http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a potential new target for drugs to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a protein known as IRHOM2. The finding could provide an effective and potentially less toxic alternative therapy to tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers (TNF-blockers), the mainstay of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and could help patients who do not respond to this treatment. Efforts to develop drugs that hone in on this new target are underway. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:00:04 EST news278334739 (Medical Xpress)—Investigators from 15 children's medical centers, including Nationwide Children's Hospital, observed and evaluated critically ill children with influenza to evaluate the relationships between levels of systemic inflammation, immune function and likelihood to die from the illness. The study appears in the January issue of Critical Care Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-immune-function-critically-ill-children.html Immunology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:04:56 EST news277625082 (HealthDay)—Treatment of rabbits with a partial spinal cord injury (SCI) with the intramuscularly-administered tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor etanercept is associated with improved clinical and electrophysiological recovery processes, according to research published in the December issue of the European Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-etanercept-beneficial-partial-spinal-cord.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:30:01 EST news277121319 There are plenty of effective anticancer agents around. The problem is that, very often, they cannot gain access to all the cells in solid tumors. A new gene delivery vehicle may provide a way of making tracks to the heart of the target. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cancer-therapy-nanokey-tumors.html Cancer Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:04:22 EST news272113452 Ustekinumab, an antibody proven to treat the skin condition psoriasis, has now shown positive results in decreasing the debilitating effects of Crohn's Disease, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine. The study will appear in the October 18, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-potential-drug-therapy-crohn-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:00:07 EST news269705442 (HealthDay)—Lexatumumab, an agonistic, full human monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2, is well tolerated and may lessen certain clinical symptoms in some pediatric patients with solid tumors, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-lexatumumab-tolerated-pediatric-solid-tumors.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:20:01 EST news269620698 (HealthDay)—Humira (adalimumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in adults, the agency said Friday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-humira-widened-ulcerative-colitis.html Medications Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:54:15 EST news268336447 Two years ago, Randy Nelson, Ph.D., chair of neuroscience at Ohio State University, doctoral student Tracy Bedrosian, and colleagues reported that dim-light exposure at night was capable of triggering depressive-like behaviors in animals. The dim-light exposure, they explained, was comparable to having a television on in a darkened room. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-chronic-exposure-dim-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:26:15 EST news267693922 (Medical Xpress)—Work by Michigan Technological University biologist Xiaoqing Tang is yielding new insights into how a tiny snippet of genetic material can promote healthy insulin production in mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-microrna-derails-protein-blocks-insulin.html Medical research Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:40:01 EST news267343343 Although there are concerns regarding the potential development of malignancies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are receiving treatment with biologic response modifiers (BRMs), pooled results from more than 60 randomized controlled trials did not find a statistically significant increased risk of any type of cancer with use of BRMs for at least 6 months compared with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or with placebo, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in the September 5 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-biologic-therapy-rheumatoid-arthritis-significantly.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:00:14 EST news265963819 Researchers at Emory University have found that a medication that inhibits inflammation may offer new hope for people with difficult-to-treat depression. The study was published Sept. 3 in the online version of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-inflammation-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:00:06 EST news265888737 Use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for treatment of psoriasis is associated with a significantly reduced risk for heart attack (myocardial infarction) compared to other forms of treatment, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-heart-psoriasis-treatments.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:00:07 EST news264692845 Adalimumab (an anti-tumor necrosis factor [TNF] antibody) is effective in maintaining remission in certain pediatric patients with Crohn's disease, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-adalimumab-therapy-children-crohn-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:40:14 EST news263475592 Chronic exposure to dim light at night can lead to depressive symptoms in rodents -- but these negative effects can be reversed simply by returning to a standard light-dark cycle, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-effects-night-reversed.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:00:02 EST news262281950 (HealthDay) -- For patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNFα) therapies, obesity is related to poor remission rates, according to a study published online June 21 in Arthritis Care & Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-obesity-factor-poor-remission-ra.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:10:01 EST news260801224 (HealthDay) -- All patients with psoriasis should be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core antibody prior to the initiation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor therapy, according to research published online June 25 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hep-screening-urged-tnf-alpha-inhibitor.