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A high-fat diet and long-term exposure to air pollution are both associated with worse outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a study shows. The study, “Effect of food intake and ambient air pollution exposure on ankylosing spondylitis disease activity,” was published in the journal Advances…

Madeline Collin, a 24-year-old activist with Gaucher disease, worries that patients like her will suffer deeply if Britain leaves the European Union (EU), as scheduled, at the end of this month. Collin is an expert on the subject. For her University of Bathdissertation, she analyzed Brexit’s long-term impact…

Anti-TNF alpha therapy is able to significantly restore ankylosing spondylitis patients’ capacity to exercise after a treatment period of four months, a small study suggests. After treatment, patients in the study improved in objective measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, such as peak oxygen uptake during exercise, maximum work…

High levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation, at the onset of back pain can help predict which patients go on to develop ankylosing spondylitis, a study shows. The study, “Baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts the risk of incident ankylosing spondylitis: Results of a community-based prospective study,”…

Rare diseases affect about 30 million Americans — roughly the same number as those with type 2 diabetes. Yet only 5 percent of the estimated 7,000 rare diseases known to science have cures or treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Raising awareness of those illnesses and highlighting…

Treatment with anti-TNF-alpha therapies can lead to improved lumbar spine curvature and better clinical outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, study shows. The study, “Radiologic parameters of ankylosing spondylitis patients treated with anti-TNF-α versus nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and sulfasalazine,” was published in the European Spine Journal.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients have a more than 50% increased risk of developing blood vessel clots, according to a population-based Canadian study. “Clinicians should have an increased awareness of this complication so that they can provide the best care possible to their patients,” Antonio Aviña-Zubieta, PhD, a senior scientist…

The world’s biggest gathering of rare disease researchers, patient groups, pharmaceutical executives, and government officials is planned for April 10–12 in a Washington, D.C., suburb. Some 1,200 people have already registered to attend the World Orphan Drug Congress (WODC) USA 2019, set to take place at the Gaylord National Harbor…

About 100 scientists, researchers, pharmaceutical executives, and others will converge on Austria’s capital city early next month for the 2nd International Congress on Advanced Treatments in Rare Diseases. The March 4-5 meeting, to take place at the Hilton Am Stadtpark Vienna, features 27 speakers on a variety of disorders…

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…