Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Bones / Orthopedics;  MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 17 May 2013 – 1:00 PDT

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MRI Useful For Predicting Failure Of Metal-On-Metal Hip Implants Before Symptoms Appear

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Metal-on-metal hip implants can cause inflammation of the joint lining (synovitis) long before symptoms appear, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to identify this inflammation, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The study, which appears in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, demonstrates that MRI can be used to identify implants that are going to fail before people become symptomatic.

“The study shows that synovitis exists in asymptomatic people in a fairly high prevalence,” said Hollis Potter, M.D., chief of the Division of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery, in New York City. “If that is the case, symptoms alone are insufficient to determine the health of an implant. You can’t wait for people to be sore before we evaluate them for this potential problem.” The researchers say that MRIs can help identify patients who need revision surgery before tissue sustains further damage that makes a revision more difficult.

Main Category: Bones / Orthopedics
Also Included In: Allergy;  Arthritis / Rheumatology
Article Date: 17 May 2013 – 0:00 PDT

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Allergies To New Hips And Knees Surface Only After Surgery Is Done… Until Now

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Imagine what Paula Spurlock must have been going through. Shortly after having a hip replaced in 2011, the trouble started. “I had horrible itching, really bad migraines and intense pain throughout my body,” she said. “I couldn’t take it. Every single thing in me itched.”

After many months and several trips to specialists, Spurlock was told it could be anything from food allergies to her medication. But no matter what she changed, the symptoms persisted and Spurlock resigned herself to a life of misery. “I just kind of thought that’s what life was going to be like,” she said.

Then, she got a phone call. “I had a PET scan for a lung problem and they said, ‘Paula, what’s going on with your right hip?’ I told them I had it replaced and they said, ‘Well, it lights up on your PET scan.’”

More than a year after it was implanted, tests showed Paula was highly allergic to the metal in her new hip and to the surgical cement often used to hold joints in place. “That’s the one thing that never occurred to any of us,” she said. “No wonder I was miserable.”

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children’s Health;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 14 May 2013 – 2:00 PDT

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Ilaris® Approved By FDA To Treat Active Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, A Serious Form Of Childhood Arthritis

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Ilaris® (canakinumab) is the first interleukin-1 beta inhibitor for the treatment of SJIA and the only treatment approved specifically for SJIA that is given as a monthly subcutaneous injection1. In Phase III studies, 84% of Ilaris-treated SJIA patients achieved significant improvement of systemic and arthritic symptoms (pediatric ACR30) after a single subcutaneous dose1

Novartis has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ilaris® (canakinumab) for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) in patients aged 2 years and older. Ilaris is the first interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) inhibitor approved for SJIA and the only treatment approved specifically for SJIA that is given as a once-monthly subcutaneous injection1. SJIA is a rare and disabling form of childhood arthritis characterized by spiking fever, rash and arthritis that can affect children as young as 2 years old and can continue into adulthood2,3

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Genetics
Article Date: 13 May 2013 – 0:00 PDT

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Fat Triggers Rheumatoid Arthritis: Discovery Paves Way For New Gene Therapies, Treatments

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Scientists have discovered that fat cells in the knee secrete a protein linked to arthritis, a finding that paves the way for new gene therapies that could offer relief and mobility to millions worldwide.

ar “We found that fat in the knee joints secretes a protein called pro-factor D which gives rise to another protein known as factor D that is linked to arthritis,” said Nirmal Banda, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “Without factor D, mice cannot get rheumatoid arthritis.”

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that gradually destroy bones, muscles, joints, cartilage and other connective tissue. Over 1% or about 1.3 million Americans suffer from it.

Banda, senior author of the study published this week in the Journal of Immunology, has spent the last 14 years tracking down the causes of rheumatoid arthritis in collaboration with CU School of Medicine professors Michael Holers, MD, and William Arend, MD.

Now, with the discovery of pro-factor D in mice with rheumatoid arthritis, he is working on gene therapies to eliminate the protein in localized areas. However, these findings still need to be extended to humans.

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 10 May 2013 – 0:00 PDT

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Natural Fibres Biologically Effective For Use In Stem Cell Cartilage Repair

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Over 20 million people in Europe suffer from osteoarthritis which can lead to extensive damage to the knee and hip cartilage. Stem cells offer a promising way forward but a key challenge has been to design a ‘smart material’ that is biologically effective for cartilage tissue regeneration. Now researchers have identified a blend of naturally occurring fibres such as cellulose and silk that makes progress towards affordable and effective cell-based therapy for cartilage repair a step closer.

The EPSRC-funded study, published in Biomacromolecules and undertaken by University of Bristol researchers, explored the feasibility of using natural fibres such as silk and cellulose as stem cell scaffolds – the matrix to which stem cells can cling to as they grow.

Both cellulose and silk are commonly used in textiles but the researchers demonstrated an unexpected use for the two natural polymers when mixed with stem cells. The team treated blends of silk and cellulose for use as a tiny scaffold that allows adult connective tissue stem cells to form into preliminary form of chondrocytes – the cells that make healthy tissue cartilage – and secrete extracellular matrix similar to natural cartilage.