Optimizing clinical care for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) starts with understanding how disease activity affects health-related quality of life. Unless patients are able to report on their feelings and symptoms, clinicians are unable to determine how best to help their patients. Further, unless researchers determine how patients’ symptoms…

Osteoporosis, a disease of low bone mass, can occur secondary to diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While SLE itself does not seem to cause osteoporosis, chronic inflammation and long-term treatment with glucocorticoids can play a major role in inducing osteoporosis. In particular, it was shown in the article,…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of hCDR1 (Edratide) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) met its secondary endpoint, but not its first endpoint, suggesting that SLE patients may benefit from treatment. However, additional studies are required to be definitive. “A…

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can be categorized into three subsets based on disease activity: chronic active disease, relapsing-remitting disease, and clinical quiescent disease. Despite the fact that these disease definitions are based on the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) or the SLEDAI-2000, there is disagreement on the exact definitions of…

An international collaboration of scientists evaluated literature concerning the mechanism of action of epratuzumab, a monoclonal antibody currently in two Phase 3 clinical trials for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and proposed a reason for the efficacy of treatment. The antibody targets CD22 receptors on B-cells, depleting the population through signaling…

Results from a clinical trial conducted by a team at Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset demonstrate that vitamin D supplementation does not diminish the interferon (IFN) signature of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The authors attribute the lack of a response to the short time frame of treatment…

Autoimmune diseases such as acute systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have characteristically high levels of autoantibodies in afflicted patients’ serum. These antibodies are produced by antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), which are a relatively unstudied population of cells. One research group from the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, at Emory University in…

Inducing ovarian suppression in female patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is protective against ovarian failure from treatment with cyclophophamide. A clinical trial from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has established a safe dose of triptorelin that effectively achieves and maintains complete…

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display a wide range of symptoms and disease activity. Accordingly, there are a variety of therapeutic regimens designed for them. Each has its own mechanism of action, but often times patients experience the same clinical relief of symptoms. This can confound the clear choice…

A German team focused on the study of lupus recently evaluated the behavior and lifecycle of long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs), which are a part of the disease systemic lupus erythematosus. The study, “Long-lived Plasma Cells Are Early and Constantly Generated in New Zealand Black/New Zealand White…