Musculoskeletal Disorders

BALTIMORE -- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who meditated were measurably less stressed after six months than those given standard care, but the disease was no better, said investigators here.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Physical activity strengthens cartilage in the knee and protects older patients against osteoarthritis, researchers here found.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The reason that opioids seem to fizzle for fibromyalgia may be because of reduced receptor activity in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals, researchers here found.

LEIDEN, The Netherlands -- At least some cases of rheumatoid arthritis appear to be set in motion by mutations in two immunity-related genes, leading to increased susceptibility and severity of the disease.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved the osteoporosis drug raloxifene (Evista) for prevention of invasive breast cancer in high-risk or osteoporotic postmenopausal women.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Joint or muscle pain or both prompted 13% of breast cancer patients enrolled in a trial comparing exemestane (Aromasin) with letrozole (Femara) to discontinue treatment, researchers reported here.

GENEVA, Switzerland -- No individual chronic disease - not angina, not arthritis, not asthma, not diabetes -- is more disabling than depression, according to a World Health Organization study.

EAST HANOVER, N.J. -- The FDA has approved a once-yearly intravenous formulation of zoledronic acid (Reclast) for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, Novartis announced.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Smoking a single marijuana joint by a heavy user can cause bronchial damage similar to smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes, researchers reported.

CHICAGO -- Racial and ethnic differences in the rate at which older adults with arthritis become disabled by the condition may be largely a function of overall health and access to care, researchers found.

PITTSBURGH -- The risk of developing diabetes decreased 38% among rheumatoid arthritis patients taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (Plaqueril), according to a preliminary study.

SÃO PAULO, Brazil -- Men with systemic lupus erythematosus, especially those who begin treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide after puberty, are at risk for sperm abnormalities associated with infertility.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Pregabalin (Lyrica) just became the first medication approved by the FDA for fibromyalgia-related pain, but it may not work for everyone, so older treatments may still be useful.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved pregabalin (Lyrica) for the treatment of fibromyalgia, making it the first drug to earn this indication.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Ofatumumab (HuMax-CD20), an investigational fully human antibody, appears to be safe and effective for rheumatoid arthritis, researchers said here.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Rheumatoid arthritis responds more quickly to certolizumab pegol (Cimzia) than to other tumor necrosis factor-a inhibitors, researchers have found.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- When arthritis patients took extended release morphine sulfate (Avinza) on awakening, they got to sleep more easily at night and slept better and longer, researchers found.

CINCINNATI -- For treating the chronic pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, the anticonvulsant gabapentin (Neurontin) proved safe and effective, researchers here reported.

VIENNA -- Three drugs, two approved and one in the pipeline, are improving care for patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to clinicians here.

A prediction model and simple scoring form developed by Dutch rheumatologists can help physicians determine which early-arthritis patients are most likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis and should therefore receive prompt, aggressive treatment.

BOSTON, May 25 -- At relatively high daily doses, coffee -- whether regular or decaf -- may protect against gout, researchers here found.

HONG KONG -- For arthritis patients with a history of upper-GI bleeds, adding the proton pump inhibitor esomeprazole (Nexium) to celecoxib (Celebrex) significantly reduced the rate of such events, researchers reported here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A successful once-a-year drug to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis, even though administered by an IV infusion, may be welcomed by women who dislike a weekly or monthly pill, researchers here reported.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The aging population has escalated the national price tag for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions by nearly 25% in seven years, investigators here reported.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- By a vote 20 to one, FDA advisers recommended today against approval of Merck's Cox-2 inhibitor etoricoxib (Arcoxia), declaring that the cardiovascular risks of the drug outweigh its benefits for easing arthritis pain.

abstract: Hemoptysis has many causes, including bronchiectasis, lung cancer, and bronchitis. The initial goals of the history and physical examination are to differentiate hemoptysis from epistaxis and hematemesis and then to establish its severity. A variety of signs and symptoms may suggest the underlying cause. For example, hematuria suggests vasculitis or an immunologically mediated disease, such as Wegener granulomatosis or systemic lupus erythematosus. The workup includes chest radiography and measurement of hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, platelet count, international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, and creatinine level. Chest CT scanning often identifies sources of bleeding that are not apparent on radiographs and sometimes can be used in conjunction with bronchoscopy. Patients with massive hemoptysis should be hospitalized for rapid evaluation and intervention; treatment may include interventional bronchoscopy, angiography, or embolization. (J Respir Dis. 2007;28(4):139-148)

A 57-year-old woman presents with swelling of the hands that began several weeks earlier and is now worsening. She denies joint pain, and she has no history of trauma or significant vascular disease. She has had pneumonia several times; each episode was successfully treated with antibiotics. She has smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day for the past 20 years

MANCHESTER, England -- PET scans suggest that arthritis pain and fear go hand in hand, investigators here said.

LEIDEN, The Netherlands -- For early rheumatoid arthritis, aggressive combination therapy can slow progression to joint damage, investigators here found.

SYDNEY, Australia -- The swollen and twisted joints in the hands and feet from rheumatoid arthritis are associated with depression in patients who become unhappy with their physical appearance, researchers here said.