StemCell Therapy

By Amit Chopra

The field of molecular diagnostics has witnessed a period of rapid development and growth in the last decade. The introduction of new technologies and the implementation of highly accurate tests into clinical testing protocols have been pivotal in advancing the field of precision medicine.

The pandemic has dramatically accelerated this growth, and this momentum is likely to continue into the post-pandemic phase. As per industry sources, the global molecular diagnostics market size was valued at USD 36.2 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% from 2021 to 2028. Likewise, the Indian molecular diagnostics market stood at an estimated USD 920 million in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 10% till FY 2026.

The rapid spread of Covid has led to an expansion of the Molecular diagnostics testing infrastructure in the country. Furthermore, government initiatives to increase healthcare funding to improve the countrys molecular diagnostics capabilities will also positively impact the market in the coming years. Other influencing factors include higher demand for Point of Care (PoC) diagnostics, a rising elderly population, and a sustained increase in infectious diseases.

Rising Demand for Point of Care (PoC) Diagnostics

Point of care diagnostics solutions has emerged as a significant driver for the advancement of molecular diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leading diagnostic companies have adopted advanced technologies like AI to deliver products that could make testing faster and more accurate. A rapid POC test based on gold standard RTPCR technology, Acula has revolutionized rapid and accurate Covid testing worldwide. The platform will also be used to scale and develop point-of-care tests for other infectious diseases in the future. With the onset of many other smart technologies which leverage IoT, AI and ML, we will likely see more innovative products for chronic and lifestyle conditions, including oncology.

New growth drivers including Government Initiatives

Before the pandemic, Real-Time PCR (RT PCR) was considered a very niche technology that only a handful of labs around the country could use. COVID-19 challenged our diagnostics industry to rapidly build their capabilities to a point where we have over 3000+ testing laboratories in India alone that perform molecular testing. With RT PCR, viral amplification, and genome sequencing becoming mainstream, the field of molecular diagnosis is set to be revolutionized. In addition, government funds and grants for developing novel products are also fueling the adoption of advanced technologies for infectious diseases diagnosis. In support of the Make in India initiative, Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced a manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, which produces CoviPath RT-PCR testing kits and MagMAX Dx Prefilled Viral/Pathogen Nucleic Acid Isolation kits that deliver faster, more precise, and easy-to-use Covid testing solutions.

Market expansion in new areas of science and research

Thermo Fisher Scientific mobilized its range of resources by making strategic investments fueling exciting opportunities in cell and gene therapy, companion diagnostics, liquid biopsy, direct-to-consumer, and more through product introductions, partnerships, and facility expansions.

Advancements in the field of Precision Medicine

The global understanding and practice of medicine are currently undergoing a revolutionary change. The shift to precision medicine means moving healthcare from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more targeted approach, where decisions are informed by each individuals unique clinical, molecular, and lifestyle information. Globally, we are closely working with the precision medicine community and helping advance this revolution in diagnosis and treatment by leveraging our global infrastructure and expertise to provide industry-leading capabilities, from population profiling to targeted therapeutics.

Wider adoption of precision medicine will usher in a new era for healthcare and diagnostics where patients receive the care they need, especially for life-threatening conditions.

A step in this direction is precision oncology using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology that accelerates targeted therapy treatment selection and improves patient outcomes. NGS is involved throughout the development continuum for targeted treatments from translational research to companion diagnostics testing and has enabled personalized oncology to improve patient outcomes.

Molecular Diagnostics: Paving a new path for treatments

Molecular diagnostics is one of the most dynamic and transformative areas leading to advances in prognosis, research, and treatment. The pandemic has further highlighted the importance of this sector. With the support of academia, government, industry, and private companies, the field of molecular diagnostics is now set to enter a new phase that will unveil new-generation technology for modern-day practice and improved outcomes for patients.

(The author is Managing Director, India and South Asia, Thermo Fisher Scientific. The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)

Original post:
Increased demand for Molecular diagnostics after the COVID-19 outbreak - The Financial Express

Arthritis causes pain, swelling and inflammation of one or multiple joints. Its not a single disease but an umbrella term used to refer to a wide array of conditions. Its one of the most widespread health conditions in the nation.

There are more than 100 types of arthritis, of which osteoarthritis is the most common. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, occurs over time due to wear and tear of cartilage that protects the ends of the bones. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in the hands, knees, hips and spine.

There are also inflammatory forms, such as rheumatoid arthritis; psoriatic arthritis; and the arthritis associated with ankylosing spondylitis, lupus and gout. In those cases, inflammation is caused by an overactive immune system that attacks connective tissues. (Learn more about autoinflammatory arthritis.)

In the United States, an estimated58.5 million individuals are gripped with arthritis the leading cause of disability. More than 50% of this population fall in the working age group (18 to 64 years).

Despite how common this condition is, there are several myths that persist, making it confusing for patients seeking to relieve their symptoms and to improve their quality of life. This article aims at debunking these long-held myths and getting your facts straight!

Fact:Arthritis is more common in older adults, but there are several types that can affect both children and young adults.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (also known as childhood arthritis or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) is the most common type of arthritis among children and can cause permanent physical damage to joints. According to Cleveland Clinic, one in 1,000 children (or about 300,000 children in the U.S.) are affected.

