Scleroderma Medical News by Date |
|
|
| July 2007 |
| Significance of Ground-glass Opacity on HRCT in Long-term Follow-up of Patients With Systemic Sclerosis. In systemic sclerosis, ground-glass opacity is most commonly associated with irreversible disease. Disease progression or improvement could not be predicted by the presence of ground-glass opacity. Journal of Thoracic Imaging. 22(2):120-124, May 2007. (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis ) |
| Relationship between change in skin score and disease outcome in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: Application of a latent linear trajectory model. Although mortality was highest among patients with the worst skin-related outcomes, no simple relationship between burden of disease and change in skin score was observed. Arthritis and Rheumatism. Volume 56, Issue 7, Pages 2422 - 2431. (Also see: Skin Fibrosis ) |
| Evidence of potential interaction of chemokine genes in susceptibility to systemic sclerosis. Crosstalk between the 2 chemokines CXCL8 and CCL5 may contribute to the susceptibility to SSc. Arthritis and Rheumatism. Volume 56, Issue 7, Pages 2443 - 2448. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Genetics ) |
| Using a self-reported functional score (FS) to assess disease progression in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The FS is a disease-specific, inexpensive and practical instrument for assessing functional status in SSc. It is a promising self-administered assessment tool for use in evaluating new SSc treatments. Rheumatology Volume 46, Number 7 Pp. 1107-1110. (Also see: Diffuse Scleroderma, Limited Scleroderma, and CREST ) |
| Patients to benefit from new website on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). Information on PAH, written specifically for patients, has today been launched on www.PAH-info.com/patients as part of an international awareness campaign supported by Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Posted 07-17-07. (Also see: Pulmonary Hypertension ) |
| Scleroderma Outlook Improves as Survival Increases. Professor Virginia Steen, M.D., studied 2,000 patients with scleroderma (also known as systemic sclerosis) treated between 1972 and 2001 at the University of Pittsburgh and found that 10-year survival steadily improved over those years by 12 percent-- from 54 percent to 66 percent. Georgetown University Medical Center. 07/10/07. (Also see: Scleroderma Prognosis ) |
| Impairment of the antifibrotic effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in lung fibroblasts from African Americans: Possible role in systemic sclerosis. Reduced levels of HGF as well as a deficiency in c-Met receptor function appear to be present in African American patients with SSc. These findings may explain in part the greater disease severity and worse prognosis observed in African Americans with SSc. Arthritis and Rheumatism. Volume 56, Issue 7, Pages 2432 - 2442. (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis and Scleroderma Prognosis ) |
| C1D is a major autoantibody target in patients with the polymyositis-scleroderma overlap syndrome. Our results demonstrate that the recently identified exosome-associated protein C1D is a major autoantigen in patients with the PM-scleroderma overlap syndrome and suggest that the use of recombinant C1D as an autoantibody target may aid in diagnosis of the PM-scleroderma overlap syndrome. Arthritis and Rheumatism. Volume 56, Issue 7, Pages 2449 - 2454. (Also see: Antibodies, Polymyositis, and Overlap Syndrome ) |
| Multiple sclerosis associated with systemic sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been increasingly reported in association with other autoimmune diseases not primary affected the nervous system. We report here the case of a 46-year-old female patient with longstanding MS since the age of 26, who developed SSc 12 years later. IngentaConnect. Rheumatology International, Vol 27, No 8, June 2007, pp. 771-773(3). (Also see: Overlap Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis ) |
| Antibodies to RNA Polymerase III in Systemic Sclerosis Detected by ELISA. Anti-RNAP-III autoantibodies were found in nearly 20% of SSc patients but in less than 1% of controls, thus detection of this antibody is a useful marker to help diagnose SSc. As well, this antibody has prognostic utility, since it is associated with scleroderma renal crisis and the diffuse cutaneous form of SSc. J Rheumatol 2007 July;34:1528-34. (Also see: Antibodies, Renal Involvement, and Diffuse Scleroderma ) |
| Efficacy and Safety of Etanercept in the Treatment of Scleroderma-Associated Joint Disease. This case series demonstrates that etanercept appeared to be efficacious in improving active inflammatory joint disease in a subset of scleroderma patients, and it was generally safe and well tolerated. J Rheumatol 2007 July;34:1636. Letter to the Editor. (Also see: Medications and Scleroderma Skeletal Involvement ) |
| Maximum blood flow and microvascular regulatory responses in systemic sclerosis. SSc patients have abnormal microvascular regulatory responses compared with PRP and controls. This study also suggests that the degree of endothelial dysfunction may be related to the degree of peripheral vascular involvement. Rheumatology 2007 46(7):1079-1082. (Also see: What is Raynaud's? ) |
| Therapy with Immunosuppressive Drugs and Biological Agents and Use of Contraception in Patients with Rheumatic Disease. The increasing use of combination therapies containing Methotrexate necessitates ensuring that advice regarding birth control is followed in order to avoid pregnancies exposed to potentially fetotoxic drugs. J Rheumatol 2007 June;34:1266-9. (Also see: Scleroderma and Pregnancy, and Medications ) |
| Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. This case highlights cardiac arrhythmia caused by WPW syndrome as a clinical manifestation of the heart in ssSSc. PubMed. Scand J Rheumatol. 2007 Jan-Feb;36(1):68-70. (Also see: Cardiac Involvement and Diffuse Scleroderma Without Skin Involvement ) |
| Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) associated with systemic sclerosis: relapse after endoscopic treatment by argon plasma coagulation. This case showed resistance to endoscopic treatment using argon plasma coagulation (APC). In spite of GAVE eradication by APC, a third recurrence of GAVE was observed after 32 months. PubMed. Intern Med. 2007;46(6):279-83. (Also see: Watermelon Stomach (GAVE) ) |
| Peripheral nervous system lesion syndromes and the mechanisms of their formation in connective tissue diseases. Systemic rheumatological diseases are often accompanied by the development of central and peripheral nervous system pathology. Lupus erythematosus and systemic scleroderma in particular are characterized by polyneuropathies and tunnel syndromes. PubMed. Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2007 Jan;37(1):1-6. (Also see: Brain Involvement and Lupus ) |
