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Patients over the age of 50 have an increased risk of mortality following hip fracture, which is dependent on factors such as health and post-fracture comorbidities. Findings from a meta-analysis highlight the need to improve fracture management through systematic approaches that will also reduce mortality.
Strategies to reduce the immunogenicity that occurs following treatment with most biologic agents are a growing subject of investigation. A novel approach to induce tolerance to a therapeutic monoclonal antibody, alemtuzumab, has yielded promising results.
Biologic agents are emerging as an important treatment for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), but the long-term safety of these therapies is a major concern and currently not completely understood. This Review examines available data for the safety of biologic therapies for JIA and details the serious adverse events associated with each agent as well as outlining the safety issues that need further study.
Regulatory T (TREG) cells, which function as suppressors of autoimmune responses, are defective in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this article, the authors describe the interplay between TREG cells and inflammation in the context of RA, and how a subset of highly potent but unstable TREGcells seems to be induced following tumor necrosis factor blockade.
Morphological and functional assessments of the cutaneous microvasculature have important roles in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of systemic sclerosis and secondary Raynaud phenomenon. The implications of these evaluations, in particular nailfold videocapillaroscopy and laser Doppler imaging, are discussed in this Review.
Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitors relieve musculoskeletal pain by blocking the activity of COX enzymes that regulate prostaglandin production. In this Review, the authors discuss the pharmacokinetics of widely used COX inhibitors and suggest strategies to optimize their analgesic effects and minimize adverse drug reactions.
The mechanisms involved in musculoskeletal pain include peripheral and central sensitization, the latter of which might cause the chronification of widespread pain conditions. These mechanisms are discussed in this Review, along with methods to assess muscloskeletal pain, such as pressure algometry, cuff-algometry and repeated pressure stimulation.
The role of the transcription factor NFκB in osteoclasts and bone degradation is well understood. In this Perspectives article, the authors discuss its newly described inhibitory function in osteoblasts and bone formation, and how therapies that target NFκB might be beneficial in osteoporosis and other inflammatory bone diseases.
