The first two groups of patients have been enrolled in a Phase 2a clinical trial that’s testing the cannabidiol-derived medication EHP-101 in people with systemic scleroderma (SSc), the therapy’s developer Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals (EHP) announced. Interim results are expected next year, according to EHP. Participants are currently…
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…
The case of a 14-year-old boy with diabetes provided a starting point for a finding of juvenile systemic sclerosis (SSc): the limited joint mobility evident in the boy’s fingers can be an initial sign of underlying SSc, the report’s researchers suggested. Although “the coexistence of diabetes with juvenile systemic sclerosis…
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.
A protein called Thy-1 is present at higher levels in the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) than in healthy skin, and the more Thy-1, the worse the disease, a study has found. When researchers modeled the disease in lab animals, they observed that mice lacking Thy-1 had…
The experimental therapy MT-7117 reduces lung inflammation, skin fibrosis (scarring), and blood vessel impairment in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study found. “MT-7117 demonstrates disease-modifying effects in preclinical models of SSc,” the researchers wrote. “The results of the present study suggest that MT-7117 is a potential…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the experimental therapy efzofitimod fast track status as a potential treatment for interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The designation is given to speed up the development and review of therapies designed to treat serious health conditions.
A ranked list of genes in the skin may provide a molecular barcode, or signature, for subtypes of systemic sclerosis (SSc) that would otherwise be missed by the usual methods of diagnosing this disease, a study reported. The finding breaks further ground toward the use of a new classification scheme…
Levels of a type of immune cell called T-cells are elevated in skin biopsies from children with localized scleroderma, a new study shows. The study showed that T-cells from pediatric localized scleroderma patients can promote scar-forming activity in skin cells when grown together in a laboratory culture. Researchers also…
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