(HealthDay)—Peripheral nervous system (PNS) disease is a component of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity and has a significant negative impact on health-related quality of life, according to a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology. John G. Hanly, M.D., from the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center and Dalhousie University in...
Tag: <span>Lupus</span>
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Flipping the script on novel cancer therapy leads to insights into lupus
YALE UNIVERSITY In the last decade, scientists discovered that blocking a key regulator of the immune system helped unleash the body’s natural defenses against several forms of cancer, opening up a new era of cancer immunotherapy. Now Yale scientists have essentially flipped this script and found that when impaired a molecularly similar regulator can cause...
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More than half of males with lupus report feeling depressed, receive little support
by Hospital for Special Surgery A national survey of male patients with lupus finds the illness has a significant impact on their physical and emotional health, yet they often do not receive support that could help them cope. Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City launched the nationwide survey to assess the needs of male patients...
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Hydroxychloroquine blood levels predict retinopathy risk in lupus
(HealthDay)—Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) blood levels are useful in predicting retinopathy among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study published online Sept. 18 in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Michelle Petri, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues assessed the risk for HCQ retinopathy by clinical characteristics and levels of...
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What causes numbness in the thigh?
By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA Reviewed by Nancy Hammond, MD Many factors can cause numbness in the thigh. These include keeping the legs crossed for too long, wearing tight clothing, multiple sclerosis (MS), and lupus. Treatment options depend on what is causing the numbness. From conditions affecting blood flow to damage to the nerves themselves,...
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B cells off the rails early in lupus
by Quinn Eastman, Emory University New research on the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) provides hints to the origins of the puzzling disorder. The results were published Monday in Nature Immunology. In people with SLE, their B cells—part of the immune system—are abnormally activated. That makes them produce antibodies that react against their own tissues, causing a variety of symptoms,...
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Scientific discovery may lead to a treatment for lupus
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD When there is an excessive number or hyperactivation of immune cells, very high levels of proteins known as cytokines are released, resulting in a cytokine storm that causes severe and often irreversible tissue damage. This accounts for the crippling nature of many autoimmune disorders such as lupus. Now, an international team of...
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Benlysta approved for children with lupus
(HealthDay)—The intravenous drug Benlysta (belimumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat children with lupus, a chronic disease that triggers inflammation and damages tissues and organs throughout the body. Approved for adults since 2011, Benlysta is the first lupus treatment in the United States approved for children, the agency said in a news release. “While there is no cure for lupus, treatment can help our youngest...
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Restoring this enzyme’s function protects against heart disease in lupus and beyond
The enzyme that produces nitric oxide shows promise as a new therapeutic target for heart disease in lupus, report Medical University of South Carolina researchers in Lupus Science & Medicine; it could also be relevant to heart disease more broadly MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA Patients with lupus, an inflammatory disease in which the body’s immune system...
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Reducing B cells with CAR T cells is effective treatment of experimental lupus
CD-19-targeting CAR-T cells restored proper skin structure and reduced inflammation in mouse models of lupus (bottom). Credit: R. Kansal et al., Science Translational Medicine (2019) Depleting the number of harmful B cells with a novel immunotherapy that employs modified T cells may offer an effective strategy to treat lupus, according to a new study funded...