ATLANTA - New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, shows that treating rheumatoid arthritis with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduced the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, especially in women and men who are 50 years old and younger (Abstract #0396). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease marked by chronic joint inflammation leading to joint damage and loss of function. It can also affect tissues and organs outside the joints, including (but not limited to) the eyes, ...

ATLANTA - New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, shows that ultrasound-detected salivary gland abnormalities in primary Sjögren's become more severe over time and that the slow-to-progress disease likely starts long before it is first detected (Abstract #1371).    Sjögren's disease also known as Primary Sjögren’s syndrome, is a systemic autoimmune disorder. It is marked by inflammation of the lacrimal and salivary glands, leading to chronic dry eyes and mouth. Fatigue is common, ...

ATLANTA — New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, describes a link between positive antiphospholipid antibodies and an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Abstract #0552). Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) are autoantibodies directed against phospholipid-binding proteins. In antiphospholipid syndrome, they are associated with heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, and with miscarriage and stillbirth during pregnancy. People with SLE also have a greatly increased risk ...

ATLANTA - New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, found that JAK inhibitors (JAKi) and tocilizumab elicited better response rates in VEXAS syndrome compared to other targeted therapies (Abstract #L03). VEXAS syndrome is a rare and often fatal autoimmune condition caused by a mutation in the UBA1 gene. It is marked by widespread inflammation leading to a range of symptoms that affect the skin, lungs, blood vessels and joints. The name is an acronym for disease characteristics: vacuoles in bone marrow, E1 enzyme (the enzyme encoded by the UBA1 gene), ...

ATLANTA — New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, describes the expansion of a novel program to train primary care physicians (PCPs) in the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Native American communities that have little or no access to rheumatology care (Abstract #2455). Despite the high prevalence of RA and other rheumatologic diseases among Native Americans, many Native American communities lack adequate access to subspecialized care. As a result, responsibility for treatment has shifted to primary care providers, who often do not feel confident prescribing RA medications or ...

ATLANTA — According to new research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, continuing tumor necrosis factor inhibitors during pregnancy is not associated with worse fetal or obstetric outcomes and may reduce the risk of severe maternal infections during pregnancy (Abstract #0477). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors such as adalimumab and infliximab are often prescribed for inflammatory forms of arthritis that have not improved with other treatments. Although studies suggest the drugs are safe during pregnancy, ...

ATLANTA - New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual meeting, reports the incidence and risk factors for new-onset interstitial lung disease (ILD) in previously ILD-negative systemic sclerosis patients (Abstract #1700). Interstitial lung disease is a common complication and cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma). Although the prevalence and risk factors for ILD are well known, less is known about the annual incidence and risk factors associated with the disease that occurs in patients who test negative on screening tests conducted at baseline. To answer these questions, Liubov Petelytska, ...

In a small study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the heart may identify people who will go on to develop Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia among those at-risk for these diseases. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and led by scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of NIH, may advance efforts to detect the earliest changes that years later lead to Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. In ...

Macarena de la Fuente, MD, chief of neuro-oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been elected to the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO)’s board of directors. She will serve as the neurology representative and becomes the first Hispanic elected to the multidisciplinary board, which strives to advance brain tumor research, education and collaboration. De la Fuente has been an SNO member for over a decade and previously served as chair of the society’s ...

ATLANTA — New research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, demonstrates that CAR-T cell therapy could lead to sustained suppression of autoantibodies in treatment-resistant lupus while maintaining a robust response to vaccines (Abstract #0607). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, lupus) is a complex autoimmune disease marked by the production of autoantibodies to nucleic acid DNA and nuclear protein autoantigens and is associated with dysfunctional B cells. It mainly affects women and is more common and severe in people who ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [November 7, 2023] — New research in the November 2023 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggests that patients who have insufficient levels of vitamin D before starting paclitaxel treatment are more likely to experience peripheral neuropathy. According to an analysis of 1,191 patients with early-stage breast cancer—using data collected in the SWOG S0221 study—20.7% of patients with vitamin D deficiency experienced at least a grade 3 level of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), compared to 14.2% of those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The researchers ...

The rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles will move the nation close to an 80% or more drop in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2019 level according to researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The researchers came to that conclusion after running thousands of computer simulations on the steps needed to decarbonize passenger and freight travel, which make up the largest contributor to greenhouse gases. While they advised that “no single technology, policy, or behavioral change” is enough by itself to reach the target, eliminating tailpipe emissions would be a major factor. “There ...

After the Southwest Research Institute-led Lucy mission flew past the asteroid Dinkinesh, the team discovered that it is even more “marvelous” as its newly discovered satellite is now shown to be a double-lobed moonlet. As NASA’s Lucy spacecraft continued to return data acquired during its first asteroid encounter on Nov. 1, 2023, the team discovered that Dinkinesh’s surprise satellite is itself a contact binary, made of two smaller objects touching each other. In the first image of Dinkinesh and its satellite taken at closest approach, the two lobes of the contact binary lined up, one behind the other, ...

