http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (AP) -- Health officials have released details about the chronic health problems suffered by the two people who died from swine flu in the United States. The Mexican toddler who died in Texas suffered from chronic muscle weakness, a heart defect, a swallowing problem and lack of oxygen. The 33-year-old Texas woman had asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, a skin condition and was 35 weeks pregnant. http://www.physorg.com/news160941899.html Medicine & Health Thu, 07 May 2009 19:05:33 EST news160941899 Adverse reactions to drugs represent one of the leading causes of death in the United States. But there may be a way to predict who is most likely to suffer a toxic side effect to a drug before they have even taken it. http://www.physorg.com/news160676374.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 May 2009 17:20:07 EST news160676374 Spondylarthritis (SpA) represents a group of arthritidies that share clinical features such as inflammatory back pain and inflammation at sites where tendons attach to bone. It includes ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel-disease-related arthritis, reactive arthritis (ReA) and undifferentiated spondylarthritides (uSpA). http://www.physorg.com/news160323071.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:11:32 EST news160323071 The sense of smell is a complex process of the central nervous system that involves specific areas of the brain. In fact, olfactory dysfunction is seen in various central nervous system disorders that involve immune-mediated mechanisms, such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that sometimes involves the central nervous system in a condition known as neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE). http://www.physorg.com/news160322968.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:10:09 EST news160322968 Arthritis can have significant physical and psychological repercussions that impact quality of life and for those of working age, it can affect their ability to remain employed. Compared to individuals with other types of chronic diseases or disabilities, arthritis appears to have a more profound effect on a person's ability to work. Previous studies have found that about half of those with severe forms of arthritis were not working, leading to a loss of skilled workers and increasing the personal and socioeconomic burden of the disease. Few studies have looked at sex differences in the work experiences of people with arthritis, but a new study found that women may be more likely to leave employment, while men may be more likely to remain working and report negative experiences. The study was published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research. http://www.physorg.com/news160322501.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:02:00 EST news160322501 Nearly 48 million Americans have a disability, an increase of three million from 1999, and arthritis tops the list of most common causes of disability, according to an article published today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). In addition, the number of people who report arthritis as the primary cause of disability has increased by one million. The Arthritis Foundation believes that findings from this study must be taken into consideration as a part of health care reform in this country and arthritis research and prevention efforts strengthened to reduce and minimize the burden of arthritis. http://www.physorg.com/news160316630.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:25:39 EST news160316630 A newly developed animal model for the painful nerve condition known as sciatica should help researchers diagnose and treat it, according to Duke University bioengineers and surgeons. http://www.physorg.com/news160235095.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:45:46 EST news160235095 (AP) -- The nation's richest prize in medicine and biomedical research was awarded Friday to three immune system researchers for work that led to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news159796774.html Medicine & Health Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:00:04 EST news159796774 Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that understanding the precise timing of communication between cells that coordinate the body's response to disease could be key to new drug developments. http://www.physorg.com/news158506507.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:37:51 EST news158506507 Racial disparities in the delivery of healthcare occur even among insured populations with access to care. This suggests that some of the differences in health care utilization among different racial groups may be due to patient preferences. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment decisions are frequently complex, requiring multiple trade-offs between symptom relief, long-term reduction of disability, adverse events and serious complications. A new study examined whether African American and white patients with RA differ in how they make trade-offs between risks and benefits related to treatment. The study was published in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research. http://www.physorg.com/news158329513.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:25:34 EST news158329513 Psoriatic arthritis affects about 11 percent of patients with psoriasis. Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) agents, which block signaling molecules that induce inflammation, improve the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. Golimumab is a new human monoclonal antibody that works against TNFα and has been shown to be beneficial within two weeks of the first subcutaneous injection in a phase II rheumatoid arthritis trial. A new phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the largest of its kind to be completed with a biologic agent to treat psoriatic arthritis and the first placebo-controlled study evaluating the effect of a TNF inhibitor on nail psoriasis, found that golimumab significantly improved active psoriatic arthritis and associated skin and nail psoriasis. The study was published in the April issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. http://www.physorg.com/news158328373.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:06:31 EST news158328373 During the past few years, several new genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been identified. The majority of genetic risk factors identified so far have been associated with autoantibody-positive RA, which affects about two-thirds of RA patients, but distinguishing this variant from autoantibody-negative RA, which is less destructive, is considered increasingly important. http://www.physorg.com/news158327861.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:58:15 EST news158327861 Researchers at the University of Illinois report that IDO, an enzyme found throughout the body and long suspected of playing a role in depression, is in fact essential to the onset of depressive symptoms sparked by chronic inflammation. http://www.physorg.com/news157737755.html Medicine & Health Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:03:47 EST news157737755 Here's another reason to hate leftovers. A research study appearing in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology sheds light on one cause of arthritis: bacteria. In the study, scientists from the United States and The Netherlands show that a specific gene called NOD2 triggers arthritis or makes it worse when leftover remnants of bacteria cell walls, called muramyl dipeptide or MDP, are present. This discovery offers an important first step toward new treatments to prevent or lessen the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis. http://www.physorg.com/news157727967.html Biology Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:19:52 EST news157727967 Trying to buy health insurance on your own and have gallstones? You'll automatically be denied coverage. Rheumatoid arthritis? Automatic denial. Severe acne? Probably denied. Do you take Metformin, a popular drug for diabetes? Denied. Use the anti-clotting drug Plavix or Seroquel, prescribed for anti-psychotic or sleep problems? Forget about it. http://www.physorg.com/news157657350.