Fact: There are many conditions such as tendonitis,bursitis and other soft-tissue injuries that cause joint pain and have a pain profile similar to that of arthritis. Hence, it is of utmost importance to get an accurate medical diagnosis, preferably by a rheumatologist, before treating any kind of joint pain.

Fact: False! Diagnosing and treating arthritis at its early stage not only can save your joints but also save you from damage to vital organs. Certain forms, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can damage skin, eyes, lungs, blood vessels, the brain and the heart. It is important to determine which type of arthritis you have right away, because treatment varies and starting the correct treatment can be the key to preventing permanent damage.

Fact: There currently isnt a cure for arthritis. However, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving joint function. Working with an arthritis expert can help.

Depending upon the type of arthritis, certain medications can reduce pain and inflammation. Osteoarthritis often is treated with pain-reducing medications, physical activity, weight loss (if the person is overweight) and self-management education.(Learn more about treatment.) Inflammatory disorders are treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs that suppress the immune system.

Heat and cold treatment and assistive devices, such as walkers, braces and gloves, also can help.

Fact: Exercise can help increase strength, motion and flexibility and reduce pain and swelling. Inactivity can cause the symptoms to worsen, thus increasing both pain and swelling. Before you enroll in any exercise program, it is also important to know what your limits are and what level of exercise you can benefit from.

Read more:
Debunking common myths about arthritis - ASBMB Today

New findings from the ongoing Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimers Medicines (DREAM) study suggest that certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs may lower incidences of Alzheimers disease and related dementias in people with cardiovascular disease. While the findings do not support the broad use of these drugs for treating Alzheimers and related dementias, the results may point to a promising precision-medicine approach in specific groups of people at risk for developing these diseases.

The research was published in JAMA Network Open and led by NIA scientists in collaboration with researchers at Harvard Medical School, Boston; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey; and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Discovering new drug targets in Alzheimers and related dementias is crucial for meeting the enormous public health challenge of these diseases. Prior studies on whether approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs lower the risk of developing dementia have produced mixed results. The ongoing NIA DREAM study previously identified several FDA-approved drugs that are being tested as candidate treatments for Alzheimers and related dementias.

In this study, researchers analyzed data in Medicare claims from more than 22,000 people aged 65 years and older from 2007 to 2017, looking at whether those with rheumatoid arthritis who took one of three different classes of arthritis drugs were protected from dementia.

Researchers found that there were no statistically significant associations with lowered dementia risk except among those with cardiovascular disease who were treated with one class of arthritis drugs called TNF inhibitors. These inhibitors suppress the immune system by blocking the activity of TNF, which is a substance in the body that can cause inflammation and lead to immune-system diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, a recent large Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) discovered genetic risk variants related to TNF signaling to be associated with the risk of Alzheimers, suggesting that abnormalities in this pathway may be causally related to the disease. Together, these findings demonstrate the importance of generating valid, actionable evidence on drug repurposing using routine health care data.

An important limitation is that the development of Alzheimers and related dementias may begin many years before a clinical diagnosis. Given this, longer periods of treatment and/or observation may be needed to draw firmer conclusions about the null findings. Additionally, although the researchers strived to address limitations related to identifying Alzheimers and related dementias in health care claims through their careful study design, there remains a possibility of bias from outcome misclassification.

This research was supported by NIA Intramural Research Program project 1ZIAAG000436-01.

These activities relate to NIAs AD+ADRD Milestone 7.B, Initiate research programs for translational bioinformatics and network pharmacology to support rational drug repositioning and combination therapy from discovery through clinical development.

References: Desai R, et al. Comparative Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated With Targeted Diseases-Modifying Antirheumatic Agents. JAMA Network Open. 2022;5(4):e226567. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.6567.

See the original post:
Some arthritis drugs may reduce Alzheimer's and related dementias risk in those with heart disease - National Institute on Aging

HAUPPAGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Rheumatology, the pre-eminent rheumatology care management organization known for empowering rheumatologists to advance the standard of care across the country, today announces a new project with its longstanding partner, CreakyJoints, the international digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers who seek education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research. CreakyJoints is part of the non-profit Global Healthy Living Foundation. Together, the two organizations launched the Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center to provide rheumatologists with a trusted place to refer patients for educational information and tools to incorporate into their rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management strategy post-appointment.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center digital resources were developed in consultation with health care professionals and the CreakyJoints patient community and overseen by the medical leadership of United Rheumatology. Key topics included in the wellness center include managing fatigue, sleep, exercise, and nutrition as well as recommendations for managing the overall mental and emotional aspects of living with a chronic disease. United Rheumatology and CreakyJoints will expand the center later this year to include related rheumatic conditions.

Our United Rheumatology rheumatologists understand that living with RA can be hard and coping with RA symptoms like pain and fatigue often requires more than just medication. Thats why we were inspired to collaborate with CreakyJoints to create a centralized, reliable resource for our patients that will start them on the path of understanding their disease and committing to lifelong management, said Dr. Andrew Concoff, Chief Medical Officer, United Rheumatology.

