A systematic review published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests, that biological agents used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis seem to be linked with an increased risk of skin cancer. Inflammatory arthritis has been associated with an increased risk of some types of cancers, in particular with lymphoma and lung cancer but with a lower risk of other cancer types, such as bowel and breast cancers.

Researchers set out to clarify whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, i.e. drugs acting on the immune system, might affect the risk of cancer, by evaluating several clinical research databases, findings presented to the American College of Rheumatology, the European League against Rheumatism, and the British Society for Rheumatology between 1998 and 2010.

The findings were based on 21 studies and 8 conference abstracts, all complying to the strict inclusion criteria of reporting data on cancer linked to TNF inhibitors, including the monoclonal antibodies infliximab and adalimumab and the protein etanercept. In total researchers collated information on over 40,000 patients and nearly 150,000 cumulative years of exposure to these drugs.

The combined risk from seven studies for the development of any cancer revealed negligible or no increased risk, overall.

Two studies also showed no evidence of an increased cancer risk in patients taking TNF inhibitors over long-term, however, those previously diagnosed with cancer had a higher chance of being re-diagnosed with the disease, although this was not due to using TNF inhibitors.

Four studies revealed that patients treated with TNF inhibitors had a 45% higher chance of developing skin cancer other than melanoma, whereas two studies showed, that patients taking TNF inhibitors had a 79% increased risk of developing a melanoma compared with those who did not take these drugs.

The authors conclude:

"This systematic review and meta analysis provides reassurance to physicians and patients that the treatment of [rheumatoid arthritis] with TNF inhibitors does not increase the risk of malignancy, particularly lymphoma. However, it does appear to increase the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma."


Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Published in a special European Respiratory Society issue of The Lancet, two new genetic variants or loci that increase susceptibility to asthma have been identified in an international investigation. These discoveries add to the evidence that genes connected with signaling molecules (cytokines) involved in the functioning of the immune system are linked with the development of asthma. This indicates that a medication which is used currently to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) might be successful to treat asthma.

Although there have been several attempts to detect the specific genetic mechanisms responsible for asthma, the causes are not very well understood. Several candidate genes have been identified in recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS), that have a moderate effect on the risk of asthma, however, this only explains a small segment of the disease heritability indicating that several more genetic variations have yet to be identified.

Expanding and combining existing asthma GWAS was carried out by Manuel Ferreira from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia, who led an international team, In order to try and identify new genetic variations responsible for increasing the risk of asthma. When they compared the genomes of thousands of patients with asthma with genomes of individuals who didn't have asthma across several populations, they discovered two new genetic variants with a strong link with asthma risk, rs4129267 in the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) gene and rs7130588 on chromosome 11q13.5.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that plays a crucial role in immunity and inflammation, and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. The rs4129267 risk variant increases the expression of the IL-6 receptor and therefore the researchers propose that medications that block the receptor, such as tocilizumab which for RA is already licensed for treatment, should be taken into consideration for clinical trials in order to prevent or reduce the airway inflammation linked with asthma.

The rs7130588 variant on chromosome 11q13.5 was discovered to be more common in asthma patients who are atopic (allergic), and was connected with a close variant which was recently associated with atopic dermatitis. Indicating that a gene in this area has an important role in the development of allergic sensitization, which increases the following risk of developing allergic asthma. The researchers explain:

"At this stage it is unclear which gene underlies the association with 11q13.5. Given that no specific gene in this region has been directly implicated in allergic disease previously, further characterization of this region of association is likely to discover novel molecular mechanisms involved in the causality of eczema, atopy, and asthma."


Up until now, not one genetic cause has been identified that accounts for over 1% of asthma heritability. Results from this investigation verify that the disease is complex, with potentially numerous genes of small effect each combining and interacting with environmental risk factors to effect whether an individual is likely to develop asthma.

