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Exosomes, which are tiny carriers for cellular cargo, are found to have significantly different contents in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients compared with healthy people, which in turn has marked influences on immune cell function, according to a recent study. Researchers specifically identified that the profile of molecules called microRNAs…

Women with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) tend to be older and have longer, more active disease than men, a small study in Turkey has found. They also tend to have more inflammation of the enthesis, which is where a tendon or ligament inserts into the bone, and peripheral arthritis, or…

More than a dozen genes related to inflammatory cell death were found to be expressed at atypical levels in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in a new study, suggesting these genes could be used to help diagnose the disease. The analyses also identified three small molecules that may help to…

Genes involved in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as well as potential new therapies have been identified through a computer-based analysis, according to a study. The findings “contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of AS. They also provide candidate targets for the diagnosis and…

A blood test for bone disease that measures the levels of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP) may predict disease progression of ankylosing spondylitis five years before abnormalities can be observed on radiographic exams, according to a new study. “This is not only useful for finding bone-specific biomarkers that…

The effects of inflammation on the later development of new bone outgrowths in certain parts of the spine in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients are largely not explained by the intermediate formation of fatty deposits, according to a new study. The findings, which take into account data from two clinical…

Xeljanz (tofacitinib) treatment led to significant reductions in spinal inflammation in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to analyses from a Phase 2 trial. Reductions were seen in the posterolateral spine and facet joints, which are commonly affected in AS and represent important treatment targets, but are often…

Genetic analyses revealed a number of genes with altered activity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients compared with healthy people, which researchers believe could serve as novel disease biomarkers. Among them, the PPARG and MDM2 genes — both of which are involved in inflammation — were found to hold the…

Seven genes — from a pool of four dozen identified as being different in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) — may be potential genetic biomarkers for this rare type of arthritis, according to a new study done based on computer analyses. The study also uncovered several molecules that may…

Men with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are at a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than are healthy men in the general population, according to a meta-analysis of data covering nearly 400 people with AS. “Conflicting results” are evident across the reviewed work, however, and “more high-quality studies are needed in…