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:42:53 EST news157657350 (PhysOrg.com) -- We cannot live without it; yet too much of it causes damage: oxygen is a critical component of many physiological and pathological processes in living cells. Oxygen deficiency in tissues is thus related to tumor growth, retinal damage from diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is thus important to determine the oxygen content of cells and tissues, which is a challenge to scientists. http://www.physorg.com/news157373939.html Nanotechnology Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:00:45 EST news157373939 Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans. http://www.physorg.com/news157369371.html Medicine & Health Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:45:07 EST news157369371 Chemists in Taiwan are reporting that an ingredient in licorice - widely used in various foods and herbal medicines - appears to block the absorption of cyclosporine, a drug used by transplant patients to prevent organ rejection. This drug interaction could potentially result in transplant rejection, causing illness and even death among patients worldwide who take cyclosporine and licorice together, the researchers caution. http://www.physorg.com/news157132439.html Chemistry Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:54:23 EST news157132439 Immunosuppressive treatment is necessary to prevent rejection of an organ after transplant and has great potential for treating chronic inflammatory diseases. However, currently available immunosuppressant drugs can pose serious health risks, restricting their long-term use. Now, new research findings may lead to the development of immunosuppressant drugs that have fewer adverse side effects. The study, published by Cell Press in the March 13th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, reveals detailed information about how drugs commonly used to prevent transplant rejection interact with their target. http://www.physorg.com/news156084308.html Biology Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:50:10 EST news156084308 Inflammation, the body's earliest response to damage or infection, can aid the healing process and trigger an immune response against invading pathogens. But inflammation gone awry can also undermine health, as in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or asthma. http://www.physorg.com/news155993656.html Biology Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:35:33 EST news155993656 Men with higher vitamin C intake appear less likely to develop gout, a painful type of arthritis, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news155848861.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:21:42 EST news155848861 Telomeres, structures that cap the ends of cells' chromosomes, grow shorter with each round of cell division unless a specialized enzyme replenishes them. Maintaining telomeres is thought to be important for healthy aging and cancer prevention. http://www.physorg.com/news155413788.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:30:10 EST news155413788 Distributed around the body, dendritic cells act as the security alarms of the immune system. After sensing the presence of intruders, dendritic cells can transmit the alarm to white blood cells or tell them to relax, depending on the signals they send out. http://www.physorg.com/news155138121.html Medicine & Health Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:55:47 EST news155138121 Arthritis affects more than half of adults with heart disease and appears to be a substantial barrier to utilizing physical activity to help manage their condition, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the Arthritis Foundation, the study underscores the importance of physical activity in effective management for adults with both arthritis and heart disease. http://www.physorg.com/news154877357.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:49:40 EST news154877357 (PhysOrg.com) -- Oral thrush, a hallmark symptom in AIDS patients, is caused by a type of yeast that grows unchecked in people with weakened immune systems, and appears in colonies of white patches in the mouth. http://www.physorg.com/news154630990.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:08:58 EST news154630990 A strain of laboratory mice that has "superhealing" powers has been found to resist inflammation after a knee injury, and also to avoid developing arthritis at the injury site in the long term, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Their findings illuminate the mechanisms of post-traumatic arthritis and could point to therapies for this condition, which commonly afflicts younger people who lose productivity during their prime working years. http://www.physorg.com/news154538614.html Medicine & Health Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:24:25 EST news154538614 Current arthritis medications can ease the pain, but stopping the progression of the disease requires more aggressive treatments: use of very limited available drugs or surgical intervention. University of Missouri researchers hope to find new therapeutic targets for arthritis by studying the interaction between two proteins that, if interrupted, may prevent arthritis pain caused by joint damage. In a new study, researchers have found potential evidence that blocking the proteins responsible for inducing inflammation prevents cartilage breakdown. http://www.physorg.com/news154200560.html Chemistry Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:33:01 EST news154200560 New animal research in the February 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience may indicate how certain diseases make people feel so tired and listless. Although the brain is usually isolated from the immune system, the study suggests that certain behavioral changes suffered by those with chronic inflammatory diseases are caused by the infiltration of immune cells into the brain. The findings suggest possible new treatment avenues to improve patients' quality of life. http://www.physorg.com/news154116153.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:02:58 EST news154116153 Use of certain medications known as monoclonal anti- tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) antibodies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis appears to be associated with an increased risk for herpes zoster (shingles), the painful infection characterized by blisters, according to a study in the February 18 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news154111170.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:40:20 EST news154111170 (PhysOrg.com) -- You may be wondering at this point whether to toss those vitamins into your mouth or into the trash. That's not surprising since several recent reports have called the value of vitamins into question, leaving people to wonder if it's time to ditch their supplements all together. http://www.physorg.com/news154023079.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:12:00 EST news154023079