Virtual Rheumatology Centre Medical News

Falls a leading cause of injury-related emergency department visits for infants each year

Half of the estimated 328,500 infants 12 months of age or younger who were treated for injuries in hospital emergency departments each year from 2001 to 2004 were injured as a result of a fall, accord

Arthritis is a potential barrier to physical activity for adults with diabetes

People with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis, and the inactivity caused by arthritis hinders the successful management of both diseases, according to a new Morbidity and

The spring in your step is more than just a good mood

Scientists using a bionic boot found that during walking, the ankle does about three times the work for the same amount of energy compared to isolated muscles, in other words, the spring in your step

Monash expert warns of fall injury epidemic

A leading Monash University injury prevention expert has warned governments must act quickly to prevent a looming epidemic of fall-related deaths and injuries among elderly Victorians.

New genetic links to psoriasis

In the first comprehensive study of the genetic basis of psoriasis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered seven new sites of common DNA variation that in

New PBS listings for April 2008

Cancer patients, children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), people suffering from schizophrenia, stroke patients and the Indigenous community will benefit from changes to the Pharm

Younger age, involvement on neck or arms associated with abnormal scarring after burn injury

Sex, age, burn site, number of surgical procedures and the type of skin graft are associated with abnormal scarring following burns, according to a report in the March/April 2008 issue of Archives

Infliximab in severe active ankylosing spondylitis with spinal ankylosis
Infliximab is an anti-tumour necrosis factor monoclonal antibody, which significantly improves pain, stiffness and functional disability outcomes in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. There

Vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal fractures provides dramatic pain relief
The results of a five-year follow-up study of 884 osteoporosis patients bolster the use of vertebroplasty - an interventional radiology treatment for vertebral compression fractures - finding that the

Vegan diet promotes atheroprotective antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
A gluten-free vegan diet may improve the health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research from Karolinska Institutet. The diet has a beneficial effect on several risk factors fo

Scientists shine new light on inflammatory diseases
Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a new mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism may also shed some light

A new protein family implicated in inflammatory diseases
A University of Central Florida research team has discovered a new protein family that may play an important role in preventing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, some forms of cancer and even h

Pain in fibromyalgia is linked to changes in brain molecule
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found a key linkage between pain and a specific brain molecule, a discovery that lends new insight into fibromyalgia, an often-baffling chr

Watery pools in bone marrow key to psoriatic arthritic damage
Researchers have learned more about how a leading drug prevents certain types of arthritis from eating away at bone, according to a study published in the March edition of the Annals of the Rheuma

Some patients may be spared an unnecessary procedure by new test for joint infection
A potential diagnostic test that could help surgeons confirm or rule out the presence of infection-causing bacteria in prosthetic joints that require surgical revision has been developed by researcher