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<p>Arthroscopic knee surgery for arthritis — a procedure performed hundreds of thousands of times a year — does not reduce joint pain or improve knee function, according to new research released Wednesday. The study of 178 adults with moderate to severe arthritis found the surgery, in which damaged bone and cartilage are removed through tiny incisions, had no benefits beyond non-surgical treatments, such as physical therapy.</p>

AUSTRALIAN scientists are hoping to cure leukaemia, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis after their breakthrough discovery of how to stop killer blood cells growing. The team has unlocked the secrets behind the protein which controls the way the blood cancer cells spread when it is damaged - and have found a way to stop its deadly process. Work is now starting to design a drug to prevent the damaged proteins operating, effectively stopping the cancer as well as asthma and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. After spending a decade uncovering the structure of the receptor protein, which sits on the...

Drinking Alcohol Cuts Risk Of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis In Half, Study Suggests ScienceDaily (Jun. 5, 2008) — Alcohol cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to 50%, reveals research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The Scandinavian researchers base their findings on more than 2750 people taking part in two separate studies, which assessed environmental and genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis. Over half the participants (1650) had the disease and had been matched for age, sex, and residential locality with randomly selected members of the general public. All participants were quizzed about...

A regular tipple cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to half, Swedish research suggests. The Karolinska Institute assessed 2,750 people in two studies, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases reports. The risk was up to 50% lower for those who drank the equivalent of five glasses of wine a week compared with those who drank the least, they found. However, arthritis experts warned that drinking too much alcohol increased the risk of a range of health problems. Rheumatoid arthritis - an auto-immune disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system - is a condition which results in tender, stiff...

People with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis, and the inactivity caused by arthritis hinders the successful management of both diseases, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study released May 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is one of the first studies of its kind to look at the relationship between arthritis and diabetes and the outcomes associated with physical activity. The report finds that arthritis appears to be a barrier to being physically active for people with diabetes. Despite the fact that physical activity helps control...

Fibromyalgia Affects Women More Often Than Men ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2008) — Are you exhausted? Do you have pain all over but can’t figure out what’s wrong? If so, you may be suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes exhaustion, sleep disturbances and diffuse pain in your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Fibromyalgia patients experience a range of symptoms of varying intensities that increase and decrease over time and often resemble other conditions. For years, because of their complex nature and a lack of research on the condition, many doctors misdiagnosed fibromyalgia symptoms or dismissed them as being in the...

Vegan diet 'help' for arthritis Meat was off the menu for half of those in the study group Rheumatoid arthritis patients may be able to reduce their high risk of heart attacks and strokes with a gluten-free, vegan diet, a study suggests. Heart attacks and strokes are among the leading causes of death for sufferers, as the inflammation caused by the disease impacts upon the arteries. But an Arthritis Research and Therapy study found those who pursued a vegan regime had less "bad" cholesterol. By clogging arteries, this is seen as a key risk factor for heart problems.Rheumatoid Arthritis affects...

Ibuprofen Destroys Aspirin's Positive Effect On Stroke Risk, Study Shows ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — Stroke patients who use ibuprofen for arthritis pain or other conditions while taking aspirin to reduce the risk of a second stroke undermine aspirin's ability to act as an anti-platelet agent, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown. In a cohort of patients seen by physicians at two offices of the Dent Neurologic Institute, 28 patients were identified as taking both aspirin and ibuprofen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID) daily and all were found to have no anti-platelet effect from their daily aspirin....

Osteoarthritis Risk Linked To Finger Length Ratio ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — People whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are at higher risk of osteoarthritis, a new University of Nottingham study has found. A study of more than 2,000 people suggests that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are up to twice as likely to suffer from the condition, which is the most common form of arthritis. Index to ring finger length ratio (referred to as 2D:4D) is a trait known for its differences between the sexes. Men typically have shorter second than...

Finger Length Points To Arthritis Risk Risk Higher If Ring Finger LongerPOSTED: 5:00 pm EST January 2, 2008 The ratio of the length of the ring and index fingers has been tied to athletic and sexual traits. Researchers now say it can also be an indicator of arthritis. A team from the University of Nottingham found that people with ring fingers that are much longer than their index fingers had a greater chance of getting arthritis in the knee, especially in women. For the study, they looked at more than 2,000 people who were considering joint replacements because of arthritis...

As we celebrate the creation and potential of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, adult stem cell research continues to bear fruit in animal and human studies. The latest is a truly exciting find out of Stanford University: Blood stem cells taken from a donor with a healthy immune system effectively treated multiple sclerosis and arthritis in mice. From the story in the Telegraph: Thousands of patients with arthritis and multiple sclerosis are given new hope today by scientists who have developed a way to alter the immune system.Both conditions are caused when the immune system becomes faulty and attacks the body....