They conclude:

"Our results are consistent with the contribution of hundreds or potentially thousands of variants with weak effects on asthma risk, which can be identified through larger GWAS as already shown with other diseases."


Talking about the pros and cons of GWAS design, Kathleen Barnes from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, comments:

"Success in the validation of various candidates (and their pathways) that are already on the asthma shortlist of potential causal genes, and the biological insight to be gained from the novel findings in this report are grounds for optimism in the continuation of the GWAS approach. Combination of GWAS with next-generation technologies will undoubtedly further help to disentangle the molecular underpinnings of complex traits such as asthma."


Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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It's called First Trolley to Van Nuys and shows the center of a town filled with people. I don't particularly care for his art. It was painted in 1988 by Reverend Howard Finster and is done in vibrant colors and also depicts the buildings in the market like an ice cream parlor and the Hotel Van Nuys. I personally don't have any of these in my collection, since I like to collect pieces that I can relate to.One of my favorite paintings was done in 1962 by Bill Dodge. I saw a painting he did of a fishing scene but I chose not to buy it.There is a water scene that I really like painted.....

These discoveries add to the evidence that genes connected with signaling molecules (cytokines) involved in the functioning of the immune system are linked with the development of asthma.e. Expanding and combining existing asthma GWAS was carried out by Manuel Ferreira from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia, who led an international team, In order to try and identify new genetic variations responsible for increasing the risk of asthma. The rs4129267 risk variant increases the expression of the IL-6 receptor and therefore the researchers propose that medications that block the receptor, such as tocilizumab which for RA is already licensed for treatment, should be taken into consideration for clinical trials in order to prevent or reduce the airway inflammation linked with asthma. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that plays a crucial role in immunity and inflammation, and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases including rheumatoid arthritis."Written by Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations ."Talking about the pros and cons of GWAS design, Kathleen Barnes from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, comments: "Success in the validation of various candidates (and their pathways) that are already on the asthma shortlist of potential causal genes, and the biological insight to be gained from the novel findings in this report are grounds for optimism in the continuation of the GWAS approach.5. Two studies also showed no evidence of an increased cancer risk in patients taking TNF inhibitors over long-term, however, those previously diagnosed with cancer had a higher chance of being re-diagnosed with the disease, although this was not due to using TNF inhibitors.The researchers explain: "At this stage it is unclear which gene underlies the association with 11q13. 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.My sister also shares my love for folk art.Another painting that I admire is called Howard in 1944. It's of a swamp house on a bayou and has a Louisiana feel to it. 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. I spent a lot of time playing in my tree house, that the trees in the picture appealed to me so much.There is a water scene that I really like painted in 1940.One of the most famous American artists is Thomas Chambers. She looked so relaxed, that I could imagine what it felt like to lie there myself. I saw a painting he did of a fishing scene but I chose not to buy it.There is a subcategory of folk art paintings that depict the world of black Americans. I personally don't have any of these in my collection, since I like to collect pieces that I can relate to. It was painted in 1988 by Reverend Howard Finster and is done in enamel. It's a beautiful painting but it's just too depressing to hang anywhere. It is done in vibrant colors and also depicts the buildings in the market like an ice cream parlor and the Hotel Van Nuys. When she died, she left me the painting and it hangs in a place of honor over my fireplace mantle. Still, they are a joy to behold. I have a friend who collects these and I found one of a woman reclining in a hammock. It's too

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A systematic review published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests, that biological agents used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis seem to be linked with an increased risk of skin cancer. Inflammatory arthritis has been associated with an increased risk of some types of cancers, in particular with lymphoma and lung cancer but with a lower risk of other cancer types, such as bowel and breast cancers.

Researchers set out to clarify whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, i.e. drugs acting on the immune system, might affect the risk of cancer, by evaluating several clinical research databases, findings presented to the American College of Rheumatology, the European League against Rheumatism, and the British Society for Rheumatology between 1998 and 2010.

