In recognition of Rare Disease Day Feb. 29, Bionews Services launched a social media campaign last month asking patients to describe what makes them rare. Running Feb. 7–29, the #WhatMakesMeRare campaign was aimed at uplifting people with rare diseases by encouraging them to share their stories and perspectives. The…
An educational program done in small, local, and peer-led groups, called the Chronic Disease Self‐Management Program, was seen as helpful by African-American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), improving their diet, ability to exercise, and their adherence to treatment, a study suggests. The study, “Exploring…
More stringent thresholds in the Cutaneous Lupus Activity and Severity Index (CLASI), a common tool to assess disease progression and treatment response in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), can better identify patients with clinical improvements, a study reports. Its findings also suggest that people who develop CLE early in…
Enzo Biochem’s investigational compound SK1‑I lessened autoimmune and inflammatory responses, including in the kidney, in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus lupus (SLE). SK1-I was beneficial when given to mice not only before but also after disease onset, providing evidence that it may be a potential effective…
While people with systemic lupus erythematous lupus (SLE) are experiencing fewer eye complications directly linked to the disease, treatment-induced eye toxicity and age-related eye complications are becoming more frequent, a single-center study shows. The study, “Ocular involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: a paradigm shift based…
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are more common in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus than those without the chronic autoimmune disease, and pose an increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure later in life, a large Swedish study shows. The study, “Maternal hypertensive…
Early studies of an endocannabinoid-based treatment for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) showed that it eased skin lesions, according to Hoth Therapeutics, which developed the therapy. Endocannabinoids are cannabis-like molecules naturally produced by the human body, with effects…
People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who received more quality clinical care report lower disease activity, slower accumulation of disease-related damage, and a higher physical health-related quality of life, a study finds. The analysis identified parameters that led to improved self-reported health outcomes,…
The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) has launched an international grant program to unravel the complexity of lupus and to bring more focus to personalized treatments. Called the Global Team Science Award, the program will provide up to three grants, totaling up to $3 million each, over three years.
Elevated blood levels of a marker called galectin-9 may help identify people with systemic lupus erythematous lupus (SLE) who have more active disease and organ damage, a study suggests. The study “Galectin-9 as a biomarker for disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus” was published in the journal…