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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…

Skin symptoms not due to fibrosis or scarring among people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) sine scleroderma can associate with damage to internal organs, particularly the heart, according to a large data study. Among these symptoms, skin telangiectasias — marked by small blood vessels that widen near the skin’s…

Seven genes were identified as potential drivers of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a bioinformatics study, and may offer opportunities for use as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data using computers. The study, “Hub genes, diagnostic model, and predicted…

A type of cell death called ferroptosis and the genes related to it may play a role in systemic sclerosis (SSc), meaning they could be used as potential targets to treat the disease, a bioinformatics study suggests. The study, “Comprehensive analysis of ferroptosis-related hub gene signatures as a…

A protein called GRB2 is found in higher levels in cells lining the skin’s blood vessels of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) than in those of healthy individuals, meaning that GRB2 could be a potential target to treat the disease, a study suggests. Researchers observed that salvianolic acid B,…

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have a wide range of support and information needs, regardless of their disease duration, a survey found. Patients with less time since diagnosis had greater needs overall and in areas of learning how to manage their condition and how to cope psychologically and socially.

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…

Aisa Pharma has launched the second part of its Phase 2a trial evaluating Profervia (cilnidipine) — an oral medication that showed positive safety and efficacy data in the study’s first part — as a treatment for Raynaud’s phenomenon in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Raynaud’s is…

The European Commission (EC) has given orphan drug designation to efzofitimod as a potential treatment of systemic sclerosis, also known as SSc or scleroderma, aTyr Pharma, the therapy’s developer, announced in a press release. The EC’s decision provides the company with certain incentives, such as fee reductions and…

A physiotherapy program improved sexual function and quality of life, while also preventing the deterioration in functional ability in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study in the Czech Republic reports. The eight-week program consisted of a one-hour session, twice weekly, of targeted physiotherapy according to the patients’ needs.