Too often after their rheumatology appointment, patients go home and then consult Dr. Google, to answer their questions, but that can be problematic. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center allows our patient community to easily access trusted, patient-friendly information and resources and to connect with the arthritis community, added Dr. Concoff.

Finding Community and Support

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center also directs people living with RA to places where they can find peer support, both online and in-person. CreakyJoints offers online support via multiple social media platforms and free access to the ArthritisPower Research Registry, which already includes more than 35,000 consented members who use the phone or desktop application to track their experience of symptoms, treatments, and complementary therapies with the added option of participating in voluntary research studies.

By working together, as a leading patient organization and a leading specialty care network, we are helping patients thrive before, during, and after their rheumatologist visits. Just as its unthinkable to travel somewhere new without GPS navigation, everyone living with RA needs a well-mapped wellness plan that can be personalized and centered around them. Thats exactly what this program was designed to do, said Seth Ginsberg, Co-founder and President of the Global Healthy Living Foundation and CreakyJoints.

Visit the Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center today.

About CreakyJoints

CreakyJoints is an international digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers who seek education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research. We represent patients in English, Spanish, and French through our popular social media channels, our websites, and the 50-State Network, which includes more than 1,700 trained volunteer patient, caregiver, and provider health care activists.

Part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, CreakyJoints also has a patient-reported outcomes registry called ArthritisPower (ArthritisPower.org), which includes tens of thousands of consented arthritis patients who track their disease while volunteering to participate in longitudinal and observational peer-reviewed research. In addition to online and downloadable educational resources, CreakyJoints publishes many arthritis and chronic disease podcast series, available on all major streaming platforms, that provide both patient and provider perspectives. It also hosts PainSpot (PainSpot.org), a digital risk-assessment tool for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, and eRheum (eRheum.org), for telehealth and virtual-care support. All programming is free, always. For more information, visit CreakyJoints.org.

About United Rheumatology: United Rheumatology represents and supports over 650 community-based rheumatologists in 39 states. It does not own or operate rheumatology practices; the practices are all independent. The Company has established a comprehensive portfolio of physician, patient, and health plan payor offerings. Driven by the largest rheumatology electronic medical records clinical database in the U.S., United Rheumatology supports an unparalleled platform for jointly developed coordinated care solutions.

For more information visit https://unitedrheumatology.com/.Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

See the original post:
United Rheumatology and CreakyJoints Launch the Rheumatoid Arthritis Wellness Center - Business Wire

Peng Thim Fan, MD, FACP, is a clinical professor of rheumatologyat David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also serves as a staff rheumatologist for VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System.

During the first day of Pri-Med West 2022in Anaheim, Fan's presentation featured 3 case studies in rheumatic disease with the first focusing on osteoarthritis and the second on rheumatoid arthritis. The third case study falls on a different spectrum by examining a patient with a single swollen joint.

In an interview, he explained that infection is always a concern when a patient presents with monoarthritis. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new discussion on rheumatic diease and infection has surfacedone that is constantly evolving.

"There are some emerging studies showing that having an autoimmune background not only may make your illness worse, but that the risks of long COVID, the so-called long-haul syndrome, may actually be higher when you have autoimmune background and auto antibodies, and so on," Fan said.

While there are many uncertainties surrounding the novel coronavirus, the vaccine has offered substantial protection for patients with rheumatic disease, he said. Initially, there was concern regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine in this population because of the use of immunosuppressant treatments.

"People on immunosuppressive still able to mount a pretty good response to the vaccine and get protected," Fan said. "Interestingly, some of the drugs that we don't really think are important, happen to be important."

The example he gave was methotrexate, which isn't an immunosuppressant. However, people who take it should talk with their doctor about pausing use of the medication prior to receiving the vaccine because it can reduce the efficacy, Fan explained.

"We're starting to see some cases of reactive arthritis after COVID-19 infection and also after vaccination," he said. "So, that's something to watch out for. So, there is an evolving story."

Read the original:
Peng Thim Fan, MD: Reactive Arthritis and Long Covid-19 - MD Magazine

ReportLinker

Global Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Market 2022-2026 The analyst has been monitoring the rheumatoid arthritis drugs market and it is poised to grow by $ 14. 90 bn during 2022-2026, accelerating at a CAGR of 7.

New York, May 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Market 2022-2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05638948/?utm_source=GNW 73% during the forecast period. Our report on the rheumatoid arthritis drugs market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by unmet needs for safer biologics for RA, the availability of improved diagnostic modalities, and the need for affordable biologics for RA.The rheumatoid arthritis drugs market analysis includes the type segment and geographic landscape.

