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In this Viewpoint, Professors Pelletier and Martel-Pelletier discuss some of the various imaging techniques that are used in clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs. They promote the use of MRI in this setting, as this technique can provide reliable and sensitive information regarding the effects of drugs on cartilage loss.
The impact of biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis on quality of life has clear relevance to studies of the cost-effectiveness of these agents. As discussed in this Viewpoint, however, several deficiencies in current economic evaluations need to be overcome in order to enhance the utility of such research.
Although rituximab specifically binds to CD20 on B cells, it also has efficacy in the treatment of autoimmune diseases that are predominantly mediated by T helper cells. In this Viewpoint, Dr Datta proposes a novel hypothesis to explain this: the association of the pathogenic autoreactive T cells with anti-CD20 opsonized B cells might in fact make rituximab specific for autoreactive T cells.
In this Review, the authors highlight recently identified genetic associations that confer susceptibility to both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and describe how these associations provide insight into the pathogenesis of these diseases.
NSAIDs are commonly used to treat pain following injury or orthopedic surgery, but these agents are associated with impaired fracture healing. In this Review, the authors discuss the role of neurotrophic factors in mediating post-injury or post-operative inflammatory pain, and the potential of nerve growth factor inhibitors as an alternative pain management modality in this setting.
Vitamin D is known to have many complex roles in human health-notably in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. In this Review Prof. Shoenfeld and colleagues explore the relationship between skin pigmentation and therefore vitamin D synthesis, with the incidence of autoimmune disease.
Neurocognitive impairment is a frequent manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus in pediatric patients; however, the evidence base for the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of this phenomenon is limited. The authors of this Review article discuss the available data and highlight avenues for future research in this clinically important field.
