Osteoimmunology is an emerging field that focuses on the interaction between bone and the immune system. CD4+ T cells play an important role in the bone marrow and modulate the differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. This article reviews the role of CD4+ T cells as an osteoclastogenic population in inflammatory bowel disease…
SAN FRANCISCO—Evolving research into the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasingly showing that rather than a single causative dysfunctional pathway leading to disease, multiple pathways are involved, the study of which can shed additional light on what is occurring in a person’s body prior to developing symptoms of disease. Saying it another way, no…
SAN FRANCISCO—Behçet’s disease is a vasculitis that can be hard to pin down, with a wide variety of manifestations, many of which overlap with other auto-inflammatory conditions, an expert said at a clinical review course at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The most common feature is oral ulcers, which are expected to be seen at…
SAN FRANCISCO—Metabolomics could one day be a treasure map of information about inflammation in rheumatic disease. There are many metabolic pathways to pursue for clues on how to reverse this damaging process. “All of these signaling pathways are interrelated and affect each other,” said Douglas J. Veale, MD, director of translational research at Dublin Academic…
SAN FRANCISCO—To help rheumatologists better understand the underlying mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, professor of adult endocrinology, University of California, San Francisco, spoke during the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting on ways in which immune regulation and tolerance work to ensure health in individuals who maintain tolerance to self-antigens and how these processes…
On Nov. 2, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the Act) into law. This critical piece of legislation raises the federal debt ceiling and provides the framework for the federal budget through 2017. Of particular importance, the Act significantly changes the way Medicare will reimburse hospitals for outpatient services furnished…
(Reuters Health)—Breathing textile dust on the job is linked to an almost tripled risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a Malaysian study suggests. While smoking is a known risk factor for RA, the findings add to evidence suggesting that environmental factors could trigger RA in some people, the researchers note in their report in Annals…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Authors should agree to share deidentified patient data as a condition for publication of a clinical trial report, according to a proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). “Our patients generously and selflessly volunteer to participate in clinical trials on the promise that the knowledge gained will be used…
To improve access to quality of care for patients with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal pain, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched a continuing education program designed to strengthen the musculoskeletal knowledge and skills of primary care providers (PCPs). In the program’s initial trial in 2012, 19 physicians were trained on exams, treatments and joint injections. Two years after course completion, some participants increased the number of intraarticular corticosteroid injections at their clinics without needing to refer patients to specialists…
Meaningful Use may be changing but it is not going away—yet. Rheumatologists must sign up with two of three registries by Feb. 29 or pay significant financial penalties for not complying with this specific part of the Meaningful Use requirements. The three choices for registries include the Immunization Registry, the Syndromic Surveillance Registry and a…