Journal of

Rheumatic Diseases and TreatmentISSN: 2469-5726

Archive

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510007

Individualized Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Care Means more than Achieving a Number

Burkhard F. Leeb

Article Type: Commentary | First Published: March 03, 2015

The therapeutic scope of inflammatory rheumatic diseases and of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in particular, has increased dramatically over the last twenty years leading to incredibly better chances for the patients. Simultaneously disease activity assessment has become more and more important, not only to document the patient's disease course, but also for justifying the application of potentially dangerous and expensive remedies....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510006

Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Marcelo Fernandez Casares

Article Type: Editorial | First Published: March 02, 2015

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) also known as Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease (DPLD), include a large group of lung diseases characterized by various patterns of inflammation and fibrosis on high-resolution CT and in lung biopsy....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510005

Suppression of Experimental Arthritis through AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Activation and Autophagy Modulation

Huimin Yan, Hui-Fang Zhou, Ying Hu and Christine T.N. Pham

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: February 28, 2015

Autophagy plays a central role in various disease processes. However, its contribution to inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unclear. We observed that autophagy is engaged in the K/BxN serum transfer model of RA but autophagic flux is severely impaired. Metformin is an anti-diabetic drug that has been shown to stimulate autophagy. Induction of autophagic flux, through metformin-mediated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and interruption of mammalian target...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510004

Non-Operative Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: Fear the Future?

Eduardo Branco de Sousa

Article Type: Editorial | First Published: February 23, 2015

Non-operative treatment of knee osteoarthritis has gained special interest between patients and orthopedic surgeons, not only to alleviate pain and improve function, but also to postpone joint replacements. Projections showed an increase of 673% in the number of arthroplasties to be performed in the United States through 2030....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510003

Differential Diagnosis in Upper Back Pain

Nihal Ozaras

Article Type: Editorial | First Published: February 21, 2015

Upper back pain (UBP) is the pain experienced at the thoracic spine region. Spinal pain prevalence is 66 per 100 people and15% them is UBP. Although it is so frequent, it is less studied than neck or low back pain.It can be seen at any period of life, from childhood to elderly.This article briefly describes differential diagnosis in UBP....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510002

Difficulties in Defining a Clinical Score for Acute Flare-Ups in an Osteoarthritic Knee

Hassan M Bassiouni and Ahmed A Negm

Article Type: Editorial | First Published: February 19, 2015

The basic idea of this editorial was to try to propose new techniques and laboratory measurements for future incorporation into a new score for identifying an acutely inflamed osteoarthritic knee joint. In the area of research, defining clinical status was always a hurdle to proper patient recruitment because working on quiet cases of OA with minimal to moderate pain is totally different from working on acute cases of OA with a lot of pain. Hence the problem of defining the clinical status at ti...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510001

Subchondral Bone: An Emerging Target for Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Lukas A. Holzer

Article Type: Editorial | First Published: February 15, 2015

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term chronic disease that is characterized by the deterioration of cartilage in joints resulting in stiffness, pain and impaired range of motion. OA is a disease that is associated with ageing. However, there are various factors e.g. obesity, lack of exercise, genetical abberations, occupation, trauma and gender that contribute to progression of OA. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. The World Health Organization estimates that globally 25% of adul...

Volume 1
Issue 1