The rheumatoid arthritis drugs market is segmented as below:By Type Biologics Small molecules

By Geography Europe North America Asia Rest of World (ROW)

This study identifies the high cost of RA drugs as one of the prime reasons driving the rheumatoid arthritis drugs market growth during the next few years. Also, the use of biologics/biosimilars for the treatment of RA and the use of gene therapy for RA treatment will lead to sizable demand in the market.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our report on rheumatoid arthritis drugs market covers the following areas: Rheumatoid arthritis drugs market sizing Rheumatoid arthritis drugs market forecast Rheumatoid arthritis drugs market industry analysis

This robust vendor analysis is designed to help clients improve their market position, and in line with this, this report provides a detailed analysis of several leading rheumatoid arthritis drugs market vendors that include AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Cyxone AB, Eli Lilly and Co., F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Genor BioPharma Holding Ltd., Gilead Sciences Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson and Johnson, Kangstem Biotech Co. Ltd., Novartis AG, Oryn Therapeutics, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, Sorrento Therapeutics Inc., Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd., and UCB SA. Also, the rheumatoid arthritis drugs market analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage all forthcoming growth opportunities.The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters such as profit, pricing, competition, and promotions. It presents various market facets by identifying the key industry influencers. The data presented is comprehensive, reliable, and a result of extensive research - both primary and secondary. Technavios market research reports provide a complete competitive landscape and an in-depth vendor selection methodology and analysis using qualitative and quantitative research to forecast the accurate market growth.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05638948/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________

Story continues

Visit link:
The Global Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Market is expected to grow by $ 14.90 bn during 2022-2026, accelerating at a CAGR of 7.73% during the forecast...

An ad hoc committee has been appointed to undertake a routine review of the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center and the leadership of Director Richard F. Loeser, Jr., MD, and Joseph P. Archie, Jr., Eminent Professor of Medicine. The review is a standard procedure of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and will take place on June 21, 2022.

An ad hoc committee has been appointed to undertake a routine review of the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center and the leadership of Director Richard F. Loeser, Jr., MD, and Joseph P. Archie, Jr., Eminent Professor of Medicine.

The review is a standard procedure of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and will take place on June 21, 2022.

The review committee invites your participation and input:

The deadline to request time on the review committee agenda, or to share written comments, is June 10, 2022.

Note that North Carolina law requires that any written materials developed or received by the committee during the review may be made available to the person reviewed upon request. All requests from the person reviewed will be handled by the Legal Department and any identifying information will be redacted prior to release of the material.

Members of the Review Committee

Mark Zylka, PhD Review Committee Chair, Distinguished Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology

Deborah Givens, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA Distinguished Professor, Department of Allied Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy

Corrine Keet, MD, PhD Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Yisong Wan, PhD Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Roland Tisch, PhD Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Shannelle Campbell, MD, MPH, FACS Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery

Adesola Akinkuotu, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Surgery

James Sanders, MD Distinguished Professor, Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Read the original:
Five-Year Review of UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center, Loeser and Archie | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine

Pain in the big toe may be more common than you think. The big toe is the area of the foot most commonly affected by arthritis, which is a common source of pain and stiffness in a joint.

We end up seeing it frequently, said Dr. Alejandro Miranda, an orthopedic surgeon in Steamboat Springs and a member of the medical staff at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. Arthritis technically means joint inflammation or pain, but we often think of it as wear and tear of the joint surface. In the big toe, it is medically diagnosed as hallux rigidus.

Since that wear and tear happens naturally over time, arthritis of the big toe usually impacts older patients. But younger patients arent immune, as the issue can be brought on by trauma or stress to the joint, and genetics.

Not too uncommonly we will see people in their 30s present with arthritis of the big toe, Miranda said. It may be that they were more susceptible or that they somehow traumatized that joint.

Symptoms include pain, stiffness and swelling.

In the early stages, people may feel their footwear applies more pressure than it used to. As the joint stiffens, mobility lessens and it becomes harder to put on boots or shoes, Miranda said. Another early sign is pain with physical activity.

Initial treatment options include wearing spacious shoes to accommodate the enlarged joint and using stiffer shoes or insoles. Taping techniques can also be used so the affected joint doesnt have as much range of motion.

Youre more or less splinting the injured joint, and because of that, a lot of people will feel some relief, Miranda said.

Oral and topical anti-inflammatories, as well as physical therapy, may also help with pain.

Exercises that heavily load the toe, such as weighted lunges and burpees, may exacerbate the issue, so Miranda encourages patients to tailor their workouts accordingly.

If those initial efforts dont help, a steroid injection in the toe, done under X-ray guidance to ensure the steroid gets into the joint, can help quiet down the joint space and alleviate pain. But eventually, surgery may be considered if nonoperative treatments fail.

Once conservative treatments stop taking effect and as the pain becomes more limiting, we start thinking about surgical options, Miranda said. The goal is always to find whats right for each individual to get them back to doing what they like to do.

In general, three types of surgery may be considered: bone spurs that impinge the joint and cause pain can be shaved away; synthetic implants or tissue can be interposed in the joint to restore joint spacing; and finally, the joint can be fused.

Fusing the joint converts a diseased and painful stiff joint into a painless stiff joint, Miranda said. For the person who has debilitating pain and symptoms in which their joint is stiffened already, youre helping them by making it painless.

Patients may worry that fusing the joint will make it harder to return to activities, but in fact, people are still able to hike, run, ski and do labor-intensive jobs.

Certainly, some modifications need to be made some people end up selecting different footwear or different types of boots but most people do get back to most of their activities without pain, Miranda said.

