Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) demonstrated for the first time that treatment-naive patients with early Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) have myocardial and vascular abnormalities, even at the earliest stage of their disease. These findings suggest that patients may develop early cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), increasing their risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality from the time of their diagnosis. Cardiomyopathy is a serious condition and a leading ...

Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) identified that the cytokine (cell signalling protein) Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a crucial factor in the development of blood-induced cartilage damage. This finding opens up the possibility that a treatment targeting IL-1β could provide a new way to protect cartilage after a joint bleed, which in turn should significantly reduce subsequent disability.1 Exposure of joint cartilage to blood can occur after joint trauma, ...

Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: Two new studies presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) have shown the importance of using ultrasound to identify those Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients in clinical remission who would benefit from more intensive treatment. Many patients deemed to be in clinical remission still have active joint disease without any obvious symptoms or physical signs, but with risk of further progression of joint damage. Using ultrasound to predict the risk of flare and exacerbation of symptoms will allow these patients ...

Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) Press Conference showed that the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine can be effective and safe even in children with paediatric rheumatic disease receiving immunosuppression treatment. By using a checklist to pre-screen children, the investigators were able to identify diverse patient groups suitable for vaccination, protecting them from a potentially life-threatening infection. Rheumatic diseases are autoimmune diseases, arising when the ...

Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: Three new studies presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) have provided valuable guidance on measuring fatigue and optimising its treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients, and in patients with other rheumatic diseases. Fatigue remains a frequent and debilitating problem for patients with RA that needs to be addressed. Findings from these studies show: Chronic fatigue in RA patients has been identified as not being well managed by healthcare professionals, with 79% claiming their fatigue had ...

Rome, Italy, 12 June 2015: The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) Press Conference revealed that DNA methylation - a mechanism that regulates gene expression - could influence the progression of structural damage to the joints and spine in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Study findings showed significant associations between a low methylation score and more radiographic progression (X-ray) of the disease, and implicated smoking in worsening of disease outcome. DNA methylation is one of several epigenetic ...

Older patients with asthma are at increased risk for treatment failure, particularly those patients being treated with inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study. "Asthma morbidity and mortality are known to be increased in middle-aged and older patients, and gender may also affect the incidence and course of the disease, but the impact of age and gender on asthma treatment response is not well understood," said study author Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc, professor of medicine and director of the Asthma Program at National Jewish Health in Denver. "In our study ...

The new threshold for diabetes in pregnancy recently introduced by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) misses a significant number of women at risk of serious complications, a report published today in the Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows. A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust have discovered that the proposed new NICE thresholds are less effective than international thresholds set by World Health Organization (WHO) at ...

Among children with chronic kidney disease, those with lower vitamin D levels had higher levels of blood markers related to kidney dysfunction as well as greater kidney function loss over time. Five-year kidney survival was 75% in patients with vitamin D levels 50 nMol/L at the start of the study and 50% in those with lower levels. There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children with chronic kidney disease. Washington, DC (June 11, 2015) -- Maintaining normal vitamin D levels helps preserve kidney function in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), ...

WASHINGTON -- Messages with images depicting the harsh realities of melanoma are more powerful than the text-only warning required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in persuading women to reconsider indoor tanning. This is according to a new study by Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, is the first to examine use of persuasive messaging and graphic imagery for indoor tanning device warnings -- the source of thousands of skin cancer cases, including melanoma, each year. "In ...

DALLAS, June 11 -- Intense education can help stroke survivors quickly recognize symptoms of a subsequent stroke and seek prompt treatment, according to a study in Stroke, journal of the American Heart Association. Few stroke patients arrive at an emergency department within three hours of symptom onset. The U.S. FDA has approved the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, to be given within three hours of symptom onset, while the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association suggest it can be given up to 4.5 hours in some patients. A study ...

A 1995 Connecticut law requiring a permit or license - contingent on passing a background check - in order to purchase a handgun was associated with a 40 percent reduction in the state's firearm-related homicide rate, new research suggests. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, compared Connecticut's homicide rates during the 10 years following the law's implementation to the rates that would have been expected had the law not been implemented. The large drop in homicides was ...

Boston, MA - More than half of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are not getting enough hydration--probably because they're not drinking enough water--a situation that could have significant repercussions for their physical health and their cognitive and emotional functioning, according to the first national study of its kind from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also found racial/ethnic and gender gaps in hydration status. Black children and adolescents were at higher risk of inadequate hydration than whites; boys were at higher risk than girls. The ...

Though many people believe they can recognize when someone is lying, detecting deception is difficult. Accuracy rates in experiments have proven to be only slightly greater than chance, even among trained professionals. But a new study published recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds that groups are consistently more accurate in distinguishing truths from lies than one individual is. In 'Group discussion improves lie detection,' by University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Nicholas Epley and Chicago Booth doctoral student ...

