A study involving two patients has demonstrated the effects of botulinum toxin in improving the appearance of a facial abnormality known as scleroderma en coup de sabre, which is sometimes seen in linear scleroderma. Localized scleroderma is a form of scleroderma that affects only the skin. Linear scleroderma is…
AdipoRon, a therapy targeting the signaling pathways that involve the protein adiponectin, was able to reduce clinical features of systemic sclerosis (SSc), including inflammation and skin fibrosis, in a mouse model, a study shows. The study, “An orally-active adiponectin receptor agonist mitigates cutaneous fibrosis, inflammation and microvascular…
Rituximab (brand name Rituxan, among others) may be effective in treating patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis, according to a French retrospective study and literature review. Although there are several small-scale reports supporting rituximab as a treatment for systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, no large-scale studies have been conducted. Researchers found it…
Patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) endure high levels of disability, fatigue and pain, finds a new study that urges doctors to assess them “from a multidisciplinary point of view.” Although a 2011 Canadian study had looked into the the role of pain, fatigue and limited hand function…
A study of the gut bacterial composition in scleroderma patients identified unique bacterial alterations associated with clinical evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Many patients with scleroderma, also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc), suffer from gastrointestinal tract symptoms, with almost all of those with longstanding disease having upper gastrointestinal involvement. Focus has recently shifted…
Mycophenolate mofetil stabilizes the lung function of patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, or SSc-ILD, a study confirms. The stabilization occurs even when the therapy, whose short name is MMF, is administered in doses lower than those used in a previous Phase 2 clinical trial. The latest study is retrospective, which…
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