Monday May 20, 2013
Today is World Autoimmune Arthritis Day 2013. World Autoimmune Arthritis Day is an annual online 47-hour Virtual Convention, bringing together advocates and experts from around the world in order to provide information to patients, their friends and family, and the general public. The message: Arthritis is not "just arthritis". Autoimmune Arthritis diseases are serious conditions with potentially severe consequences.
Check out the World Autoimmune Arthritis Day website. Don't miss out on the Virtual Convention. WAAD13 began at 6am Eastern time on May 19th and ends at 5am Eastern time on May 21st, 2013. Even when the online event ends, the message must be carried forward.
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Photo © WAAD
Friday May 17, 2013
Using mice, researchers have discovered that fat cells in the knee secrete a protein, known as pro-factor D, which yields another protein, known as factor D (part of the complement system). The complement system is a complex network of pathways involving over 40 proteins that play a significant role in our immune system. It had been determined previously that factor D made mice susceptible to developing inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis).
According to the findings, published in the Journal of Immunology, the discovery of pro-factor D in mice may lead to gene therapies or other treatments to inhibit pro-factor D. Being able to target pro-factor D, as opposed to the entire complement system, would leave intact the beneficial aspects of the complement system (e.g., fighting infection).
It is known that fat is present around all of the body's organs, but it was not previously known that fat was secreting a protein which can trigger arthritis. Fat affects all joints in this way, not just the knees. Of course, this would need to be applicable to humans, but every bit of new arthritis research offers hope.
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Tuesday May 14, 2013
Newly-diagnosed arthritis patients have a lot of questions, as you might expect. I think the same could be said of anyone who is diagnosed with a chronic illness. People want to know how the disease is going to affect their lives. Unfortunately, the answers are not simple because the disease course is not the same for everyone.
So, what's the worst case scenario? What should people with arthritis prepare to experience? Here are the 5 Worst Things About Arthritis.
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Photo by Natalie Souprounovich (stock.xchng)
Sunday May 12, 2013
On May 10, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ilaris (canakinumab) for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients aged 2 years and older. Ilaris, a fully human monoclonal antibody developed by Novartis, is the first interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta inhibitor approved for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and the only treatment approved specifically for the disease that is administerd as a once-monthly subcutaneous injection. Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which is considered the most severe form of juvenile arthritis, affects 5-15 children per 100,000 in the United States.
The FDA approval was based on two Phase III trials. Results from the first study showed that, by day 15, 84% of study participants treated with one subcutaneous dose of Ilaris achieved the primary endpoint of ACR 30 (30% improvement in symptoms as defined by the American College of Rheumatology) compared to 10% of participants receiving placebo. In the second study, 92 of 128 patients attempted corticosteroid tapering; 62% substantially reduced their use of corticosteroids while 46% were able to discontinue corticosteroids. Ilaris also reduced the recurrence of flares in the second study.
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Photo by Sheryl Griffin (iStockphoto)