Miranda encourages people who are having pain and stiffness in the big toe to seek an evaluation.

Arthritis is only one of the diagnoses that causes pain in the toe. Seeking an evaluation can shed light on the source of pain, and help determine next steps are for pain relief, Miranda said.

Susan Cunningham writes for UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. She can be reached at cunninghamsbc@gmail.com.

Link:
Monday Medical: Addressing arthritis of the big toe - Steamboat Pilot & Today

Smolen, J. S., Aletaha, D. & McInnes, I. B. Rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 388, 20232038 (2016).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Goekoop-Ruiterman, Y. P. & Huizinga, T. W. Rheumatoid arthritis: Can we achieve true drug-free remission in patients with RA?Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. 6, 6870 (2010).

Article Google Scholar

Aga, A. B. et al. Time trends in disease activity, response and remission rates in rheumatoid arthritis during the past decade: Results from the NOR-DMARD study 20002010. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 74, 381388 (2015).

CAS Article Google Scholar

van der Helm-van Mil, A. H. Risk estimation in rheumatoid arthritis: From bench to bedside. Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. 10, 171180 (2014).

Article Google Scholar

Ohrndorf, S. & Backhaus, M. Advances in sonographic scoring of rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 72, ii69ii75 (2013).

Article Google Scholar

Scir, C. A. et al. Ultrasonographic evaluation of joint involvement in early rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission: Power Doppler signal predicts short-term relapse. Rheumatology (Oxford) 48, 10921097 (2009).

Article Google Scholar

Peluso, G. et al. Clinical and ultrasonographic remission determines different chances of relapse in early and long standing rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 70, 172175 (2011).

Article Google Scholar

Foltz, V. et al. Power Doppler ultrasound, but not low-field magnetic resonance imaging, predicts relapse and radiographic disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low levels of disease activity. Arthritis Rheum. 64, 6776 (2012).

Article Google Scholar

Iwamoto, T. et al. Prediction of relapse after discontinuation of biologic agents by ultrasonographic assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission: High predictive values of total gray-scale and power Doppler scores that represent residual synovial inflammation before discontinuation. Arthritis Care Res. 66, 15761581 (2014).

Article Google Scholar

Nguyen, H. et al. Prevalence of ultrasound-detected residual synovitis and risk of relapse and structural progression in rheumatoid arthritis patients in clinical remission: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 53, 21102118 (2014).

Article Google Scholar

Kawashiri, S. Y. et al. Ultrasound-detected bone erosion is a relapse risk factor after discontinuation of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose ultrasound power Doppler synovitis activity and clinical disease activity are well controlled. Arthritis Res. Ther. 19, 108 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Matsuo, H. et al. Prediction of recurrence and remission using superb microvascular imaging in rheumatoid arthritis. J. Med. Ultrason. (2001)47, 131138 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Matsuo, H. et al. Positive rate and prognostic significance of the superb microvascular imaging signal in joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients in remission with normal C-reactive protein levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rates. J. Med. Ultrason. (2001) 48, 353359 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Ngiam, K. Y. & Khor, I. W. Big data and machine learning algorithms for health-care delivery. Lancet Oncol. 20, e262e273 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Goecks, J., Jalili, V., Heiser, L. M. & Gray, J. W. How machine learning will transform biomedicine. Cell 181, 92101 (2020).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Kingsmore, K. M., Puglisi, C. E., Grammer, A. C. & Lipsky, P. E. An introduction to machine learning and analysis of its use in rheumatic diseases. Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. 17, 710730 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Stafford, I. S. et al. A systematic review of the applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in autoimmune diseases. NPJ Digit. Med. 3, 30 (2020).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Luque-Tvar, M. et al. Integrative clinical, molecular, and computational analysis identify novel biomarkers and differential profiles of anti-TNF response in rheumatoid arthritis. Front. Immunol. 12, 631662 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Kalweit, M. et al. Personalized prediction of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using an adaptive deep neural network. PLoSOne 16, e0252289 (2021).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Yoosuf, N. et al. Early prediction of clinical response to anti-TNF treatment using multi-omics and machine learning in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keab521 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Vodencarevic, A. et al. Advanced machine learning for predicting individual risk of flares in rheumatoid arthritis patients tapering biologic drugs. Arthritis Res. Ther. 23, 67 (2021).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Koo, B. S. et al. Machine learning model for identifying important clinical features for predicting remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biologics. Arthritis Res. Ther. 23, 178 (2021).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Johansson, F. D. et al. Predicting response to tocilizumab monotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis: A real-world data analysis using machine learning. J. Rheumatol. 48, 13641370 (2021).

CAS Article Google Scholar

van der Maaten, L. J. P. & Hinton, G. E. Visualizing data using t-SNE. J. Mach. Learn. Res. 9, 25792605 (2008).

MATH Google Scholar

Karlsson Sundbaum, J. et al. Methotrexate treatment in rheumatoid arthritis and elevated liver enzymes: A long-term follow-up of predictors, surveillance, and outcome in clinical practice. Int. J. Rheum. Dis. 22, 12261232 (2019).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Packham, J. C. & Mattey, D. L. Influence of adult height on rheumatoid arthritis: Association with disease activity, impairment of joint function and overall disability. PLoSOne 8, e64862 (2013).