For two years, Frances Kinley-Manton says she lived with arthritis pain in her hips, a condition that kept her in a wheelchair. She wanted hip replacement surgery. But doctors at Britain's National Health Service said she was too fat for the operation. "They wouldn't even put me on a waiting list," Kinley-Manton recalled. Her doctor told the 210-pound woman to lose about 30 pounds before he would consider her for surgery. Unable to drop the weight through dieting, the 68-year-old Scotland resident took out a mortgage on her house to pay for a private operation on the Mediterranean island of...

High doses of ibuprofen raise heart attack risk By Celia Hall, Medical Editor Last Updated: 2:05am BST 05/04/2007 The common pain killer ibuprofen has been found to increase an existing risk of having a heart attack or a stroke in people who suffer from arthritis, research shows today. For some the risk was nine times higher. The findings bring more anxiety to the millions of arthritis sufferers in Britain as they follow a series of research studies that have shown increased risk of heart disease from the pain killers they take to ease the condition. The latest evidence comes from...

Not swell. Mice without DNase II (bottom) have swollen joints like those of human rheumatoid arthritis patients; mice with the enzyme have normal joints (top). Credit: Kawane et al., Nature, 443 (October 26, 2003)DNA may be the basis for all life, but it can also be a toxic waste product. According to a new study, mice will develop symptoms characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis if they can't break down and dispose of unwanted DNA. The findings suggest a new cause for the disease in humans. Like most of the molecular cogs that keep the human body running smoothly, DNA eventually outlives...

Body reveals its inflammation 'off switch' 18:00 01 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service Deb MacKenzie Researchers have shed light on how the body switches off its immune response, a key step towards understanding autoimmune diseases and controlling inflammation. When immune cells die, they transform into “sponges” that soak up the molecules responsible for causing inflammation, researchers have discovered. The new information may lead to better drugs to treat inflammatory disorders, such as eczema. Inflammation is characterised by a red, painful swelling around a wound caused by blood fluids, proteins and immune cells flooding into an area of the body in...

Scientists have used stem cells to repair arthritis damage in mice.They tweaked the stem cells’ genes to pump up production of a bone-building protein called BMP-4. When mice with knee injuries got those stem cells, their knees healed better than other mice with the same injuries.  The finding comes from doctors including Ryosuke Kuroda, MD, PhD, of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh.  The experiment, described in Arthritis & Rheumatism, only included mice, not people. Joint damage is a hallmark of arthritis, and scientists don’t have a way to make arthritis-damaged joints as good as new.Healing an...

LONDON, March 29 - The day may be coming when stem cells help arthritis patients repair their own joints. Cultured adult human periosteal stem cells demonstrate mesenchymal multipotency, suggesting that they may be used to repair tissue and joint damage associated with arthritis, researchers here reported. Upon enzymatic release and culture expansion, cells harvested from the periosteum can "give rise to cartilage and bone," wrote Cosimo De Bari, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues at King's College London in the April issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Moreover, the cells differentiated into chondrocyte, osteoblast, adipocyte and myocyte lineages regardless of donor age. Although...

Some Twin Cities doctors are using stem cells to give relief to people who suffer from chronic pain in their knees. More than one million Americans will have a knee procedure this year to ease chronic pain, but any complications can have a painful cost. One week after minimally invasive surgery, Andrew Gantman's knee is looking good and nearly pain-free. But his orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Joel Boyd said Andrew has a 90 percent chance of developing arthritis in that knee at some point. "You may have patients who go onto arthritis within two to three years versus patients who go...

Presenting...The top 20 home remedies A witches' brew of elixirs and potions that work! For more than 25 years, Joe and Teresa Graedon have provided lifesaving medical advice and health commentary through their King Features nationally syndicated newspaper column, "The People's Pharmacy," and their radio show. Here are their top 20 home remedies. Hot Water for ItchesModerate itching (the sort you get from a mosquito bite or mild case of poison ivy without blisters) often responds to a hot water application. The water needs to be hot enough to be slightly uncomfortable but not so hot it burns (120-130...

Can a dietary supplement pick up the pieces? Glucosamine, often recommended for joint pain, is one of the most popular supplements on the market. And considering the health concerns recently associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, I thought it would be worth looking into whether glucosamine lives up to the hype.Background: Glucosamine and chondroitin are often combined together and used to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bone near the joint breaks down. OA affects the knees, backs, hips, hands and feet of more than 21 million people over age 45. And, according to...

Scientists have discovered why a diet high in oily fish like salmon and mackerel may help improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.They have found a key anti-inflammatory fat in humans is derived from a fatty acid found in fish oil. The researchers, from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, found the diet worked best when combined with low aspirin doses. Details are published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The inflammatory response protects the body against infection and injury, but when it goes wrong it can lead to conditions such as arthritis, and cardiovascular disease. The Harvard team...