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:51:13 EST news260369467 (HealthDay) -- Patients with diabetes whose foot ulcers fail to heal have increased inflammation and aberrant growth factor levels, according to a study published online June 11 in Diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-factors-idd-failure-diabetic-foot.html Diabetes Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:54:33 EST news258983664 A small, external bioreactor holding human cells pumped out an anti-inflammatory protein to prevent organ damage and other complications in a rat with acute inflammation caused by bacterial products in a model of sepsis, according to a report from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The findings were published today in the inaugural issue of Disruptive Science and Technology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-bio-hybrid-device-thermostat-inflammation-sepsis.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 14 May 2012 10:02:40 EST news256208528 (HealthDay) -- Interleukin-32 (IL-32) mRNA expression is significantly higher in biopsies obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), compared to levels found in biopsies obtained from individuals without the condition, according to a study published online April 9 in Allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-il-upregulated-chronic-rhinosinusitis.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:50:01 EST news253852975 Despite the great promise that injecting a new type of anti-inflammatory pain medicine into the spine could relieve the severe leg and lower back pain of sciatica, a Johns Hopkins-led study has found that the current standard of care with steroid injections still does better. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-etanercept-genetically-compound-pain.html Medical research Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:00:04 EST news253810062 (HealthDay) -- A series of Nd:YAG laser treatments effectively and rapidly reduces both inflammatory and noninflammatory acne vulgaris lesions, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-dual-mode-laser-therapy-effectively.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:58:55 EST news252082725 Glioblastoma, a lethal brain cancer, is one of the most resistant to available therapies and patients typically live approximately 15 months. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-pathway-glioblastoma-resistance.html Cancer Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:37:28 EST news246627439 Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified two novel markers that, when elevated in the blood stream, can predict accurately the risk of renal (kidney) failure in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The findings have immediate diagnostic implications and can be used for the development of new therapies to prevent or postpone the progression of renal disease in diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-markers-key-indicators-future-renal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:28:44 EST news246216514 An inflammation-promoting protein triggers deactivation of a tumor-suppressor that usually blocks cancer formation via the NOTCH signaling pathway, a team of researchers led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports today in Molecular Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-previously-unconnected-molecular-networks-conspire.html Cancer Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:14:25 EST news243785644 Sepsis, a form of systemic inflammation, is the leading cause of death in critically ill patients. Sepsis is linked with massive cell death; however, the specific mechanisms involved in the lethality of sepsis are unclear. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the December 23rd issue of the journal Immunity finds that inhibition of a specific cell death pathway called "necroptosis" protected mice from lethal inflammation. The research may lead to new therapeutic interventions for fatal inflammatory conditions that are notoriously hard to control. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-scientists-cell-death-pathway-involved.html Medical research Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:00:08 EST news243777561 A new study in Nature Medicine describes how different types of immune system T-cells alternately discourage and encourage stem cells to regrow bone and tissue, bringing into sharp focus the importance of the transplant recipient's immune system in stem cell regeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-recipient-immune-stem-cell-regeneration.html Medical research Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:00:22 EST news241013089 A compound isolated from a wild, poisonous mushroom growing in a Southwest China forest appears to help a cancer killing drug fulfill its promise, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-mushroom-compound-effectiveness-cancer-drugs.html Cancer Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:57:54 EST news237556666 The bacterium that causes tuberculosis has a unique molecule on its outer cell surface that blocks a key part of the body's defense. New research suggests this represents a novel mechanism in the microbe's evolving efforts to remain hidden from the human immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-tuberculosis-bacterium-outer-cell-wall.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:16:03 EST news236880900 Scientists have identified a surprising new role for a new type of T cell in the immune system: some of them can be activated by nerves to make a neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) that blocks inflammation. The discovery of these T cells is novel and suggests that it may be possible to treat inflammation and autoimmune diseases by targeting the nerves and the T cells. The study was published this week in Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cells-brain-chemicals-treatments-inflammation.html Medical research Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:00:30 EST news235389535 Although some preliminary reports have indicated an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events with the use of certain biologic therapies to treat chronic plaque psoriasis, an analysis of previous studies finds no significant difference in the rate of these events among patients who received these medications compared to patients who received placebo, according to an article in the August 24/31 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-biologic-therapies-psoriasis-cardiovascular-problems.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:50:36 EST news233336950