Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) lowered lung inflammation and disease-related alterations to blood vessels in the lungs in a mouse model of scleroderma (SSc), a study reports. “Our study provides compelling evidence of the positive effects of ATO treatment on lung function in a mouse model of SSc,” researchers wrote in…

Treatment with iguratimod, an anti-inflammatory medication, reduced fibrosis (scarring) in cell and mouse models of scleroderma, a study from China reports. An approved therapy in that country, “iguratimod is a promising disease-modifying drug with an anti-fibrotic effect,” the researchers wrote. “It is reasonable to further investigate the efficacy of…

People with scleroderma who report more severe disease symptoms tend to be younger and nonwhite, a new study reports. The study, “Patterns of patient-reported symptoms and association with sociodemographic and systemic sclerosis disease characteristics: a scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort cross-sectional study,” was published in …

People with scleroderma tend to have lower levels of an anti-inflammatory signaling molecule called interleukin-35 (IL-35), a study reports. Patients with lower IL-35 levels tend to have more skin scarring, according to “Impaired Regulation by IL-35 in Systemic Sclerosis,” which was published in the International…

About 40% of systemic scleroderma (SSc) patients have subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (SCA), or the buildup of fatty deposits called plaques in the arteries that supply the heart without causing overt symptoms, according to a study in Italy. Data also showed that most patients who experienced a major cardiovascular event…

Baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory therapy approved to treat some forms of inflammatory arthritis, showed promising effects in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated lung disease. “This study demonstrates that baricitinib successfully attenuates bleomycin-induced injury and fibrosis of the skin and lung,” the researchers wrote in “Crosstalk between…

Analyzing the color of red blood cells could help predict survival outcomes among people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study shows. The study, “Hypochromic red cells as a prognostic indicator of survival among patients with systemic sclerosis screened for pulmonary hypertension,” was published in Arthritis…

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who have more severe digestive problems tend to have less diversity in the makeup of bacteria living in their gut, a new study reports. Certain bacterial species, including Lactobacillus — present in commercially available probiotics — are more abundant in SSc patients with more…

Epigenetic changes in immune cells from African American women with systemic sclerosis (SSc) may differ from those in patients in of European ancestry, a study reported. The finding “underscores the importance of research in patients with diverse clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, and of integrating genetic and social factors, to…

A new study shows that UVA1 phototherapy — a treatment strategy that uses specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light — may work to reduce scarring in scleroderma by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). This finding implies that activating the AhR protein may offer therapeutic benefits in the chronic autoimmune…