Pain Sufferers Find Yoga and Diet Can Comfort ImmuneSupport.com 02-14-2005 By Carrie White, Tribune Scottsdale, Arizona rheumatologist Paul Howard doesn’t believe pharmaceuticals, by themselves, are the best way for people with arthritis to get better. Rather, Howard sees treatment for the disease — joint inflammation affecting nearly 70 million Americans — as involving a combination of exercise, supplementation, diet and, if needed, weight loss. His patients bear out his approach. Peggy McKee, 76, of Scottsdale first visited Howard’s office three years ago with an arthritis flare-up shortly after the death of her husband and a daughter. McKee, who suffers from...

WASHINGTON - Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) concluded Friday the popular painkiller Celebrex poses an increased risk for heart problems but should remain on the market because the benefits outweigh the dangers. The panelists suggested a number of possible restrictions, including placing a "black box" warning on the label warning of the potential dangers and who's at risk, providing more patient information with the drug, restricting which patients could get it and banning direct-to-consumer advertising for Celebrex. The FDA is not bound to follow any of the recommendations. If it does decide to keep...

The Rock Hill Police Department is investigating why an officer used an electric stun gun on a 75-year-old woman who refused to leave a nursing home where she had gone to visit an ailing friend. The woman, Margaret Kimbrell, said she suffered bruises on her leg and face after she was knocked to the floor by the force of the weapon, called a Taser. Police Chief John Gregory said Tuesday the department is reviewing whether Officer Hattie Macon's use of the Taser was appropriate -- a step that is taken in unusual or high-profile cases. "On face value, it...

Less than three weeks after Merck withdrew its arthritis painkiller Vioxx from the market because it increased the risk of heart attacks, Pfizer announced plans yesterday to test if its best-selling painkiller Celebrex, which is in the same class of drugs as Vioxx, can do the opposite - help prevent heart attacks. But Pfizer's announcement is raising questions. For one, Pfizer warned only last Friday that Bextra, another of its drugs in the same class as Vioxx and Celebrex, increased the risks of heart attack and stroke in patients undergoing coronary-bypass surgery. So the timing of the announcement of the...

When bedtime comes, as all children and sick people know, the boogeymen come out of the closet. Darkness, silence and isolation can turn chairs into tigers, and make even trivial health problems seem ominous and hopeless. But illness that goes bump in the night may not be just a patient's inner child coming out. Doctors have sensed for centuries that many diseases actually do get worse at night, and science has begun to confirm this impression. The emotions nighttime elicits, although they certainly do not help matters, are not primarily to blame. Instead, it is the body's internal chemicals and...

Curing Chronic Illness Can Be Used To Destroy Either Political Party Ladies and Gentlemen: I present to you the world's longest running, and greatest, medical blunder, the cures for incurable diseases, and the Second Coming of Christ. There are 120 million American's with chronic illness. In 1997, researchers at Yale University were studying the clustering of autoimmune disorders in 84 families with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APLA). They stated then that if they knew what caused APLA they would know a lot more about many of the other chronic illnesses. At the same time, I was searching the Internet for information...

Move over vitamins A, B, C and E. It is beginning to look like the long ignored vitamin D is every bit as important for preventing disease as you are. New research makes the case that vitamin D helps protect older women against rheumatoid arthritis -- an autoimmune joint disorder of unknown cause. Recent studies have also linked deficiencies of vitamin D to other disorders such as certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and even unexplained pain but its role in human autoimmune disease is less clear. The studies are far from conclusive, but researcher Michael Holick, MD, says there is...

Research After Meeting With Knights Of ColumbusTORONTO, June 10, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Soon after LifeSite News published an expose on The Arthritis Society (TAS), revealing a position paper and statements by TAS President and CEO Denis Morrice in support of funding embryonic stem cell research, the Knights of Columbus met with TAS. The Knights of Columbus (KofC) of Ontario, which has given the organization some $15 million, expressed its concerns to members of the TAS Medical Research Advisory Committee at a May 27 meeting. In a June letter to all Grand Knights in Ontario, KofC Ontario State Deputy Robert Cayea,...

Shellfish diet found to benefit dogs with arthritis By Steve Connor 09 September 2002 Dogs fed on a shellfish diet have fewer problems with arthritis, according to a study showing that the New Zealand green-lipped mussel can alleviate canine aches and pains. Scientists have found that powdered extracts of the mussels, when added to a dog's normal food, allow those suffering from osteoarthritis to live more normal lives after six weeks of treatment. The results, to be presented at the festival this week, show that painful swelling and inflammation improved in four out of five dogs fed on the diet....

Arthritis cause 'identified'Scientists claim to have discovered a cause for the debilitating condition rheumatoid arthritis. US researchers suggest it could be because the body stops being able to deal with naturally occurring carbohydrates properly. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 387,000 people in the UK, is characterised by inflamed joints and can lead to severe damage. There have been advances in the treatment of RA, but less is known about potential causes. " It is difficult to distinguish what is cause and effect when it comes to looking at the autoimmune responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis " Arthritis Research Campaign...