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A Brazilian study makes a connection between income, lupus progression and lupus outcomes. The less income a person has, the more likely that their disease will progress faster and that they will have a poor outcome, according to the research, which confirmed a California study’s results. Other factors that the…

Interferon-gamma, an endogenous regulator of immune responses, is associated with reduced cerebral volume in lupus patients, a new Brazilian study shows. The study, “Interferon-γ Is Associated with Cerebral Atrophy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,” appeared…

The survival rates of adults and children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not increased in the past 20 years, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis. The study, “Survival in adults and children with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis…

Damage to small tubes in the kidneys and the tissue that surrounds them is a strong predictor that lupus nephritis patients will develop an end-stage renal disease, a New York study indicates. The research, which appeared in the journal Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism, was titled “…

A new study suggests that the protein Nogo-a, known to limit the recovery of neurons after injury, is involved in the development of neurophsychiatric lupus (NPSLE).

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases — a risk that they share with patients who have other chronic inflammatory conditions, according to a study published in the journal Heart. Those taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids appeared to have a particularly…

A European initiative called SHARE has issued new international guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). The recommendations are expected to support uniform, high-quality care for children with the disease. The study, “European evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of childhood-onset…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to the investigative therapy blisibimod for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), according to Anthera Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s developer. IgAN, or Berger’s disease, is the main cause of primary glomerulonephritis — inflammation of the kidneys — associated with…

Re-engineering a class of immune cells called dendritic cells (DCs) toward self-tolerance for many of the antigens underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat lupus patients and other autoimmune diseases, according to a recent study. Findings from the study, “Autologous tolerogenic dendritic…

In a novel approach to better understand factors affecting clinical trials, researchers conducted clinical trial simulations focusing on African-American and lower-income populations. Almost half of all clinical trials are unable to recruit their target sample size. Additionally, dropout of patients during the trial can be as high as 30 percent.