A recent editorial examined research findings on how low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood affect bone health, resulting in cartilage dysfunction and the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Authors note that a high-fat diet in mice with HDL deficiency resulted in OA development; thus, they conclude that in patients with metabolic syndrome, HDL may have a causative relationship to OA…
Two studies have shown that romosozumab is effective for increasing bone mineral density in both men and women with osteoporosis. And due to safety concerns, Janssen has dropped out of clinical trials for fulranumab, which is being studied to treat OA pain…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The investigational drug abaloparatide may help postmenopausal women increase their bone mineral density (BMD) and reduce their risk of fracture, new industry research suggests. “What was surprising and very important about this study was that, although some drugs for osteoporosis don’t work across all patient subgroups, abaloparatide provided persistent protection against fracture…
A recent small-scale study showed that patients who received platelet-rich plasma therapy for tendon healing experienced clinically important improvements in pain and disability compared with placebo. Additionally, MRI showed that some participants had improvement in the pathoanatomy of the rotator cuff six months after treatment…
SAN FRANCISCO—Penetrating the dense extracellular matrix of cartilage is a challenge for administering osteoarthritis drugs, but an answer might lie in the matrix itself—in particular, its electrical charge, researchers reported at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. Electrical Affinity Investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found—at least in vitro and in animals—that delivering drugs…
SAN FRANCISCO—The discovery of a promising new target for the treatment of osteoporosis has a beginning to the story that, when it comes to scientific breakthroughs, rings familiar: It started with a disappointment. Researchers in the lab of Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College—were in search…
Patients with osteoarthritis often consider total knee replacement surgery to resolve pain and increase mobility. However, a recent study found that self-reported knee instability and pain are prevalent in patients both before and after primary unilateral total knee replacement surgery. One-third of the study’s participants still had knee instability after surgery, experiencing knee buckling and shifting associated with pain and limited activity. Using physical performance measurements, researchers linked self-reported knee instability following surgery to pain and poor lower-extremity muscle strength…
Abaloparatide has completed clinical trials, which showed the treatment to be safe and effective in reducing fracture rates in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Also, XmAb5871 is being studied to treat systemic lupus erythematosus and doesn’t destroy B cells…
(Reuters Health)—Women who maintain an overall healthy diet may benefit from a slightly reduced risk of hip fractures later in life, according to a new U.S. study. Women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet were about three tenths of a percent less likely to break a hip over about 16 years, compared to women who didn’t…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The combination of denosumab and teriparatide improves bone microarchitecture and estimated strength more than either drug alone in women with severe postmenopausal osteoporosis, researchers have found. Dr. Joy Tsai, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a single-site, two-year, open-label, randomized controlled trial involving 94 women aged 45 or older…