About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage deterioration.

A new study from MIT suggests that a steroid drug currently used to treat inflammatory diseases could also prevent osteoarthritis from ever developing in those people, if given soon after the injury.

“In essence, it’s repurposing an existing drug,” says Alan Grodzinsky, senior author of the study, a professor of biological, mechanical and electrical engineering, and the director of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering.

Grodzinsky and his colleagues report their findings in the Sept. 2 issue of the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. Other authors of the paper are Yihong Lu, a recent MIT biological engineering PhD recipient, and Christopher Evans, the Maurice Edmond Mueller Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Severe joint injuries are more common in younger people, who are likelier to participate in sports such as basketball or skiing in which they are at a higher risk of tearing ligaments such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Military service and car accidents are also common sources of joint injuries in young people.

In most cases, the patient is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling. Weeks or months later, they might have surgery to stabilize the joint.

In about 50 percent of those cases, the patient’s cartilage steadily breaks down after the injury, eventually leading to arthritis, says Martin Lotz, professor of molecular and experimental medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, who was not involved in this study. Currently there is no way to prevent this cartilage degradation.

“There’s an opportunity here,” Lotz says of the MIT strategy of immediate intervention. “If you go in during this time, you would not only improve joint pain and swelling, you could actually reduce the risk of arthritis developing.”

In the new study, the MIT researchers tested the effects of glucocorticoids — steroids that can help reduce swelling and pain in arthritic joints. Doctors have been prescribing such drugs to treat chronic rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly for decades.

The researchers experimented on human and bovine cartilage tissue. First they damaged the tissue, then flooded it with inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which are typically released after a joint injury. Cytokines hasten cartilage breakdown.

In damaged tissue treated immediately with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, cartilage breakdown was halted. The drug also worked when given a day or two after the injury, which is important because people who suffer joint injuries might not get to see a doctor right away, Grodzinsky says.

The researchers don’t yet know if dexamethasone could reverse cartilage damage that has already occurred, but plan to test that in future studies. They are also planning animal studies to determine how many joint treatments are necessary to maintain the protective effect. If those animal studies yield positive results, the findings could be rapidly translated to human treatments, Grodzinsky says, because the drug is already approved for human use.

The research team also investigated how dexamethasone exerts its protective effects. Though the process is not yet fully understood, they found some evidence that it blocks the degradation of aggrecan, a protein-carbohydrate complex that is a major structural and biomechanically functional component of cartilage. Appropriate drug delivery localized to joint cartilage is also under study.
This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.

Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news : web)

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I have a friend who collects these and I found one that depicts leopards and gave it to her for her birthday. I don't particularly.....

Though the process is not yet fully understood, they found some evidence that it blocks the degradation of aggrecan, a protein-carbohydrate complex that is a major structural and biomechanically functional component of cartilage. Doctors have been prescribing such drugs to treat chronic rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly for decades. The drug also worked when given a day or two after the injury, which is important because people who suffer joint injuries might not get to see a doctor right away, Grodzinsky says.” In the new study, the MIT researchers tested the effects of glucocorticoids — steroids that can help reduce swelling and pain in arthritic joints. They are also planning animal studies to determine how many joint treatments are necessary to maintain the protective effect. If those animal studies yield positive results, the findings could be rapidly translated to human treatments, Grodzinsky says, because the drug is already approved for human use. “In essence, it’s repurposing an existing drug,” says Alan Grodzinsky, senior author of the study, a professor of biological, mechanical and electrical engineering, and the director of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering. 2 issue of the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news : web) Unknown Host . First they damaged the tissue, then flooded it with inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which are typically released after a joint injury. Grodzinsky and his colleagues report their findings in the Sept. Cytokines hasten cartilage breakdown. About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage deterioration. Weeks or months later, they might have surgery to stabilize the joint. In most cases, the patient is treated with non-steroidal . It's called First Trolley to Van Nuys and shows the center of a town filled with people. It is done in vibrant colors and also depicts the buildings in the market like an ice cream parlor and the Hotel Van Nuys. If she could kick the ball they way she liked to kick me in the knee, I'd see to it she played for my team every time. It's called Alligator Fisher and I'm thinking about getting because it reminds me of my cajun heritage, most of my family is from Louisiana. I don't know whose smile is bigger, the one in the painting or the one on my face every time I look at it.One of my favorite paintings was done in 1962 by Bill Dodge. I have a friend who collects these and I found one of a woman reclining in a hammock. It's pretty funny to me that when we were growing up, she'd cry because she wasn't allowed to play football with the boys and I used to tease her relentlessly and pull her pigtails whenever I got the chance. When she died, she left me the painting and it hangs in a place of honor over my fireplace mantle.There is a water scene that I really like painted in 1940. I don't particularly care for his art.My sister also shares my love for folk art. Still, they are a joy to behold.Another painting that I admire is called Howard in 1944.There is a subcategory of folk art paintings that depict the world of black Americans. One of my favorites that she had was done by John Roeder. It's a beautiful painting but it's just too depressing to hang anywhere. She favors animal prints, and I found one that depicts leopards and gave it

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About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage deterioration.

A new study from MIT suggests that a steroid drug currently used to treat inflammatory diseases could also prevent osteoarthritis from ever developing in those people, if given soon after the injury.

“In essence, it’s repurposing an existing drug,” says Alan Grodzinsky, senior author of the study, a professor of biological, mechanical and electrical engineering, and the director of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering.

Grodzinsky and his colleagues report their findings in the Sept. 2 issue of the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. Other authors of the paper are Yihong Lu, a recent MIT biological engineering PhD recipient, and Christopher Evans, the Maurice Edmond Mueller Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Severe joint injuries are more common in younger people, who are likelier to participate in sports such as basketball or skiing in which they are at a higher risk of tearing ligaments such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Military service and car accidents are also common sources of joint injuries in young people.

In most cases, the patient is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling. Weeks or months later, they might have surgery to stabilize the joint.

In about 50 percent of those cases, the patient’s cartilage steadily breaks down after the injury, eventually leading to arthritis, says Martin Lotz, professor of molecular and experimental medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, who was not involved in this study. Currently there is no way to prevent this cartilage degradation.

“There’s an opportunity here,” Lotz says of the MIT strategy of immediate intervention. “If you go in during this time, you would not only improve joint pain and swelling, you could actually reduce the risk of arthritis developing.”

In the new study, the MIT researchers tested the effects of glucocorticoids — steroids that can help reduce swelling and pain in arthritic joints. Doctors have been prescribing such drugs to treat chronic rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly for decades.

The researchers experimented on human and bovine cartilage tissue. First they damaged the tissue, then flooded it with inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which are typically released after a joint injury. Cytokines hasten cartilage breakdown.

In damaged tissue treated immediately with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, cartilage breakdown was halted. The drug also worked when given a day or two after the injury, which is important because people who suffer joint injuries might not get to see a doctor right away, Grodzinsky says.

The researchers don’t yet know if dexamethasone could reverse cartilage damage that has already occurred, but plan to test that in future studies. They are also planning animal studies to determine how many joint treatments are necessary to maintain the protective effect. If those animal studies yield positive results, the findings could be rapidly translated to human treatments, Grodzinsky says, because the drug is already approved for human use.

The research team also investigated how dexamethasone exerts its protective effects. Though the process is not yet fully understood, they found some evidence that it blocks the degradation of aggrecan, a protein-carbohydrate complex that is a major structural and biomechanically functional component of cartilage. Appropriate drug delivery localized to joint cartilage is also under study.
This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.

Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news : web)

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