Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The levels of three blood proteins — endostatin, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) beta subunit — may help predict the risk of progression from early to definite systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a new study. “In particular, endostatin was the protein most strongly associated with…

COVID-19 prompted blood vessel damage and a reduced blood flow to the limbs — a condition known as ischemia — in a girl with scleroderma (SSc), a case report described. The girl was ultimately discharged from the hospital after four weeks of inpatient treatment with blood vessel wideners known…

Moderate doses of oral prednisolone, a corticosteroid, given for a short period may help to ease symptoms in people with early diffuse cutaneous scleroderma (dcSSc), a Phase 2 trial suggests. The study, intended to assess whether moderate dose of corticosteroids are safe and effective for early dcSSc, was affected…

People who were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are at greater risk for developing autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma (SSc), according to a large study. The findings support recent evidence that viral infections may increase the likelihood of autoimmune conditions, although the mechanisms remain unknown. “It is…

A Phase 2a clinical trial testing the oral cannabidiol-derived medication EHP-101 in people with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis can proceed to the higher dose groups, the therapy candidate’s developer Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals (EHP) announced. The study is taking place in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, as well as…

A 42-year-old man with scleroderma responded well to a second stem cell transplant after experiencing a disease relapse with lung involvement following his initial transplant, according to a recent report. Improvements in skin thickening and lung function were quickly seen, and the patient was still in remission two years…

In a real-world study, the systemic sclerosis (SSc) medication RoActemra (tocilizumab) failed to significantly lessen skin and lung scarring compared with standard of care treatment. RoActemra, an approved immunosuppressant therapy for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), showed no statistically significant differences in efficacy in treating patients in this…

The release of CXCL10 — an inflammatory signaling molecule associated with a worse prognosis in scleroderma — from connective tissue cells and those lining blood vessel walls was significantly weakened with iloprost, a recent study reports. These findings showcase the added benefits of iloprost, commonly used to widen blood vessels…

Being male is linked with a higher risk of mortality among patients with scleroderma, irrespective of the type of autoantibody they carry, according to an analysis from two large databases. The study, “Sex-specific risk of anti-topoisomerase antibodies on mortality and disease severity in systemic sclerosis: 10-year…

The levels of certain metabolites — molecules that take part in metabolism — circulating in the blood may help differentiate pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to scleroderma (SSc-PAH) from idiopathic PAH, a new study shows. The “metabolic signature” correlated with worse disease severity in PAH tied to SSc.