.

Scientists conducted advanced three-dimensional bone scans on 115 women ages 18 and 19 with normal (less than 32 percent) and high (greater than 32 percent) body fat. After adjusting for differences in muscle mass surrounding the bone, the scientists observed that the bones of participants with high body fat were 8 to 9 percent weaker than those of normal body fat participants.

"Obesity is an epidemic in this country, and I think this study is critical because it highlights another potential negative health effect that people haven't considered," said co-author of study Richard D. Lewis, professor of foods and nutrition at the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Prior studies on bone health and obesity used a two-dimensional bone densitometer that is usually used in osteoporosis screenings. Lewis explained that a notable shortcoming of the bone densitometer is that it does not take into account bone shape and geometry, which have a substantial influence on bone strength. The new study used a three-dimensional imaging technique that measures both the amount of mineral in the bone and its shape and geometry. The study observed that, surprisingly, normal- and high body-fat young adult females have comparable bone strength in a direct comparison that does not account for muscle mass......... Posted by: JoAnn      Read more         Source

November 18, 2007, 9:00 PM CT

Geisinger rheumatologists redesign rheumatoid arthritis care

With the nation collectively spending about $18 billion per year on osteoporosis related bone fractures, Geisinger scientists observed that streamlining the ordering process for osteoporosis bone density scans quadrupled the number of patients who received the exam.

An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Like most providers, Geisinger Health System measures the mineral content in the bones of patients who are at high-risk for osteoporosis through DXA scans.

Follow-up exams are commonly needed to assess how the disease has progressed. Geisingers rheumatology department removed some of the steps involved, shifted the responsibility of ordering the exam from the patients primary care provider to the rheumatology staff and made greater use of Geisingers $80 million Electronic Health Record.

Before the change, 18% of patients received the test. After the test, 88% received the scan.

A broken bone from osteoporosis can be excruciating and hard to recover from, said Eric Newman, MD, Geisingers Rheumatology Director. Testing for osteoporosis is the first step in preventing these breaks.

Results of the study were presented at the American College of Rheumatologys annual meeting in Boston recently. Geisinger had four presentations at the meeting, the most ever for the department......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

November 7, 2007, 6:16 PM CT

Golimumab for ankylosing spondylitis

More than half of patients receiving monthly subcutaneous (SC) injections of golimumab (CNTO 148) 50 mg and 100 mg experienced significant and sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms of active ankylosing spondylitis, according to Phase 3 study results presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual meeting. At week 14 of the study, 59 percent of patients receiving golimumab 50 mg and 60 percent of patients receiving golimumab 100 mg achieved at least 20 percent improvement in the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis criteria (ASAS 20) compared with 22 percent of patients receiving placebo.

(P < 0.001). Investigators also reported that study subjects receiving golimumab 50 mg or golimumab 100 mg showed significant, sustained improvements in physical function through six months as measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI).

Golimumab, Centocor Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation's next-generation human anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha monoclonal antibody, is currently in the most comprehensive Phase 3 development program to date for an anti-TNF-alpha biologic therapy. With ongoing studies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, golimumab is being studied as a monthly SC injection and an every twelve-week intravenous (IV) infusion (approximately 30-minutes) therapy......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

November 4, 2007, 2:34 PM CT

Gene Behind Rheumatoid Arthritis

University of Manchester scientists have identified a genetic variant in a region on chromosome 6 that is linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting 387,000 people in the UK.

Professor Jane Worthington and her team at the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) Epidemiology Unit at the University investigated 9 genetic regions identified earlier this year as potentially harbouring DNA variants determining susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Association to one of the variants on chromosome 6 was unequivocally confirmed, reports this week's Nature Genetics (4 November 2007). Eventhough this variant is not located in a gene, Professor Worthington suggests that it may influence the behaviour of a nearby gene: tumour necrosis factor associated protein (TNFAIP3) as this is a gene that is known to be involved in inflammatory processes.

Rheumatoid arthritis, which affects up to 1% of the adult population, is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect nearly all joints in the body, especially the hands and feet. Complications such as lung disease can occur. In addition, patients with RA are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Some people respond well to therapy, but most suffer a lifetime of disability......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

October 29, 2007, 10:28 PM CT

New cements to heal spinal fractures

New research could offer hope for victims of the most devastating spinal injuries - typically those caused in car crashes.