New maps of more than 1,000 deep-seated landslides in the Puget Lowlands of Washington State provide evidence of the last major earthquake along the Seattle Fault about 1,100 years ago—and may also hold traces of older earthquakes along the fault. Clusters of landslides offer a potential record of earthquakes, if researchers can determine when the landslides occurred. The new study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America combines information about the location of these Puget Lowlands landslides along with new dates obtained from measuring the surface roughness of the landslides. The ...

Researchers led by Mroj Alassaf at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the United States have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Using the common fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet — a hallmark of obesity — causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration. Publishing November 7th in the open access journal PLOS Biology, the research will impact therapies designed to reduce the risk of developing ...

A common, cat-borne parasite already associated with risk-taking behavior and mental illness in humans may also contribute to exhaustion, loss of muscle mass, and other signs of “frailty” in older adults, suggests a study published Nov. 6 in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science. The research, by an international team of scientists including University of Colorado Boulder, University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of A Coruña in Spain, is the latest to explore how the tiny, single-celled ...

Scientists have unlocked the genetic basis underlying the remarkable variation in body size observed in song sparrows, one of North America’s most familiar and beloved songbirds. This discovery also provides insights into this species’ capacity to adapt to the challenges of climate change. The study, published today in Nature Communications, used genomic sequencing to successfully pinpoint eight genetic variants, or DNA mutations, largely responsible for the nearly threefold difference in body size observed across the song sparrow range from Mexico to Alaska. For instance, song sparrows that live year-round ...

A nationwide study of 21,878 older nursing home residents with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) found a higher rate of bleeding and little difference in the effectiveness of standard versus reduced-dose treatment using direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). “Given the potential harms and unclear benefits of standard DOAC dosing, our results support the use of reduced-dose DOACs for many older adults with multiple chronic medical conditions,” said Dr. Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, of Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research.  DOACs can prevent serious thrombotic events like stroke in residents with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation ...

It’s not “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” but Associate Professor of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Mark Yi-Cheon Yim has an adorable pup on his desk at UMass Lowell’s Pulichino Tong Business Center.   As Yim pats the top of the dog’s head, its ears lift, its tail wags and it yelps in delight. When Yim scratches under its chin, the dog appears to smile as its head sways in appreciation.   For a moment, you almost forget that the dog – a Sony aibo, which has been around for 24 years (168 dog years) and retails for $2,900 – is an artificial ...

Political violence is eroding the overall health of democracy in the United States, according to more than 100 global scholars surveyed for a new report. The report, released today by Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute and Protect Democracy, identifies how and to what extent experts believe violence is interfering with American democracy. Those surveyed were most concerned about elections, with more than half suggesting that U.S. electoral processes have a high potential of breaking down in the future.­­­­­­­­­ “Political violence is occurring, and it comes in waves,” said co-author Lilliana Mason, an associate ...

Food allergies can quickly turn a casual meal into a life-threatening situation. Anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction that may include a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and shock – from a food allergy sends 200,000 people to the emergency room annually in the United States. Because pinpointing a food allergy could mean life or death, an accurate diagnosis is critical. Oral food challenges – when a patient ingests increasing doses up to a full serving of the suspected food allergen under ...

A study involving the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has found that the use of applications for depression can have a significant effect on treating the symptoms of this increasingly prevalent mental illness, especially when used in hybrid treatments, i.e. those that combine technology with the involvement of a professional. That is one of the main conclusions from the research done by the team led by Carme Carrion, principal investigator at the eHealth Lab, based on their compilation and analysis of the most painstaking scientific research in this field in recent years. The members of this research group, which is affiliated ...

Boston (Nov. 7, 2023) — Teens from low-income families experiencing food insecurity are developing the most common form of liver disease twice as often as those who have easier access to food, likely because they rely on low-cost, ultra-processed foods, according to a study scheduled for presentation at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Participation in the food assistance program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, seems to protect young people against liver disease. “The ...

Boston (Nov. 7, 2023) — The most common form of chronic liver disease is expected to steadily rise over the next 25 years, adding significant burden to the medical system as a new model predicts nearly twice as many liver cancers and almost triple the need for liver transplantation by 2050, according to a study scheduled for presentation at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Rising rates of obesity and diabetes are blamed for the anticipated increase ...

Bethesda, MD (Nov. 7, 2023) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released a rapid clinical practice update addressing the management of patients taking glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) prior to endoscopy. Published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, AGA finds no data to support all patients stopping GLP-1 RAs prior to elective endoscopy procedures. This guidance is in response to American Society of Anesthesiologists’ call for patients to stop taking GLP-1 RAs prior to elective procedures ...