| Autoimmune Medical News by Date |
| |
| October 2008 |
| Neuropsychiatric (NP) syndromes in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (PSS): A comparative population-based study. Headache, cognitive dysfunction, and mood disorders are common in both diseases, but otherwise there are distinct differences in NP involvement with cerebrovascular disease more prevalent in SLE, and neuropathies more common in PSS. (ARD Online) E. Harboe. Ann Rheum Dis. October 17, 2008. (Also see: Lupus and Sjögren's) |
| Green tea may delay onset of type 1 diabetes. A powerful antioxidant in green tea may prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. They found it also worked well in their original disease focus, as it reduced the severity and delayed onset of salivary gland damage associated with Sjogren's syndrome, which has no known cure. (GEN) EurekAlert!. 10/23/08. (Also see: Diabetes and Sjögren's) |
| Management of Graves hyperthyroidism in pregnancy. Focus on both maternal and foetal thyroid function, and caution against surgical thyroidectomy in pregnancy. Antithyroid drug therapy of pregnant women with Graves hyperthyroidism should be balanced to control both maternal and foetal thyroid function. P. Laurberg. European Journal of Endocrinology. October 10, 2008. (Also see: Graves' Disease, and Autoimmunity and Pregnancy) |
| Stem cell transplantation for rheumatic autoimmune diseases. Long-term and marked improvements of disease activity have been observed, notably in systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and treatment-related morbidity and mortality have improved due to better patient selection and modifications of transplant regimens. T. Hügle. Arthritis Research & Therapy. October 10, 2008. (Also see: Stem Cell Transplant) |
| Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in arthritic diseases. MSCs, the nonhematopoietic progenitor cells found in various adult tissues, are characterized by their ease of isolation and their rapid growth in vitro while maintaining their differentiation potential, allowing for extensive culture expansion to obtain large quantities suitable for therapeutic use. These properties make MSCs an ideal candidate cell type as building blocks for tissue engineering efforts to regenerate replacement tissues and repair damaged structures as encountered in various arthritic conditions. F. H Chen. Arthritis Research & Therapy. October 10, 2008. (Also see: Stem Cell Transplant and Arthritis) |
| Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for autoimmune disorders. Updates of published trials and data from the registries indicate a long-lasting, immunosuppression-free condition in about 50% of the patients who underwent an HSCT for a severe, progressive autoimmune disease. (PubMed) Saccardi R. Curr Opin Hematol. November 2008. (Also see: Stem Cell Transplant and Autoimmunity) |
| High prevalence of vitamin K and D deficiency and decreased bone mineral density in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD patients have high prevalence of decreased bone mineral density and vitamin K and D deficiency probably caused by malabsorption of these vitamins. (SpringerLink) A. Kuwabara. Osteoporosis International. September 30, 2008. (Also see: Inflammatory Bowel Disease) |
| Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is highly expressed in muscle tissue of patients with polymyositis and patients with dermatomyositis. Our observations support a role of VEGF in the early phases of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. (WileyInterscience) C. Grundtman. Arthritis & Rheumatism. September 29, 2008. (Also see: Dermatomyositis/Polymyositis) |
| Molecular effects of exercise in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease. Resistance exercise training can reduce the expression of genes involved in inflammation and fibrosis in patients with myositis, and in vitro mechanical loading of chondrocytes can suppress the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, indicating that exercise can also reduce inflammation in the local tissue environment. (PubMed) Lundberg IE. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. October 7, 2008. (Also see: Dermatomyositis/Polymyositis). |
| Do Improved Survival Rates of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Reflect a Global Trend? Despite the improvement in survival rates for patients with SLE the standardized mortality ratios are still 3-fold higher than for the general population. M. Abu-Shakra, MD. The Journal of Rheumatology. October 2008. (Also see: Lupus) |
| Predictors of autoimmune disease: Autoantibodies and beyond. Our increasing knowledge of the steps leading from benign autoimmunity to frank autoimmune disease has suggested ways by which subtle genetic differences combined with assessment of the pattern of critical mediators can trace the progression of disease. The new tools of multiplex testing and information handling open opportunities to identify early signposts of disease. (IngentaConnect) Rose, Noel. Autoimmunity. September 2008. (Also see: Autoimmunity and Antibodies) |
| The Temporal Relationship of Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) and Features of Connective Tissue Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Idiopathic RP may have a different clinical effect on RA than secondary RP; the latter is correlated with more severe RA. Sclerodactyly is associated with erosive arthritis and RP in RA. Janet E Pope. J Rheumatol First Release. Oct 1 2008. (Also see: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sclerodactyly, and Raynaud's) |
Hello, I am