Biological cements to repair burst fractures of the spine are being developed and tested in a major new collaborative project between the University of Leeds and Queens University Belfast. The team has been awarded just under 500,000 by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop and examine the effects of novel cement materials for the therapy of burst fractures.

Bone cements, similar to those used in joint replacement surgery, are already being used to strengthen damaged vertebrae of patients with diseases such as osteoporosis, in a procedure known as vertebroplasty, but burst fractures to the spine, injuries often sustained in major impact accidents and falls, are much more difficult to treat. They account for over 1,000 emergency NHS admissions each year and often require highly complex, invasive surgery and a long stay in hospital.

This type of fracture causes the vertebra to burst apart and in severe cases fragments of bone can be pushed into the spinal cord, says Dr Ruth Wilcox of Leeds Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. Surgeons may be able to join bone fragments together and stabilize the spine with the use of metal screws and rods, but patients with these injuries are often in a really bad way, so the less invasive the therapy, the better......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

October 21, 2007, 10:00 PM CT

Major genetic breakthrough for ankylosing spondylitis

Research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Arthritis Research Campaign has identified two genes implicated in the disease ankylosing spondylitis, a common disease primarily causing back pain and progressive stiffness. The research, published online today in Nature Genetics, suggests that a therapy currently being trialled for Crohn's disease may also be applied to this disease.

Ankylosing spondylitis affects as a number of as 1 in 200 men and 1 in 500 women in the UK, typically striking people in their late teens and twenties. Whilst it mainly affects the spine, it can also affect other joints, tendons and ligaments. More rarely, it can affect other areas, such as the eyes, lungs, bowel and heart. High-profile sufferers of the condition include former England cricket captain Mike Atherton.

Now, using a technique known as genome-wide association scanning, scientists led by Professors Lon Cardon, Matthew Brown and Paul Wordsworth, from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford have analysed DNA samples from 1,000 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and a further 1,500 people unaffected by the disease in search of genetic mutations which, if present, increase a person's risk of developing the disease. The findings from this study were then confirmed by a team at University of Texas (Houston) led by Professor John Reveille......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

October 19, 2007, 4:58 AM CT

What's been causing your knee to ache? Smurfs!

A new clinical trial seeks to predict who is most likely to experience osteoarthritis, and to test whether an experimental therapy can prevent it altogether. Physicians are setting their sights on people who sustain a knee injury, seeking to understand why nearly half of them will later go on to develop osteoarthritis, a debilitating condition that causes pain and disability in more than 20 million Americans each year.

The work is funded by a special class of National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research programs that show promise of quickly translating basic science discoveries into patient therapys. In this case, initial research has shown that an enzyme which controls the response of cells to growth factors may in fact be a major cause of osteoarthritis. The enzymes are called "Smad Ubiquitination Regulatory Factors, or, smurfs, but unlike the small, loveable blue cartoon characters, scientists think that a particular form of these regulatory enzymes, smurf2, might in fact be responsible for Americas leading cause of disability.

We think that smurf2 controls whether or not a cartilage cell matures and calcifies into hard bone, which is a very good thing when turned on in those areas of the body where we are supposed to have hard bone, said Randy Rosier, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Orthopaedics and director of Research Translation in Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. But when smurf2 is active in joint cartilage, it may set off a chain reaction that leads to the steady deterioration of the smooth gliding surface tissue, or cartilage, which comprises the joint surface. When this occurs, the cartilage breaks down and severely damages the weight-bearing surface of a joint. Or, put another way, activation of smurf2 in the joint cartilage appears to significantly contribute to the onset of osteoarthritis......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source

October 8, 2007, 3:52 PM CT

Genes That Increase Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk

Scientists in the United States and Sweden have identified a genetic region linked to increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease of the joints that affects an estimated 2.1 million Americans. The U.S. arm of the study involved a long-time collaboration between intramural scientists of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and other organizations. NIAMS is one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health. The results appeared in the New England Journal (NEJM).

Using the relatively new genome-wide association approach - which makes it possible to analyze between 300,000 and 500,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, or small differences in DNA that are distributed throughout a person's genetic code) - scientists in both countries searched for genetic differences in blood samples from people with RA in comparison to controls. The U.S. group compared 908 samples from patients provided by the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (NARAC) - a group of researchers working together to identify the genetic factors that contribute to RA - with those from 1,282 people without RA (controls). The Swedish group compared 676 samples from the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (EIRA) with 673 controls......... Posted by: Mark      Read more         Source