News

Richard Burt, MD, of Northwestern University is looking to harness the power of autologous, patient-derived stem cells for the treatment of systemic sclerosis. His previous work in a clinical trial with scleroderma motivated a new phase 3 clinical trial, entitled “…

New research on musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) hand features in systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) entitled “A comparative study between ultrasonographic hand features in systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis patients: Relation to disease activity, clinical and radiological findings” was recently published in the…

In a recent study entitled “Scleroderma renal crisis,” the authors summarize the most recent findings related to scleroderma renal crisis, a serious but treatable complication of systemic sclerosis. The study was published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. Scleroderma (or systemic…

Researchers at Cairo University in Egypt recently published in The Egyptian Rheumatologist journal their findings on auditory dysfunction observed in systemic sclerosis patients. The study is entitled “Otolith function assessment in patients with systemic sclerosis.” Systemic sclerosis, also known as…

In a study entitled “A Case Report of Living-donor Lobar Lung Transplantation for Scleroderma-associated Usual Interstitial Pneumonia: Eight Years and Counting” researchers suggest living-donor lobar lung transplantation as a viable alternative for critically ill patients with scleroderma-associated usual interstitial pneumonia. The study was…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore investigated the association between autoantibodies, the risk of developing cancer and the possible link between cancer and scleroderma. The study is entitled “Examination of autoantibody status and clinical features that associate with cancer…

In a recent study entitled “Decreased numbers of endothelial progenitor cells in patients in the early stages of systemic sclerosis,” the authors report that systemic sclerosis patients at early disease stages carry fewer endothelial progenitor cells, thus, being more prone to vascular complications. The study was published…

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is recruiting Refractory Systemic Sclerosis Patients between 8 to 18 years of age for a Phase I/II pilot trial of the drug Campath-1H (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01639573) to address whether prolonged administration of the drug can result in immunoablation. Campath-1H is a trade name…

Evidence is unclear about why some patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) respond to treatment while others do not. However, a research team from Dartmouth was able to identify various biological pathways that are involved in different subsets of systemic sclerosis. Results from the research were published in two articles: the…

Findings from a recent study in mice suggest that neonatal colonization of gut microbiota influences generalized autoimmunity in adult life, which may have implications for conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Specifically, researchers from Ghent University Hospital in Belgium found that when there is an increase in the levels of…