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. (PhysOrg.com) -- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. More than 1.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer from RA with 75% of those afflicted being women. Patients with RA experience pain, stiffness, swelling, and deterioration of joints. Severe chronic pain accompanied by progressive joint destruction, disability, and disfigurement is known to increase the risk of experiencing emotional disturbances, with RA patients twice as likely to be depressed as people in the general population. Emotional wellness for persons with RA plays a critical role in disease course and disability. http://www.physorg.com/news168618528.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:29:23 EST news168618528 In the new issue of the Developmental Cell journal, a team of scientists at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, report research findings about the molecular mechanisms behind the aging process, which has up till now been poorly understood, that offer the possibility that a novel, pharmacological approach could be developed to combat age-related disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news167406901.html Medicine & Health Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:55:56 EST news167406901 A recently identified gene allows immune cells to start the self-destructive processes thought to underlie autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. http://www.physorg.com/news166986841.html Medicine & Health Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:20:02 EST news166986841 A drug similar to one used in clinical trials for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been found to rescue memory in mice exhibiting Alzheimer's symptoms. http://www.physorg.com/news166795943.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:30:02 EST news166795943 (PhysOrg.com) -- A signal molecule made by the human body that triggers the immune system into action may be important in rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research published today in Nature Medicine. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say that if scientists could block this signal, it may be possible to develop more effective arthritis treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news165418357.html Medicine & Health Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:35:10 EST news165418357 A clinical trial of masitinib, a drug in development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has shown it to be well tolerated and effective. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy have shown that treatment with masitinib significantly reduced the severity of active arthritis. http://www.physorg.com/news165296111.html Medicine & Health Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:36:39 EST news165296111 Our ability to withstand stress-related, inflammatory diseases may be associated, not just with our race and sex, but with our personality as well, according to a study published in the July issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Especially in aging women, low levels of the personality trait extraversion may signal that blood levels of a key inflammatory molecule have crossed over a threshold linked to a doubling of risk of death within five years. http://www.physorg.com/news164461402.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:10:01 EST news164461402 How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself. http://www.physorg.com/news164455337.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:30:08 EST news164455337 Over half (56%) of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also have periodontitis (a chronic inflammatory disease of the gum and surrounding ligaments and bones that hold the teeth in place), displaying fewer teeth than healthy matched controls, high prevalence of oral sites presenting dental plaque and advanced attachment loss (the extent of periodontal support that has been destroyed around a tooth) (chi square p http://www.physorg.com/news164037830.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:40:02 EST news164037830 Over half (63%) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also suffer from psychiatric disorders, with the majority of these (87%) occurring in the depressive spectrum, according to the results of a new study. Interestingly, over half (52%) of the patients studied indicated that they had experienced stress events before the onset of their RA. http://www.physorg.com/news164037106.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:52:10 EST news164037106 First line treatment with anakinra (an interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist), results in a 'good' clinical response (ACRp90) in patients newly diagnosed with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA), and restores the deficient IL-18 response of natural killer (NK) cells, according to a new study. http://www.physorg.com/news164034650.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:11:17 EST news164034650 Cigarette smoking induced COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a disease that results in severe breathing difficulty. According to World Health Organization (WHO) it is the fourth leading killer worldwide. However the mechanisms responsible for some smokers developing COPD and others evading the disease have not been well understood. http://www.physorg.com/news163335346.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:56:08 EST news163335346 A new study published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveals that one of the most common conditions caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is best treated surgically, sooner rather than later. http://www.physorg.com/news163176812.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:53:59 EST news163176812 Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab are effective at reducing symptoms and slowing progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These drugs act more quickly, require less laboratory monitoring, and are better tolerated than nonbiologic DMARDs, but they are also up to 100 times more expensive. Insurance plans differ greatly in their coverage of and cost sharing for biologic DMARDs, sometimes shifting a large portion of the cost of patients. A new study examined the cost-sharing structures for biologic DMARDs in Part D plans and the resulting cost burden to patients. The study was published in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research. http://www.physorg.com/news163101659.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:01:28 EST news163101659 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affects almost three percent of people over age 65. RA patients experience pain, functional limitations and two forms of disabling bone disease: focal erosions and osteoporosis. After five years of disease, up to 50 percent of RA patients show evidence of focal erosions and RA doubles the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. A new study examined the relationship between these two RA-related processes, in the hopes of providing insight into the underlying pathophysiology of RA-related bone disease. The study was published in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism . http://www.physorg.com/news163095769.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:24:49 EST news163095769 Recent genetic studies have revealed several new sites of genes that are risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The strongest association with anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive RA (ACPAs are autoantibodies detected in RA that are used as a major diagnostic tool) has been found for the HLA-DRB1 gene, and this site seems to play a central role in susceptibility to the disease in Caucasian populations. Previous studies have shown a high increase in the risk of ACPA-positive RA associated with smoking in those who have certain variations of the HLA-DRB1 gene. There are several types of such alleles related to a particular amino acid sequence known as shared epitope (SE). ACPAs occur in about 60 percent of RA patients and are closely linked to the presence of SE alleles. In fact, SE alleles are the strongest genetic risk factor for ACPA-positive RA. http://www.physorg.com/news163095549.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:19:36 EST news163095549 Here's one more reason to keep your teeth healthy. http://www.physorg.com/news162744151.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 May 2009 15:42:53 EST news162744151 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found that an approved drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis reduces severe illness and death in mice exposed to the Influenza A virus. Their findings suggest that tempering the response of the body's immune system to influenza infection may alleviate some of the more severe symptoms and even reduce mortality from this virus. http://www.physorg.com/news162560620.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 May 2009 12:44:08 EST news162560620 The 57-year-old lawyer in New York had handily completed the New York Times' Saturday crossword puzzle - the hardest of the week - for years. But one Saturday morning, suddenly he couldn't retrieve the words to fill in the squares. http://www.physorg.com/news161882536.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 May 2009 16:24:26 EST news161882536 (AP) -- A Washington state man with underlying heart conditions became the third person infected with swine flu to die in the U.S., health officials said Saturday, while Costa Rica reported the first swine flu death outside North America. http://www.physorg.com/news161141941.html Medicine & Health Sun, 10 May 2009 02:40:24 EST news161141941 (AP) -- Mexico's emergence from a national shutdown hit snags as some high schools were not cleaned in time to open and students returned to class in others without swine flu checkups. Cases of the virus popped up in two more Latin America countries. http://www.physorg.com/news160981442.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 May 2009 06:32:56 EST news160981442 (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 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 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 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