The findings were based on 21 studies and 8 conference abstracts, all complying to the strict inclusion criteria of reporting data on cancer linked to TNF inhibitors, including the monoclonal antibodies infliximab and adalimumab and the protein etanercept. In total researchers collated information on over 40,000 patients and nearly 150,000 cumulative years of exposure to these drugs.

The combined risk from seven studies for the development of any cancer revealed negligible or no increased risk, overall.

Two studies also showed no evidence of an increased cancer risk in patients taking TNF inhibitors over long-term, however, those previously diagnosed with cancer had a higher chance of being re-diagnosed with the disease, although this was not due to using TNF inhibitors.

Four studies revealed that patients treated with TNF inhibitors had a 45% higher chance of developing skin cancer other than melanoma, whereas two studies showed, that patients taking TNF inhibitors had a 79% increased risk of developing a melanoma compared with those who did not take these drugs.

The authors conclude:

"This systematic review and meta analysis provides reassurance to physicians and patients that the treatment of [rheumatoid arthritis] with TNF inhibitors does not increase the risk of malignancy, particularly lymphoma. However, it does appear to increase the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma."


Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

  • Additional
  • References
  • Citations

Published in a special European Respiratory Society issue of The Lancet, two new genetic variants or loci that increase susceptibility to asthma have been identified in an international investigation. These discoveries add to the evidence that genes connected with signaling molecules (cytokines) involved in the functioning of the immune system are linked with the development of asthma. This indicates that a medication which is used currently to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) might be successful to treat asthma.

Although there have been several attempts to detect the specific genetic mechanisms responsible for asthma, the causes are not very well understood. Several candidate genes have been identified in recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS), that have a moderate effect on the risk of asthma, however, this only explains a small segment of the disease heritability indicating that several more genetic variations have yet to be identified.

Expanding and combining existing asthma GWAS was carried out by Manuel Ferreira from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia, who led an international team, In order to try and identify new genetic variations responsible for increasing the risk of asthma. When they compared the genomes of thousands of patients with asthma with genomes of individuals who didn't have asthma across several populations, they discovered two new genetic variants with a strong link with asthma risk, rs4129267 in the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) gene and rs7130588 on chromosome 11q13.5.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that plays a crucial role in immunity and inflammation, and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. The rs4129267 risk variant increases the expression of the IL-6 receptor and therefore the researchers propose that medications that block the receptor, such as tocilizumab which for RA is already licensed for treatment, should be taken into consideration for clinical trials in order to prevent or reduce the airway inflammation linked with asthma.

The rs7130588 variant on chromosome 11q13.5 was discovered to be more common in asthma patients who are atopic (allergic), and was connected with a close variant which was recently associated with atopic dermatitis. Indicating that a gene in this area has an important role in the development of allergic sensitization, which increases the following risk of developing allergic asthma. The researchers explain:

"At this stage it is unclear which gene underlies the association with 11q13.5. Given that no specific gene in this region has been directly implicated in allergic disease previously, further characterization of this region of association is likely to discover novel molecular mechanisms involved in the causality of eczema, atopy, and asthma."


Up until now, not one genetic cause has been identified that accounts for over 1% of asthma heritability. Results from this investigation verify that the disease is complex, with potentially numerous genes of small effect each combining and interacting with environmental risk factors to effect whether an individual is likely to develop asthma.

They conclude:

"Our results are consistent with the contribution of hundreds or potentially thousands of variants with weak effects on asthma risk, which can be identified through larger GWAS as already shown with other diseases."


Talking about the pros and cons of GWAS design, Kathleen Barnes from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, comments:

"Success in the validation of various candidates (and their pathways) that are already on the asthma shortlist of potential causal genes, and the biological insight to be gained from the novel findings in this report are grounds for optimism in the continuation of the GWAS approach. Combination of GWAS with next-generation technologies will undoubtedly further help to disentangle the molecular underpinnings of complex traits such as asthma."


Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

  • Additional
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  • Citations