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A specific type of MRI called diffusion-weighted imaging is sensitive enough to identify patients with early signs of axial spondyloarthritis, a study has f0und. Results of the study, “Diffusion-weighted Imaging Is a Sensitive and Specific Magnetic Resonance Sequence in the Diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis,” were published in…

Treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with Humira (adalimumab) or a potential biosimilar called IBI303 had comparable effects in reducing disease activity and improving quality of life, and showed a similar safety profile, according to a Phase 3 trial in China. The study, “IBI303, a biosimilar…

Baduanjin qigong training, a traditional Chinese exercise, may reduce fatigue and morning stiffness in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to a recent pilot study. The results, “A 12-week Baduanjin Qigong exercise improves symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis: A randomized controlled trial,” were published in the journal…

Eli Lilly‘s Taltz (ixekizumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS), also known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Taltz is a biological therapy, or a biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD), that blocks…

Developing gene therapies for rare diseases is one thing. Creating gene-edited “designer babies” is quite another. German legal expert Timo Minssen outlined the potentially explosive ethical landmines surrounding such issues during a recent talk at the New York Genome Center. Minssen directs the Center for Advanced Studies in…

Rare diseases deeply affect not only the children who experience them, but also their healthy brothers and sisters, as their parents can attest.    Two entries in November’s “Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival” will focus on what siblings go through, according to the San Francisco festival’s co-founder,…

A physical intervention program based on pilates training may be beneficial for people with ankylosing spondylitis, a study finds. The research, “One Year of Pilates Training for Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Pilot Study,” was published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is…

Mild hearing loss is common among people with ankylosing spondylitis, particularly in older patients regardless of disease severity, researchers have found. The study, “Hearing loss in ankylosing spondylitis,” was published in the International…

Ankylosing spondylitis places a large financial burden on the German healthcare system, especially the costs of certain medications and patient hospitalizations, a study finds. The results, “Ankylosing spondylitis causes high burden to patients and the healthcare system: results from a German claims database analysis,” were published in…

Imagine living your whole life with a painful disease so rare that only 25 others worldwide have what you have. And that you’re one of just six such people who’ve made it to adulthood. Neena Nizar doesn’t have to imagine. The 41-year-old English professor at Metro Community College in Elkhorn,…