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Certain immune signaling molecules belonging to a family of proteins called cytokines were at altered levels in the blood of men with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) under treatment compared with men in the general population, a study found. Three cytokines with known pro-inflammatory functions — IL-17A, CXCL10, and CXCL16 —…

The gut microbiome, the collection of microbes that populate the intestinal tract, could influence the way people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and associated peripheral spondyloarthritis (SpA) respond to sulfasalazine — a medication commonly used to treat IBD that’s also been shown to be effective for SpA. That’s according to…

Changes in the abundance of a bacteria called Escherichia_Shigella within the digestive tract of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be related to the development of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), a new study revealed. Among the IBD patients, 1 out of every 5 had an axSpA diagnosis, and half lived…

Adding Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) when these medications aren’t working well may help adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) keep their disease activity under control, a study suggests. Because the study included only a few patients, “further prospective randomized controlled trials with large…

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at significantly higher risk for various forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA), including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a study found. But the reverse wasn’t true: Having SpA was not linked to an increased risk of developing IBD, according to the new analysis, which used genetic…

High blood levels of two microRNAs, a type of small molecule involved in controlling which genes are turned on and off in cells, may predict a poor response to TNF inhibitors in people with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a study in China. While those…

A gene called NAT10 is less active in blood cells from people with new-onset ankylosing spondylitis (AS) than in those from healthy people, suggesting it may serve as a diagnostic biomarker, a study suggests. When combined with higher levels of immune cells called neutrophils,…

Adults with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) remained on golimumab longer than any other TNF inhibitor, according to a real-world analysis of medical records. Although adalimumab (marketed as Humira and biosimilars) was the most commonly prescribed first- and second-line TNF inhibitor, patients stayed with golimumab (marketed…

The levels of circulating cell-free DNA may be a biomarker for assessing disease activity and treatment response in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The study, “Circulating cell-free DNA correlate to disease activity and treatment response of patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis”…

Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who have moderate to high disease activity and who don’t practice regular physical exercise, a study from Scandinavia reports. More physical activity and greater cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with better sleep. “The extent and magnitude of reduced sleep…