Recurrent lupus nephritis less frequent after kidney transplant

Recurrent lupus nephritis less frequent after kidney transplant

Lupus nephritis is recurring less frequently among patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo kidney transplant, possibly due to improved immunosuppression, according to data presented by Debendra N. Pattanaik, MBBS, MD, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.Lupus nephritis is recurring less frequently among patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo kidney transplant, possibly due to improved immunosuppression, according to data presented by Debendra N. Pattanaik, MBBS, MD, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Naturally Produced Fat Molecules Could Help Treat Lupus

Naturally Produced Fat Molecules Could Help Treat Lupus

Nitro-fatty acids — a type of fatty molecule naturally produced in the body — could act as natural inhibitors of the stimulator of IFN genes (STING), a protein involved in inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study.

The study, “Nitro-fatty acids are formed in response to virus infection and are potent inhibitors of STING palmitoylation and signaling,” was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

Lupus patients benefited from bioelectronic medicine treatment

Lupus patients benefited from bioelectronic medicine treatment

A pilot clinical trial showed that bioelectronic medicine treatment was effective in reducing fatigue and pain in lupus patients. The researchers also saw a decrease in arthritis. A pilot study is a small-scale preliminary study that examines the feasibility of an approach that researchers intend to use in a larger scale study.

Organs are not just bystanders, may be active participants in fighting autoimmune disease

Organs are not just bystanders, may be active participants in fighting autoimmune disease

Organs affected by autoimmune disease could be fighting back by "exhausting" immune cells that cause damage using methods similar to those used by cancer cells to escape detection, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Ustekinumab: a promising new drug for SLE?

Ustekinumab: a promising new drug for SLE?

In The Lancet, Ronald van Vollenhoven and colleagues report a positive multicentre double-blind phase 2 randomised, placebo-controlled trial with ustekinumab, an anti-interleukin-12/23 (IL-12/23) monoclonal antibody, in 102 patients aged 18–75 years with active systemic lupus erythematosus (93 women and nine men).

Heart Disease Less Likely in Lupus Patients in Remission for 5 or More Years

Heart Disease Less Likely in Lupus Patients in Remission for 5 or More Years

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in remission for five or more years are at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those with shorter remission times or who fail to enter remission, a retrospective study reports.

The study, “Prolonged remission is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale) study,” was published in Clinical Rheumatology.

Transplantation of Placenta Cells May Halt Inflammation in Lupus Patients

Transplantation of Placenta Cells May Halt Inflammation in Lupus Patients

The transplantation of human placental cells was found to suppress immune and inflammatory responses in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), suggesting a potential new therapeutic strategy for lupus, a study shows.

The study, “Therapeutic effect of human amniotic epithelial cells in murine models of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Systemic lupus erythematosus,” was published in the journal Cytotherapy.