Researchers may have established a relationship between a new RA autoantibody, anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies, and increased mortality risk. The recent study showed that anti-CarP was the only autoantibody associated with mortality, specifically respiratory system cause of death…
First Appearances I watched the old man, his back painfully bent, shuffle toward the scale. A blocky rigidity draped over him. His feet seemed stuck to the floor. His head hung heavily over his chest. Observing him from the end of the hallway, instead of a face, I saw only a mound of shaggy, matted…
A recent study in mice examined the role of adenosine A2A receptors in joint health. Researchers specifically found that as extracellular levels of adenosine fall, individuals may become at risk for osteoarthritis…
Serum uric acid (UA) is an important factor in the causal pathway for gout. It has also been implicated as a potential risk factor and/or mediator of cardiovascular disease outcomes and mortality in a large number of observational studies. Although many of the clinical trials targeting serum UA reduction have focused on pharmacologic interventions, diet…
A 66-year-old male patient presents to the office with right knee pain. He was in the office two weeks prior for a follow-up visit of his primary osteoarthritis. He received an injection of hyaluronate sodium in his right knee four months before and states that his knee felt like new. He states that everything was…
Outside Exam Room No. 5, the chart rack was empty, so I assumed my new consult was late. Just in case, I looked back over my shoulder as I passed by the partially open door and glimpsed the lower half of a woman holding a three-ringed binder on her lap. I squinted and took a…
Can We Stay Forever Young? May your heart always be joyful And may your song always be sung May you stay forever young Forever Young —Bob Dylan Beneath the rubric of orphan diseases reside some rare conditions and others that are extraordinarily uncommon. These are the diseases that most physicians either never to get to…
New research investigates the role of autophagy, specifically the cell digestion process called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP), in inflammation and the pathology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Researchers found that defects in this process result in failure to digest dying cells, which increases inflammatory cytokine production and results in SLE-like disease in mice. Further exposure to dying cells accelerated disease development…
New research confirms that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who respond to treatment experience an increase in cholesterol levels, including total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C levels. However, the use of triple therapy may be important for understanding this association and mitigating its risk…
A recent case study revealed that an infant from a donor egg developed neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) and a congenital heart block, which may have been due to the presence of antibodies to Ro and La in the birth mother—not the genetic mother. The results suggest that a gestational mother with a history of autoimmune disease is sufficient to trigger the pathology of NLE…