Most VVD in clinical trials have been shown to exert anti-fibrotic effects – but findings are mixed around whether they also improve pulmonary function tests and prevent progression of SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A post-hoc analysis presented by Adela-Cristina Sarbu aimed to address this by assessing the impact of VVD on functional progression and all-cause mortality in people with SSc-ILD. Using data from the EUSTAR database, they looked at three different outcomes for 2,156 people receiving endothelin-receptor antagonists (ERA), phosphodiesterase-5 ...

Gout flares are associated with cardiovascular events. Treating gout to target serum urate level prevents flares, but whether such treatment can also prevent cardiovascular events is unknown. An abstract from Edoardo Cipolletta and colleagues explored whether achieving serum urate levels of less than 360 μmol/L within 1 year of the first prescription of urate-lowering therapy has an effect on the 5-year risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The authors used English and Swedish primary-care data linked to hospitalisation and mortality records for over 116,000 patients. Overall, 16,201 patients had a MACE ...

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton.1 axSpA is an umbrella term that comprises the whole spectrum of patients with and without radiographic sacroiliitis, and joint ASAS/EULAR recommendations were published in 2022.2 Radiographic sacroiliitis classifies patients as radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA) and those patients are at risk of spinal ankyloses. High disease activity has previously been linked to accelerated radiographic spinal progression in patients with early axSpA,3 but more information is needed.  Work presented at the 2025 annual ...

A systematic review aimed to assess the specific needs for adolescents and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data from 1,913 patients aged range 11–30 years found that the three most common general needs were around daily activities and involvement in treatment decisions – each cited by 66% - and social life, including family and sexual considerations, which affected 55%. Other key needs in increasing order of importance were mobility, future, education, disease management, and treatment. Of the studies that focused on mental health, the need for independence, emotional ...

At the 2025 congress of EULAR – The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – two abstracts were presented that showcase how patient organisations can help to support with education for people with an RMD.    The first looked at the idea of ‘introduction maps’. To do this, patient experts and healthcare professionals working with ReumaNet in Belgium researched the information needs of new RMD patients. The results suggested a need for high-quality information with one distribution ...

New studies shared at the 2025 annual EULAR congress in Barcelona reinforce that position, highlighting the benefits that nurse-led care can bring for both patients and healthcare systems.   Nurse-led care and self-monitoring can both support treat-to-target (T2T) approaches.2,3 Combining self-monitoring with nurse support during the initiation of urate-lowering therapy in people with gout could help reduce physician visits and costs while maintaining or improving quality of care. Work shared by Jeffrey van der Ven looked at estimating the cost-effectiveness ...

Recommendations stress that communication impacts treatment outcomes and shared decision-making between patients and physicians. Health literacy is an important aspect in this regard, and a person’s understanding of their condition can impact how they are able to use health information.2 There is growing evidence to suggest that internet-based information is an important tool for improving communication with healthcare professionals – and for many patients it plays a central role in their experience.3  New work presented at the 2025 annual EULAR ...

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the standard to diagnose and assess progression in interstitial lung disease (ILD), a key feature in systemic sclerosis (SSc). But AI-assisted interpretation has the potential to improve the quantification and characterisation of SSc-ILD, making it a powerful tool for monitoring. Francesca Motta offered new data from an observational study pitting AI-assisted analysis against two radiologists with expertise in thoracic imaging. Results showed that the AI outperformed visual scoring in assessing the progression of fibrosis in patients with SSc-ILD, and showed more significant correlation with values from pulmonary ...

To address this, a French multi-centre prospective pregnancy observational cohort was set up, to analyse disease activity, treatment, pregnancy outcomes, delivery, and neonatal health. The work – presented at the 2025 annual congress of EULAR – showcased findings from 97 women with an autoinflammatory disease. The most common diagnoses were FMF (81%), followed by undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory diseases (USAID), tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS), Still's disease, recurrent pericarditis, mevalonate kinase deficiency, A20 haploinsufficiency, and other ...

Several sessions at the 2025 annual congress of EULAR, which took place in Barcelona, focused on the value of physical activity for people with a variety of RMD – as well as the potential barriers to implementing these programs in the real world.   Previous trials have demonstrated that long-standing, personalised supervised exercise therapy is more effective than usual care after 1 year in people with severe functional limitations due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).3,4 David Ueckert and colleagues set out to evaluate ...

New work presented at the 2025 congress of EULAR – The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – in Barcelona described RMD health-related indicators from all EULAR member countries, collected as part of the RheumaFacts project – a study identifying potential inequities between countries.  Data were collected on a diverse range of topics, including access to reimbursed physiotherapy and psychological care, the possibility for patients to self-refer to rheumatologists in the public sector, the number of rheumatology departments and rheumatologists, and treatment availability. So far, 31 countries have submitted data.   The ...

Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, director of the Cellular Immunotherapy Program and the Paula J. O'Keeffe Endowed Chair of the Mass General Cancer Center, is senior author and Stefanie Bailey, PhD, Hana Takei, and Giulia Escobar, PhD of the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital are co-lead authors of a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, “IFN-g-resistant CD28 CAR-T cells demonstrate increased survival, efficacy, and durability in multiple murine ...

