Volume 10 Issue 3, March 2014

Unmet needs in fracture healing have led investigators to question existing paradigms in the hopes of uncovering overlooked solutions. Such is the case in a recent study showing that introduction of a cartilage construct into a mouse tibial defect induces remarkable healing owing to the transformation of donor chondrocytes into new bone.

Whole-body MRI (wbMRI) is a fascinating new imaging modality for rheumatoid arthritis. Using wbMRI, most relevant joints can be assessed for synovitis, bone-marrow oedema and erosions, as well as axial and enthesial pathology. Much work is necessary to improve and evaluate this technique, but clinical expert evaluation is warranted to interpret wbMRI findings.

If the use of the right treatment at the right time might 'cure' juvenile idiopathic arthritis, how do we determine the optimum timing of biologic therapy? The use of standardized consensus treatment plans in comparative effectiveness trials and of early testing for responsiveness to biologic treatment could lead the way.

Autoinflammatory diseases are associated with abnormal activation of the innate immune system and resultant inflammation. Here, the authors provide a clinical and practical guide to autoinflammatory diseases, describing classification, insights into pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of these conditions.

Awareness of IgG4-related disease, which shares many clinical, and potentially pathogenetic, similarities with certain rheumatic disorders, is increasing worldwide. This Review provides an overview of this disease entity, with particular focus on pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment, for the benefit of rheumatologists, who are increasingly likely to be involved in the diagnosis and management of patients with IgG4-related disorders.

In this Review, the authors provide an overview of the role of T cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with insights from mouse and human studies. They examine the similarities and differences between RA and mouse arthritis models with respect to T-cell subsets and functions, and also discuss the implications for potential therapies for RA.

Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis now have a better prognosis than those individuals who were diagnosed in previous decades, treatment decisions are still not individualized. In this Review, Annette van der Helm-van Mil describes state of the art approaches to predict disease risk, disease progression, and patient response to therapy.

Autoantibodies associated with systemic lupus erythematosus are also frequently observed in apparently healthy individuals. In this Opinion article, the authors consider the implications of this benign autoimmunity with regard to the normal immune response and the development of disease.

The transfer of young patients with rheumatic disease from paediatric to adult health-care provision, usually during adolescence, can have adverse effects on disease in individuals who might already be vulnerable. Herein, the authors discuss transitional health-care procedures that support and encourage young patients to take responsibility for their own health-care requirements, which might improve patient coping and disease outcomes in the long term.