ADS Article Google Scholar

Zhao, Y. et al. Ensemble learning predicts multiple sclerosis disease course in the SUMMIT study. NPJ Digit. Med. 3, 135 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Morid, M. A., Lau, M. & Del Fiol, G. Predictive analytics for step-up therapy: Supervised or semi-supervised learning?. J. Biomed. Inform. 119, 103842 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Fiorentino, M. C. et al. A deep-learning framework for metacarpal-head cartilage-thickness estimation in ultrasound rheumatological images. Comput. Biol. Med. 141, 105117 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Rohrbach, J., Reinhard, T., Sick, T. & Drr, O. Bone erosion scoring for rheumatoid arthritis with deep convolutional neural networks. Comput. Electr. Eng. 78, 472481 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Naredo, E. et al. Ultrasound joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission: How many and which joints should be assessed?. Arthritis Care Res. (Hoboken) 65, 512517 (2013).

Article Google Scholar

Backhaus, M. et al. Guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound in rheumatology. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 60, 641649 (2001).

CAS Article Google Scholar

Szkudlarek, M. et al. Interobserver agreement in ultrasonography of the finger and toe joints in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 48, 955962 (2003).

Article Google Scholar

Breiman, L. Random forests. Mach. Learn. 45, 532 (2001).

Article Google Scholar

Chen, T. & Carlos, G. XGBoost: A Scalable Tree Boosting System. KDD '16: Proceedings of the 22nd ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining 785794. https://doi.org/10.1145/2939672.2939785 (2016).

See the article here:
Machine learning-based prediction of relapse in rheumatoid arthritis patients using data on ultrasound examination and blood test | Scientific Reports...

Along with pain and aching in one or more joints, chronic arthritis can cause the following specific symptoms:

In addition to these, individuals can suffer from more general symptoms. These can include fatigue, a high temperature, sweating, loss of appetite and weight loss. Dry eyes and chest pain can also be caused by rheumatoid arthritis due to inflammation spreading around the body.

It is advised that when suffering from any of the above symptoms for a prolonged period of time, individuals should seek medical advice. When seeing a GP, individuals will have multiple tests, physical examinations or scans to achieve a correct diagnosis.

The NHS also explains that genetics also may play a part in who is affected by the condition. There is some evidence to suggest that rheumatoid arthritis can run in families, although the risk of inheriting it is thought to be low, as genes are only thought to play a small role in the condition.

The rest is here:
Pope Francis restricted to wheelchair due to suspected chronic arthritis - symptoms - Express

This article was originally published here

RMD Open. 2022 May;8(1):e002031. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-002031.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Patient care can vary substantially by country. The objective was to explore differences in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) across countries for disease activity, impact and treatments.

METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of 13 countries from the Remission/Flare in PsA study (NCT03119805) of consecutive adult patients with definite PsA was performed. Countries were classified into tertiles by gross domestic product (GDP)/capita. Disease activity (Disease Activity in PsA, DAPSA and Minimal Disease Activity, MDA) and their components, disease impact (patient-reported outcomes) and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) were analysed per country and compared between the three tertiles of GDP/capita by parametric and non-parametric tests. We also explored the percentage of patients with significant disease activity (DAPSA >14) and no ongoing bDMARD prescription.

RESULTS: In 439 patients (50.6% male, mean age 52.3 years, mean disease duration 10.1 years), disease activity and disease impact were higher in the lowest GDP/capita countries. DAPSA remission and MDA were attained in the lowest tertile in 7.0% and 18.4% patients, vs 29.1% and 49.5% in the middle tertile and 16.8% and 41.3% in the high tertile, respectively (all p<0.001). bDMARDs use was similar in the tertiles (overall mean 61%). The overall rate of patients with DAPSA >14 and no bDMARDs was 18.5%, and was higher in lower GDP/capita countries (p=0.004).

CONCLUSION: PsA patients from countries with the lowest GDP/capita, despite similar use of bDMARDs, were more likely to have high disease activity and worse disease impact. There is a need for more equity in healthcare.

PMID:35523519 | DOI:10.1136/rmdopen-2021-002031

Read this article:
Disparities in healthcare in psoriatic arthritis: an analysis of 439 patients from 13 countries - DocWire News