Immediate-early genes (IEGs), including c-Fos, are integral to the brain's response to stimuli. Initially identified as a proto-oncogene, c-Fos is essential for neural activity, synaptic plasticity, and stress responses. While its transient expression supports memory formation in healthy brains, chronic overexpression in AD exacerbates neurotoxicity and cognitive decline. This review synthesizes findings from postmortem studies, animal models, and cell cultures to elucidate the dual roles of c-Fos and its mechanisms in AD pathogenesis. Expression of c-Fos in Brain Regions and Cell Types c-Fos is expressed in specific brain regions such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex, ...

About The Study: The observed sensitivity and specificity measures for computed tomography perfusion and computed tomography angiography as an ancillary test for death by neurologic criteria did not meet the prespecified validation threshold of greater than 98%. Clinical examination remains the cornerstone of death by neurologic criteria, and ancillary imaging should be interpreted cautiously within a comprehensive clinical assessment. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Michael Chasse, MD, PhD, email michael.chasse@umontreal.ca. To access ...

With flood risks increasing from extreme weather events like hurricanes and even routine plumbing issues, a team from the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning is helping Florida homeowners make smarter choices about building materials and interior finishes that better protect their homes and potentially save on their insurance premiums. Lisa Platt, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of interior design and a researcher within the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, or FIBER, and Arezoo Zeinali, a graduate research assistant in Platt’s Design Dynamics ...

Blood vessels are essential to nearly all tissues, delivering nutrients and oxygen, regulating hemostasis, and modulating inflammation. Recreating functional vascular networks is foundational to both basic and translational vascular biology, however current methods to make blood vessels from stem cells are often slow, inefficient, or lack the complexity needed for therapy. In this study, researchers developed a fast and defined method to build vascular organoids—3D microvascular networks—from human stem cells. By ...

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest that medical cannabis laws and recreational cannabis laws enactment was associated with greater opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence in Veterans Health Administration patients over time, with the greatest increases among middle-aged and older patients and those with chronic pain. The findings did not support state cannabis legalization as a means of reducing the burden of OUD during the ongoing opioid epidemic. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Deborah S. Hasin, PhD, email dsh2@cumc.columbia.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, daily walking volume and walking intensity were inversely associated with the risk of chronic low back pain. The findings suggest that walking volume may have a more pronounced benefit than walking intensity.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rayane Haddadj, MS, email rayane.haddadj@ntnu.no. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.15592) Editor’s Note: Please see ...

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new cooling technology that could significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers and high-powered electronics. The technology features a specially engineered fiber membrane that passively removes heat through evaporation. It offers a promising alternative to traditional cooling systems like fans, heat sinks and liquid pumps. It could also reduce the water use associated with many current cooling systems. The advance is detailed in a paper published on June 13 in the journal Joule. As artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing continue to expand, the demand for data processing—and ...

Photos   A rare and bewildering intermediate between crystal and glass can be the most stable arrangement for some combinations of atoms, according to a study from the University of Michigan.   The findings come from the first quantum-mechanical simulations of quasicrystals—a type of solid that scientists once thought couldn't exist. While the atoms in quasicrystals are arranged in a lattice, as in a crystal, the pattern of atoms doesn't repeat like it does in conventional crystals. The new simulation method suggests quasicrystals—like crystals—are fundamentally ...

About 525,000 more deaths occurred among US adults in 2023 than would be expected had pre-2010 mortality trends continued. More than 90 percent of these deaths occurred among individuals without a Bachelor's degree and were largely caused by cardiovascular diseases, underscoring how educational attainment can influence individuals’ health opportunities and outcomes. Cardiometabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes have emerged as some of the key drivers of worsening mortality rates in the United States over the last ...

Background: The identification of non-tuberculosis (TB) mycobacterial (NTM) infection remains a significant challenge. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of multicolour nested real-time fluorescence quantitative nucleic acid amplification detection technology [Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/rifampicin (RIF)] in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) acid-fast smear-positive cases. Methods: Between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2022, 365 patients who underwent fibreoptic bronchoscopy and had positive acid-fast ...

BGI Genomics has successfully wrapped up its inaugural Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) Interpretation of Genetic Diseases Training Workshop for Southeast Asia, marking a significant milestone in international genomics education. Held at the BGI Center in late May, the workshop brought together emerging healthcare professionals and researchers from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam for a week of intensive, hands-on learning. Comprehensive Learning Curriculum The program aimed to improve genetic disease diagnosis in Southeast Asia. It offered both theoretical lessons and hands-on ...

“The incidental discovery of a pure SCT in an atrophic ovary during pelvic surgery in a postmenopausal woman is exceedingly rare.” BUFFALO, NY — June 13, 2025 — A new case report was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on May 22, 2025, titled “A rare case: Pure Sertoli cell tumor uncovered in atrophic ovary during postmenopausal vault prolapse evaluation.” In this case report, corresponding author Naina Kumar from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and team describe a ...

In the fast-paced realm of semiconductor technology, optimizing chip design to meet the dual challenges of performance enhancement and cost reduction has emerged as a pivotal focus. A new study published in Engineering introduces a groundbreaking approach to address this challenge, presenting an exact algorithm for placement optimization in mixed-cell-height (MCH) circuits. Led by researchers Binqi Zhang, Lu Zhen, and Gilbert Laporte, the work tackles the intricate task of arranging diverse circuit cells within constrained chip regions while adhering to critical design rules, including ...