Research into musculoskeletal biology is increasingly being translated into clinically useful applications. A number of promising approaches to the repair of cartilage, bone, tendons, skeletal muscle, intervertebral disc, meniscus and ligaments are under investigation or already available for use in the clinic. The articles in this Focus issue on musculoskeletal biology and bioengineering highlight progress and promise in the field.

Imaging in rheumatology has evolved dramatically, from simple radiography (the mainstay of structural assessment) through to the latest advances in musculoskeletal MRI and ultrasonography. This Collection of articles covers key aspects and developments in imaging in rheumatology for both rheumatologists and radiologists as a resource for those interested in improving the noninvasive diagnosis and assessment of rheumatic diseases.

Since the launch of the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) over 50 years ago, the speciality of rheumatology has developed and grown rapidly in this region, in terms of clinical practice and also clinical and basic research. The articles in this Series, commissioned with advice from Professor Zhan-Guo Li, President of APLAR, from Beijing University Medical School People's Hospital, China, outline recent successes, current challenges and barriers to progress, and future developments in rheumatology in selected countries in this region.

The five specially commissioned Reviews and one Perspectives article in this Focus issue on vasculitis outline the latest research in this field, covering vasculature development, the pathogenesis of vasculitis highlighting the role of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) and eosinophils, current and emerging techniques for ANCA detection, clinical approaches to treat patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, and issues relating to the design of clinical trials in this heterogeneous group of uncommon disorders. The Reviews in this Focus on vasculitis have been made freely available online for 6 months thanks to support from Genentech, a member of the Roche group.

Gout is caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals in tissues, which results in a painful and difficult-to-treat chronic gouty arthritis. This Collection of articles covers recent developments within the field of gout research with a focus on the prevention and management of this common inflammatory crystal arthritis.

A web focus from Cell Death & Differentiation, Cell Death & Disease, Nature Reviews Cancer, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. We hope you enjoy this focus including work from the world's most recognized experts in the field of autophagy.

This Collection of articles covers recent developments in the field of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) research, with the aim of informing readers with regard to JIA pathogenesis, assessment and management.

Late twentieth century progress in DMARD therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been complemented in this millennium by the advent of targeted biologic therapy and novel small-molecule drugs. Amid this seeming progress, however, results for individual patients are often disappointing. These five specially commissioned Reviews and one News & Views article, written by key opinion leaders in research and clinical practice, summarize emerging insights into the underlying basis of RA, how best to use existing therapies, new treatment targets and progress in targeting them, and how to gain maximum benefit from the opportunities afforded by clinical trials of new agents.

This bone research Focus issue contains five specially commissioned articles that outline the latest developments in the field of bone research in the context of rheumatic diseases. Topics covered include advances in our understanding of how bone homeostasis becomes unbalanced in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis, the mechanisms of action of glucocorticoids in RA, and the interplay between the immune system and the musculoskeletal system, as well as insights into the endocrinology of bone. Together, these advances will lead to the development of new and improved therapeutic approaches for protecting and rebuilding bone.

The six specially commissioned Reviews and two News & Views articles in this Focus issue on spondyloarthritis (SpA) outline the latest research developments in both adult and juvenile SpA, and how these translate into clinical practice. New approaches and referral strategies for early diagnosis are discussed, alongside accurate disease classification, therapeutic developments, insights into extra-articular manifestations of SpA, and advances in our understanding of the genetics and pathophysiology of SpA.

The July 2011 issue of Nature Reviews Rheumatologyfeatures four Reviews from key researchers who gave talks at the inaugural Excellence in Rheumatology Annual Conference held in Istanbul in February 2011. The topics covered were independently selected from the conference program by theNature Reviews Rheumatologyeditorial team. These Reviews—and the selected articles from across the Nature Publishing Group that appear here as part of this Nature Clinical Collection—discuss developments in two fast-moving fields of rheumatology, those of inflammatory arthritis and comorbidities. The Reviews in this Nature Clinical Collection have been made freely available for 3 months thanks to support from the Excellence in Rheumatology Conference.

This Collection of articles from Nature Reviews EndocrinologyandNature Reviews Rheumatologycovers the interesting developments within the field of osteoporosis research and includes articles on the clinical assessment of patients with osteoporosis, approaches for the prevention and management of this disease, as well as the impact of osteoporosis on health and economics worldwide.