This article was originally published here

Telemed J E Health. 2022 May 3. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2022.0078. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The objectives of this study were to compare the quality-of-care and compliance with medical record regulations between in-person consultations (QIP and CIP) and telephone consultations (QTP and CTP), from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outpatients, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore the impact of the consultation modality on the treatment. Methods: Data from 324 medical notes corresponding to rheumatic consultations between July and December 2020 were abstracted. Notes were selected considering a stratified (in-person and telephone consultations) random sampling strategy. QIP, CIP, QTP, and CTP were scored based on prespecified criteria as percentages, where higher numbers translated into better standards. Logistic regression analysis investigated the association between the consultation modality and the treatment recommendation (dependent variable). Results: There were 208 (64.2%) medical notes related to in-person consultations and 114 (35.2%) to telephone consultations. Overall, medical notes corresponded to middle-aged women with long-standing disease. QIP was superior to QTP (median, interquartile range): 60% (60-75%) versus 50% (25-60%), p 0.001, and differences were related to disease activity and prognosis documentation (81.3% vs. 34.5% and 55.8% vs. 33.6%, respectively, p 0.001) and the prolonged prescription of glucocorticoids with a documented management plan (58.5% vs. 30.4%, p = 0.045). Meanwhile, CIP and CTP were similar. Telephone consultation was a significant risk factor for no changes in the treatment recommendation (odds ratio: 2.113, 95% confidence interval: 1.284-3.479, p = 0.003), and results were consistent in the 142 medical notes with documented absence of disease activity. Conclusions: In the clinical context of RA, the quality-of-care provided by telephone consultations is below the standard of care and impacts the treatment.

PMID:35506921 | DOI:10.1089/tmj.2022.0078

See original here:
Comparison of Teleconsultations and In-Person Consultations from Outpatients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Internal...

The new multi-organ chip has the size of a glass microscope slide and allows the culture of up to four human engineered tissues, whose location and number can be tailored to the question being asked. These tissues are connected by vascular flow, but the presence of a selectively permeable endothelial barrier maintains their tissue-specific niche. Credit: Kacey Ronaldson-Bouchard/Columbia Engineering

Major advance from Columbia Engineering team demonstrates the first multi-organ chip made of engineered human tissues linked by vascular flow for improved modeling of systemic diseases like cancer.

Engineered tissues have become an essential component for modeling diseases and testing the efficacy and safety of drugs in a human context. A key hurdle for researchers has been figuring how to model body functions and systemic diseases with multiple engineered tissues that can physiologically communicate just like they do in the body. However, it is essential to provide each engineered tissue with its own environment so that the specific tissue phenotypes can be maintained for weeks to months, as required for biological and biomedical studies. Making the challenge even more complex is the necessity of linking the tissue modules together to facilitate their physiological communication, which is required for modeling conditions that involve more than one organ system, without sacrificing the individual engineered tissue environments.

Up to now, no one has been able to meet both conditions. Today, a team of researchers from Columbia Engineering and Columbia University Irving Medical Center reports that they have developed a model of human physiology in the form of a multi-organ chip consisting of engineered human heart, bone, liver, and skin that are linked by vascular flow with circulating immune cells, to allow recapitulation of interdependent organ functions. The researchers have essentially created a plug-and-play multi-organ chip, which is the size of a microscope slide, that can be customized to the patient. Because disease progression and responses to treatment vary greatly from one person to another, such a chip will eventually enable personalized optimization of therapy for each patient. The study is the cover story of the April 2022 issue of the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

In our study, we cultured liver, heart, bone, and skin, connected by vascular flow for four weeks. These tissues can be generated from a single human induced pluripotent stem cell, generating a patient-specific chip, a great model for individualized studies of human disease and drug testing. Credit: Keith Yeager/Columbia Engineering

This is a huge achievement for usweve spent ten years running hundreds of experiments, exploring innumerable great ideas, and building many prototypes, and now at last weve developed this platform that successfully captures the biology of organ interactions in the body, said the project leader Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, University Professor and the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Medical Sciences, and Dental Medicine.

Taking inspiration from how the human body works, the team has built a human tissue-chip system in which they linked matured heart, liver, bone, and skin tissue modules by recirculating vascular flow, allowing for interdependent organs to communicate just as they do in the human body. The researchers chose these tissues because they have distinctly different embryonic origins, structural and functional properties, and are adversely affected by cancer treatment drugs, presenting a rigorous test of the proposed approach.

The tissues cultured in the multi-organ chip (skin, heart, bone, liver, and endothelial barrier from left to right) maintained their tissue-specific structure and function after being linked by vascular flow. Credit: Kacey Ronaldson-Bouchard/Columbia Engineering

Providing communication between tissues while preserving their individual phenotypes has been a major challenge, said Kacey Ronaldson-Bouchard, the studys lead author and an associate research scientist in Vunjak-Novakovics Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering. Because we focus on using patient-derived tissue models we must individually mature each tissue so that it functions in a way that mimics responses you would see in the patient, and we dont want to sacrifice this advanced functionality when connecting multiple tissues. In the body, each organ maintains its own environment, while interacting with other organs by vascular flow carrying circulating cells and bioactive factors. So we chose to connect the tissues by vascular circulation, while preserving each individual tissue niche that is necessary to maintain its biological fidelity, mimicking the way that our organs are connected within the body.

The group created tissue modules, each within its optimized environment and separated them from the common vascular flow by a selectively permeable endothelial barrier. The individual tissue environments were able to communicate across the endothelial barriers and via vascular circulation. The researchers also introduced into the vascular circulation the monocytes giving rise to macrophages, because of their important roles in directing tissue responses to injury, disease, and therapeutic outcomes.

All tissues were derived from the same line of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), obtained from a small sample of blood, in order to demonstrate the ability for individualized, patient-specific studies. And, to prove the model can be used for long-term studies, the team maintained the tissues, which had already been grown and matured for four to six weeks, for an additional four weeks, after they were linked by vascular perfusion.

