Therapy

Effect of etanercept in polymyalgia rheumatica: a randomized controlled trial Kreiner, F. & Galbo, H. Arthritis Res. Ther. 12, R176 (2010)

Etanercept has been shown to have only modest beneficial effects when used for the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica, according to the results of a small randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Patients who received etanercept (25 mg subcutaneously twice-weekly for 14 days) experienced a 24% reduction in disease activity score (P <0.05), but morning stiffness and patient-assessed pain did not decrease significantly.

Bone

Impaired fracture healing in macrophage migration inhibitory factor-deficient mice Kobayashi, T. et al. Osteoporos. Int. doi:10.1007/s00198-010-1385-0

A mouse study has shown that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has an important role in fracture healing. Histomorphometric analyses showed that bone healing was markedly delayed in MIF-knockout mice, which was mainly attributable to slower osteoid mineralization within the fracture callus tissue.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

The presence of rheumatoid nodules at early rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis is a sign of extra-articular disease and predicts radiographic progression of joint destruction over 5 years Nyhäll-Wåhlin, B.-M. et al. Scand. J. Rheumatol. doi:10.3109/03009742.2010.509103

A case–control study performed at a hospital in Sweden found that patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and the presence of rheumatoid nodules had more extensive radiographic damage at 5 years compared with those without nodules. Bivariate analysis indicated that nodules, positivity for rheumatoid factor and antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide, and elevated disease activity score were strong baseline predictors for 5-year radiographic progression.

Bone

The vitamin D analog 2MD increases bone turnover but not BMD in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: results of a 1-year, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial DeLuca, H. F. et al. J. Bone Miner. Res. doi:10.1002/jbmr.256

Daily intake of 2-methylene-19-nor-(20S)-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (2MD) has been shown to increase markers of bone formation in women with osteopenia. However, as bone mineral density did not increase significantly in these patients, it seems that 2MD might stimulate both bone formation and bone resorption, resulting in increased bone turnover.