Volume 12 Issue 9, September 2016

Obesity in rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by high disease activity and low rates of remission; paradoxically, it is also associated with reduced radiographic progression. So, is intentional weight loss beneficial or detrimental to articular outcomes?

Radiographic joint-space width is the standard structural outcome for trials in knee osteoarthritis (OA), but MRI provides comprehensive 3D insights into the multi-tissue pathology of OA and could provide a superior means of monitoring disease progression and response to treatment. A new study highlights bone as an imaging biomarker.

Interstitial lung disease is one of the most important causes of mortality in patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis. Understanding the risk factors for development and progression of interstitial lung disease is crucial to improving clinical outcomes.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes isolated from the knee and hip joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis have now been shown to have site-specific DNA methylation signatures. Although preliminary, the data point towards a new view of joint involvement in arthritis.

Emerging evidence suggests the nervous system, including the circadian timing system, influences susceptibility to osteoarthritis (OA) via direct and indirect effects. This Review describes the interactions between the brain and the joints in the context of OA, ageing, obesity and inflammation, and outlines therapeutic and research opportunities in this field.

Autophagy underlies the cellular pathology of several rheumatic diseases. Targeting the signalling pathways involved has shown promise in recent clinical trials. Rockel and Kapoor discuss the key regulators involved in autophagy and therapeutic strategies currently in use and under development.

Mental health-related comorbidities can negatively affect the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In this Review, the authors discuss how psychological manifestations interact with disease processes, new insights into neurological processing in chronic pain, and psychological interventions.

In this article, Cuda et al. discuss the role of programmed cell death mechanisms in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases, and provide an overview of the experimental data showing the function of the apoptotic machinery of phagocytes in the development of tissue inflammation.