The researchers also wanted to demonstrate how the model could be used for studies of an important systemic condition in a human context and chose to examine the adverse effects of anticancer drugs. They investigated the effects of doxorubicin a broadly used anticancer drug on heart, liver, bone, skin, and vasculature. They showed that the measured effects recapitulated those reported from clinical studies of cancer therapy using the same drug.

The team developed in parallel a novel computational model of the multi-organ chip for mathematical simulations of drugs absorption, distribution, metabolism, and secretion. This model correctly predicted doxorubicins metabolism into doxorubicinol and its diffusion into the chip. The combination of the multi-organ chip with computational methodology in future studies of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of other drugs provides an improved basis for preclinical to clinical extrapolation, with improvements in the drug development pipeline.

While doing that, we were also able to identify some early molecular markers of cardiotoxicity, the main side-effect that limits the broad use of the drug. Most notably, the multi-organ chip predicted precisely the cardiotoxicity and cardiomyopathy that often require clinicians to decrease therapeutic dosages of doxorubicin or even to stop the therapy, said Vunjak-Novakovic.

The development of the multi-organ chip began from a platform with the heart, liver, and vasculature, nicknamed the HeLiVa platform. As is always the case with Vunjak-Novakovics biomedical research, collaborations were critical for completing the work. These include the collective talent of her laboratory, Andrea Califano and his systems biology team (Columbia University), Christopher S. Chen (Boston University) and Karen K. Hirschi (University of Virginia) with their expertise in vascular biology and engineering, Angela M. Christiano and her skin research team (Columbia University), Rajesh K. Soni of the Proteomics Core at Columbia University, and the computational modeling support of the team at CFD Research Corporation.

The research team is currently using variations of this chip to study, all in individualized patient-specific contexts: breast cancer metastasis; prostate cancer metastasis; leukemia; effects of radiation on human tissues; the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on heart, lung, and vasculature; the effects of ischemia on the heart and brain; and the safety and effectiveness of drugs. The group is also developing a user-friendly standardized chip for both academic and clinical laboratories, to help utilize its full potential for advancing biological and medical studies.

Vunjak-Novakovic added, After ten years of research on organs-on-chips, we still find it amazing that we can model a patients physiology by connecting millimeter sized tissues the beating heart muscle, the metabolizing liver, and the functioning skin and bone that are grown from the patients cells. We are excited about the potential of this approach. Its uniquely designed for studies of systemic conditions associated with injury or disease, and will enable us to maintain the biological properties of engineered human tissues along with their communication. One patient at a time, from inflammation to cancer!

Reference: A multi-organ chip with matured tissue niches linked by vascular flow by Kacey Ronaldson-Bouchard, Diogo Teles, Keith Yeager, Daniel Naveed Tavakol, Yimu Zhao, Alan Chramiec, Somnath Tagore, Max Summers, Sophia Stylianos, Manuel Tamargo, Busub Marcus Lee, Susan P. Halligan, Erbil Hasan Abaci, Zongyou Guo, Joanna Jackw, Alberto Pappalardo, Jerry Shih, Rajesh K. Soni, Shivam Sonar, Carrie German, Angela M. Christiano, Andrea Califano, Karen K. Hirschi, Christopher S. Chen, Andrzej Przekwas and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, 27 April 2022, Nature Biomedical Engineering.DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00882-6

Go here to see the original:
Plug-and-Play Human Organ-on-a-Chip Can Be Customized to the Patient - SciTechDaily

ORION CORPORATION MANAGERS’ TRANSACTIONS 6 MAY 2022 at 16.00 EEST

See more here:
Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Karen Lykke Sørensen

ORION CORPORATION MANAGERS’ TRANSACTIONS 6 MAY 2022 at 16.00 EEST

More:
Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Veli-Matti Mattila

ORION CORPORATION MANAGERS’ TRANSACTIONS 6 MAY 2022 at 16.00 EEST

See the rest here:
Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Ari Lehtoranta

ORION CORPORATION MANAGERS’ TRANSACTIONS 6 MAY 2022 at 16.00 EEST

Read the original here:
Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Mikael Silvennoinen

ORION CORPORATION MANAGERS’ TRANSACTIONS 6 MAY 2022 at 16.00 EEST

Visit link:
Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Kari Jussi Aho

IRVINE, Calif., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TARS), whose mission is to focus on unmet needs and apply proven science and new technology to revolutionize treatment for patients, starting with eye care, today announced that Bobak Azamian, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Tarsus, will present a corporate update at the Bank of America 2022 Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET.

Read the original here:
Tarsus to Present at Bank of America 2022 Healthcare Conference

DURHAM, N.C., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novan, Inc. (“the Company” or “Novan”) (Nasdaq: NOVN), today announced that it will report its first quarter 2022 financial results on Monday, May 16th. Novan management will host a conference call and live audio webcast to discuss the operational and financial results at 8:30 a.m. ET that same day.

Here is the original post:
Novan to Report First Quarter 2022 Financial Results on May 16, 2022