Rheumatoid arthritis

A new study from scientists in Japan and the US has identified a form of inter-neuron communication as a key mechanism in the way inflammation spreads between joints in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

A new discovery around inflammation and excessive cell death in the body illuminates the key role a certain enzyme plays in the process, and how targeting a "sugar tag" could lead to treatments for a wide range of conditions.

By tapping into the unique immune system of alpacas and special nanobodies they produce, scientists have developed a promising technique for tempering chronic inflammation associated with conditions such as arthritis.

Impressive research is suggesting bacterial imbalances in the gut microbiome may play a major role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. The preclinical study found damage to the gut lining directly correlates with joint inflammation and severity.

Researchers at Washington University have tested an experimental new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in mice. The team implanted stem cells that have been reprogrammed to secrete anti-inflammatory drugs only when they sense inflammation.

Although the drinking of hydrogen-gas-infused water can help treat rheumatoid arthritis, the effects are limited. Scientists have developed what could be a better alternative, though, in the form of tiny injectable gas-emitting "micromotors."

Although anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to tackle conditions like osteoarthritis, there are downsides to our current methods of delivery. New research at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis could address these shortcomings.

The growing problem of antibiotic resistance isn’t slowing down, which could soon render our best drugs useless against infection. Now, an existing rheumatoid arthritis drug could be repurposed to cancel bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

Researchers looking for biomarkers to predict rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups have discovered a never-before-seen type of cell. Dubbed PRIME cells, they accumulate in the bloodstream seven days before a flare, but strangely disappear during the flare.

Two new imaging breakthroughs demonstrate a PET/MRI approach to locate specific locations of chronic pain in a patient, and a full-body scanner that can visualize the complete systemic burden of inflammatory arthritis for the very first time.

In a new study led by the University of Verona, researchers have used plant viruses to make new nanoparticles that show promise in mice for treating autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

While there are drugs that help reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in joints, those medications can have unpleasant side effects in other parts of the body. An experimental new light-based system, however, is being designed to change that.