Not all of America's most admired companies are killing it on social media. In fact, some are almost flat lining, according to a team of researchers. Several firms on Fortune Magazine's list of America's most admired companies are failing to achieve basic social media standards, let alone best practices, according to Marcia DiStaso, associate professor of public relations, Penn State. "We were surprised that not all the companies had a Twitter account, for instance, and not every company had a Facebook page, or a YouTube page," said DiStaso. "There are top companies ...

Beverly, MA, June 11, 2015 - Cardiac surgeons often "crack open" the flat bone that forms the middle front section of the chest, known as the sternum, in order to reach important structures. When a sternal wound infection (SWI) occurs, serious complications and even death may result. Implanting antibiotic-laden sponges between the sternal halves before closure has been adapted to prevent infections. While a recent report questioned this practice, a meta-analysis in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the official publication of the American Association for ...

Nursing home residents with dementia are less likely to be apathetic if they live in an appropriately stimulating environment, according to nursing researchers. Nearly half of all residents in nursing homes have dementia, according to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control. Apathy is one of the most common neurobehavioral symptoms in dementia, with about 90 percent of older adults with dementia experiencing it. Those with mild dementia will decline more quickly into severe dementia if they also suffer from apathy, making it important to help them stay engaged. ...

Lehigh University engineers, materials scientists and chemists will present their innovative breakthroughs to a national showcase of investors and industrial partners at the TechConnect 2015 World Innovation Conference and National Innovation Showcase in Washington on June 14-17. Working at the junction of engineering and health, the Lehigh innovations include a nanoscale device that captures tumor cells in the blood, a bioengineered enzyme that scrubs microbial biofilms and the creation of a safe and efficient chemical reagent that is stable at room temperature. These ...

DARIEN, Ill. -- A new study suggests that bright light at the end of a night shift may have potential as a countermeasure to improve driving performance, particularly for low light work environments and commutes that occur before dawn. Results show that temperature, subjective alertness and psychomotor vigilance performance decreased significantly across the night. Bright light significantly suppressed melatonin, but did not improve subjective alertness or psychomotor vigilance performance. Sleep deprivation markedly increased incidents, accidents, and the average lane ...

LEXINGTON, Ky., June 12 -- In a new University of Kentucky study published today in Cell Reports, a leading scientific journal in cell biology, researchers describe a new molecular mechanism that contributes to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) due to accumulation of excessive iron within the cells of the retina. Cells of the body use iron in dozens of normal metabolic processes. However, excessive iron or 'iron overload' can be very damaging to cells and tissues, and is implicated in numerous diseases, including AMD. 'The reason that cells die due to iron ...

About 90% of adults worldwide are infected with Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV. The virus infects B cells (the white blood cells that make antibodies) and can contribute to B-cell-derived cancers, but in most people it remains dormant--a state scientists refer to as "latent infection"--for the rest of their lives. A study published on June 11th in PLOS Pathogens sheds new light on why the infected person's immune system cannot eliminate EBV, or the associated cancer risk. Interested in the immune response against EBV, Andreas Moosmann, from the Helmholtz-Zentrum in Munich, ...

It's difficult enough to see things in the dark, but what if you also had to hover in mid-air while tracking a flower moving in the wind? That's the challenge the hummingbird-sized hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) must overcome while feeding on the nectar of its favorite flowers. Using high-speed infrared cameras and 3-D-printed robotic flowers, scientists have now learned how this insect juggles these complex sensing and control challenges - all while adjusting to changing light conditions. The work shows that the creatures can slow their brains to improve vision under low-light ...

ANN ARBOR--Variations in the amount of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere significantly altered global climate throughout the planet's history. Efforts to reconstruct past climates must include this previously overlooked factor, a new University of Michigan-led study concludes. Oxygen currently comprises about 21 percent of Earth's atmosphere by volume but has varied between 10 percent and 35 percent over the past 541 million years. In periods when oxygen levels declined, the resulting drop in atmospheric density led to increased surface evaporation, which in turn led to ...

This news release is available in Japanese. Water injected into an inactive fault can cause aseismic slip along the fault -- movement without detectable earthquakes -- that may then indirectly lead to micro-earthquakes. That's the result from a controlled experiment by Yves Guglielmi and colleagues, who observed these events in real time after injecting fluid into a natural fault near an underground experimental facility in southeastern France. Researchers are intensely interested in this type of induced seismicity, especially with a rise in earthquakes caused by ...

This news release is available in Japanese. New experiments in the Japanese rice fish show that the fox13 gene appears to be the switch that determines whether a germ cell becomes an egg or sperm cell. The finding could help researchers learn more about how the sexual fate of germ cells is determined during vertebrate development. Toshiya Nishimura and colleagues demonstrated that fox13, which is expressed in germ cells but not in the surrounding cells of the fish's reproductive organs, provides a molecular cue that prevents the start of sperm formation. When the researchers ...