News

Emodin, a plant compound used in traditional Chinese medicine, has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic properties that, when combined with autophagy inhibitors, may be a promising therapeutic strategy to alleviate symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, a study reports. The study, “Emodin induces apoptosis and autophagy of fibroblasts obtained from…

Levels of a tiny RNA molecule, called miR-214, correlate with ankylosing spondylitis disease activity and may be used as a noninvasive biomarker in diagnosing the disease, a study has found. The study, “Serum miR‐214 as a novel biomarker for ankylosing spondylitis,” was published in the International Journal…

The risk for developing overall dementia and Alzheimer’s disease dementia is higher in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to a nationwide study in South Korea. The study, “Relationship between dementia and ankylosing spondylitis: A nationwide, population-based, retrospective longitudinal cohort study,” was published in the journal…

Scores of events are afoot worldwide to mark Feb. 28, Rare Disease Day 2019. The activities aim to raise awareness about rare diseases and the millions of people — estimates run as high as 350 million — they are thought to impact. Across countries, patients, caregivers and advocates will paint faces, wear…

Determining blood levels of two proteins — osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL) — may help identify patients at risk of having ankylosing spondylitis, a review study suggests. However, these potential biomarkers should be used carefully as they could be influenced by race, inflammatory factors,…

Long-term treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors improves bone mineral density (BMD) but does not affect the progression of vertebral fractures in people with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a study. The study, “Long‐term Treatment with TNF‐alpha Inhibitors Improves Bone Mineral Density But Not Vertebral Fracture Progression in Ankylosing…

Analyzing the circulating levels of a specific RNA molecule, known as MEG3, may be used as a reliable and effective biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of ankylosing spondylitis patients, a study has found. The study, “lncRNA MEG3 is downregulated in ankylosing spondylitis…

People with ankylosing spondylitis have diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to the general population, a Swedish study shows. The study, “Factors related to health-related quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis, overall and stratified by sex,” was published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Approximately 10 to 23 percent of people with ankylosing spondylitis have hip joint involvement that can be managed with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-alpha) blocking therapy, a study shows. The study, “High prevalence of hip involvement and decrease in inflammatory ultrasound lesions…

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients younger than 40 and those treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are at a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, a population study shows. These results support the need for…