Gold compounds may help relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis by inhibition of the proinflammatory mediator, high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1), according to Swedish and US researchers. Reuters Health Information
Studies in mice suggest that social isolation leads to a decrease in the production of allopregnanolone (ALLO), an endogenous stress-relieving hormone, which may account for the anxiety, aggression, and cognitive dysfunction seen in socially isolated animals -- and humans -- researchers report. Reuters Health Information
U.S. researchers have cloned monkey embryos and used them to get embryonic stem cells, an important step towards being able to do the same thing in humans, they reported on Wednesday. Reuters Health Information
Autoantibodies binding to citrullinated telopeptides type I and II collagens and to cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCPs) predict the development of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Finnish researchers report in the November issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Reuters Health Information
Biomarkers are useful predictors of radiographic progression of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a report in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Reuters Health Information
The hepatotoxicity of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine treatment, seen in a minority of patients with irritable bowel disease (IBD), is most effectively monitored by means of liver tests rather than serum levels of the 6-MP metabolite, California-based researchers report in the November issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Reuters Health Information
Two groups of researchers have induced human somatic cells to become pluripotent stem cells, according to separate reports in the November 20th issue of Cell and the November 22nd issue of Science. Reuters Health Information
Two thirds of elderly patients undergoing CT colonography (CTC) for lower gastrointestinal symptoms will have one or more extracolonic abnormalities detected, which, in many cases, are clinically significant, new research shows. Reuters Health Information
Free and total cortisol levels are simple and valid predictors of illness severity and outcome in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), Swiss and UK researchers report in the November 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Reuters Health Information
