Volume 11 Issue 9, September 2015

Comparative effectiveness research could help inform the choice of agent for urate-lowering therapy, the central component of successful gout management. However, if such studies reflect current clinical practice, are they comparing poor management with inadequate management?

A new study suggests that rheumatoid arthritis does not increase cancer-related mortality in patients with cancer, particularly in those with advanced stage malignancies. Could the inclusion of quantitative measures of inflammation, physical function or socioeconomic status have changed these findings?

The treatment recommendations for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been updated. Among the changes included, rheumatologists are advised to share treatment decision-making with patients and to maximize patients' quality of life by aiming for clinical remission. The update is based on scientific evidence, but more research is needed to strengthen RA treatment strategies.

Fibromyalgia symptoms include nonrestorative sleep and fatigue, and patients with fibromyalgia have showed reduced short-wave sleep and abnormal α-rhythms, which are suggestive of poor-quality sleep. Conversely, sleep deprivation in healthy individuals can cause symptoms of fibromyalgia and is a risk factor for developing chronic widespread pain. In this Review, Choy describes pain pathways that have been associated with sleep deprivation, and explores the hypothesis that sleep dysfunction is a pathogenic stimulus of fibromyalgia.

Conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammation can induce extensive post-translational modifications in cartilage structural proteins, with consequences for the molecular structure and, ultimately, the function of cartilage. This article reviews the biochemical changes to articular cartilage matrix proteins driven by metabolic and oxidative stress as well as their relationship with cartilage degeneration.

Anti-DNA antibodies were first described in the 1930s in the context of infectious diseases and only later associated with autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Despite intense research into the pathogenic mechanisms of anti-DNA antibodies, many questions remain regarding their nature. Ole P. Rekvig provides an overview of what we know about the different types of anti-DNA antibodies, and highlights how this knowledge helped our understanding of the immune system and tolerance mechanisms.

RNA sequencing and mass cytometry are exciting new technologies that could revolutionize the analysis of immune cells. In this article, these developments and parallel advances in the analysis of big data are reviewed with the aim of advancing biomarker discovery.

This article discusses the role of hedgehog signalling in bone health and disease. Targeting this pathway could retard the rate of degeneration in osteoarthritis, promote bone repair, and inhibit cartilage tumour viability. As such, hedgehog signalling could be manipulated to safeguard skeletal health.