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. Having partnered last year with an international team that surveyed the genomes of 12,000 individuals to find a genetic cause for gout, Johns Hopkins scientists now have shown that the malfunctioning gene they helped uncover can lead to high concentrations of blood urate that forms crystals in joint tissue, causing inflammation and pain - the hallmark of this disease. http://www.physorg.com/news164593887.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:32:15 EST news164593887 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 The goal in treating patients with gout is to reduce acute attacks by lowering serum urate levels, which are usually high in this disease. At the same time, high serum urate levels have been shown to lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). A new study compared the safety and efficacy of febuxostat, a new drug being developed for gout that was recently approved for use in Europe, and a commonly used drug that has been around for years. Another study examined the link between gout and PD in individuals 65 years and older. The studies were published in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/77005015/home). http://www.physorg.com/news145024432.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:33:52 EST news145024432 A team of researchers from the United States and the Netherlands has identified mutations in three genes that are associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood, which is a risk factor for gout. The team developed a genetic risk score composed of the number of uric acid-increasing mutations that each person carries (0 to 6), which was associated with up to a 40-fold increased risk for developing gout when comparing persons at lowest and highest risk. The findings are published in the October 4 issue of The Lancet. http://www.physorg.com/news142227709.html Medicine & Health Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:41:49 EST news142227709 Researchers have identified two new genes - and confirmed the role of a third gene - associated with increased risk of higher levels of uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout, a common, painful form of arthritis. Combined, the three genetic variations were associated with up to a 40-fold increased risk in developing gout. The findings suggest that genetic testing could one day be used to identify individuals at risk for gout before symptoms develop, as well as determine who might benefit from medications to prevent the development of gout. http://www.physorg.com/news142052419.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:19 EST news142052419 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new drug designed to normalize levels of uric acid in the blood appears to be safe and tolerable and may help patients with the painful arthritic condition known as gout better cope with their disease, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center. http://www.physorg.com/news139584356.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:25:56 EST news139584356