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| Autoimmune Medical News by Date | | | | December 2007 | | Off-Label Use of Biological Therapies in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases (SAD). Description of 1140 Registered Cases (International Registry of Biological Agents in SAD, iBIOGEAS). Promising results have been obtained by using biological therapies in patients with SAD refractory to conventional treatment. Controlled trials are needed to confirm the potential use of biological therapies in SAD. Manuel Ramos-Casals. 1648/262. (Also see: Mainstream Medications and Autoimmunity ) | | How Muscle Weakness Caused By Myasthenia Gravis Can Be Stopped, According To New Research. Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis -- a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder -- can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the disease, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found. ScienceDaily News. 12/23/07. (Also see: Myasthenia Gravis ) | | Eosinophilic Fasciitis (EF): Clinical, Biological, Histological and Therapeutic Features from a Series of 28 Patients. EF is a rare disease characterized by cutaneous and muscular symptoms, a frequent blood eosinophilia. The mainstay treatment is steroids alone or in combination with an immunosuppressive drug, mainly methotrexate, allowing a satisfying response in more than 80% of patients. Damien Sène. 1630/244. ACR 2007. (Also see: Eosinophilic Fascitis ) | | Is there a predisposition for the development of autoimmune diseases in patients with fibromyalgia (FM)? Retrospective analysis with long term follow-up. The risk of connective tissue disease (CTD) is not increased in FM. The detection of ANA (antinuclear antibodies) does not predict the development of CTD. However, in individual cases, FM may be an early sign of an autoimmune disease. (IngentaConnect) Rheumatology International, Vol 27, No 11, Sept 2007, pp. 1031-1039(9). (Also see Fibromyalgia and Connective Tissue Disease ) | | Patient´s Descriptions of SLE-Related Fatigue. Given the opportunity to express the consequences of fatigue with their own words, patients report a multidimensional array of complex physical and psychosocial aspects on this burdensome symptom. Susanne Pettersson. 1257/489. ACR 2007. (Also see: Lupus and Fatigue ) | | Treatment approaches for painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis. There is no curative treatment; intravesical dimethyl sulfoxide, as well as oral amitriptyline, pentosan polysulfate and hydroxyzine have variable results, with success more likely when these drugs are given together. (PubMed) Drugs 2007; 67(2):215-35. (Also see: Interstitial Cystitis ) | | The Effect of Modafinil on Fatigue and Cognitive Function in Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS). Modafinil may represent a new and effective approach to treating two of the most debilitating clinical problems faced by SS patients. Thomas C. Namey. 1097/329. ACR 2007. (Also see: Sjogren's Syndrome and Fatigue ) | | Who Receives Biologics For Treatment Of RA? In multivariable comparisons of biologic users versus a subgroup of patients predominantly managed with steroids, biologic use was associated with younger age, lower baseline pain level, shorter disease duration, and less co-morbidity. Esi Morgan DeWitt. 74/74. ACR 2007. (Also see: Medications and RA ) | | Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) Protects Lupus Patients from Developing Seizures: Data from a Large Multiethnic Cohort. Hydroxychloroquine appears to have a protective role in seizure occurrence, probably due to its combined anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and antiplatelet properties. These date have practical implications for the management of lupus patients. L.A. González. 493/493. ACR 2007. (Also see: Lupus and Medications ) | | The Cutoff Points of Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) with High Negative and Positive Predictive Values. Analysis of 5655 Cases. The cutoff point of ANA titer 160 is appropriate to exclude SLE (Lupus), MCTD (Mixed Connective Tissue Disease), SSc (Systemic Scleroderma) in most of the clinical setting. ANA 640 or higher deserves further investigation such as disease specific autoantibodies even without characteristic clinical findings, especially after proper exams for chronic liver and thyroid diseases and RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). Hisanori Shimizu. 1515/129. ACR 2007. (Also see: Antibodies, SSc, Lupus, MCTD, and RA ) | |
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