Ankylosing spondylitis
UK reform essential in care of people with arthritis
Widespread reform is needed to enable high quality care planning for people in the UK with long-term conditions, such as arthritis, says a Health Committee report. The settings discussed include home, hospitals and specialist care.
Services for rheumatology patients should be maintained across all settings and cannot simply be moved into the community, according to evidence submitted to the Health Committee by The British Society for Rheumatology. The report reads: Continue reading
Exercise produces molecular changes that suppress inflammation in rheumatic disease
Taking exercise can decrease inflammation in localised regions and around the entire body, says research presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress. The study adds to the growing body of evidence that highlights that exercise can help achieve clinical efficacy in rheumatic disease.
The current work looked at the detailed physiological changes created by exercise and their impact on inflammation. Studies on mice found that exercise generates a true biological response and leads to molecular changes that stimulate anti-inflammatory effects. Continue reading
New survey says 70% of people with arthritis live in constant pain
The enduring pain experienced by many people with arthritis is highlighted in a recent survey from Arthritis Care, released today to herald the start of Arthritis Care Week (Monday 19th – Sunday 25th May).
A total of 2,008 people with arthritis answered questions that aimed to assess their experience and real-life implications of pain. Results indicated that: Continue reading
Being active at any age helps heart health says new study – and how to exercise with arthritis
Being physically active in old age can help reduce the risk of a heart attack, according to new research published in Circulation.
Scientists studied the function of hearts in people over the age of 65 years. They found that those who remained active, or who boosted the amount of exercise they did, had a lower risk of heart problems. Continue reading
Human cartilage grown in lab conditions for the first time
Scientists have successfully grown fully functional human cartilage from human stem cells derived from fat tissue, says research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Previous work has seen researchers make cartilage using young animal cells, but until now nobody has been able to reproduce the results using adult human stem cells from bone marrow or fat (the most practical stem cell source).
Now a team from Columbia Engineering in the US has used a different tissue-engineering approach and successfully grown cartilage with high lubricative properties and compressive strength. Continue reading
