Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Levels of antibodies that target the nuclear protein HMGB1 are elevated in the bloodstream of adults with Sjögren’s syndrome, a study reported. Detecting anti-HMGB1 antibodies in the blood may support a clinical diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome, its researchers suggested. The study, “Anti-HMGB1 antibody is a potential…

The thickness of the eye’s retina and the density of retinal blood vessels are significantly lower in women with Sjögren’s syndrome than healthy women, an imaging study demonstrated. Retinal thinning, as measured by the noninvasive imaging technique called optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), may help diagnose Sjögren’s, according to…

The experimental oral therapy cenerimod prevented immune cells from entering the salivary glands and reduced gland inflammation in two Sjögren’s syndrome mouse models, a study demonstrated. “These encouraging data suggest that cenerimod may be a promising approach to treating Sjögren’s syndrome,” the scientists said. The study, titled “…

Immune macrophages — immune cells that fight infection — can mount distinct responses to specific pathogens, based on how a single signaling molecule behaves over time in the presence of that stimuli, a recent study found. However, macrophages in a Sjögren’s syndrome mouse model lack some of…

Infections with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the most common member of the herpes virus family, may contribute to the development of Sjögren’s syndrome by increasing the proportion of immune cells with autoimmune functions, a recent study suggests. Therapies targeting the interaction between EBV and activated…

Production of Myd88, a protein associated with autoimmune diseases, in distinct types of cells mediates different characteristics of primary Sjögren’s syndrome, a study in mouse models of this disease reported.  These findings have implications for targeted therapies, as Myd88 activation may be protective in certain cell types and organs,…

An international trial is recruiting people with Sjögren’s syndrome to investigate the feasibility of an online app, called Sjogo, that’s designed to support the self-management of symptoms. Recruitment is primarily being done via Twitter, the American microblogging and social networking service. The Sjogo app…

In-hospital mortality, the length of a hospital stay, and hospitalization charges for people with acute kidney injury and Sjögren’s syndrome are no different from those without Sjögren’s, a large-scale database analysis found.  An interesting finding of the analysis was…

A technique that delivers low electric currents to stimulate specific parts of the brain can safely reduce fatigue in people with primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS), a pilot study has found.  Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) also helped patients in the areas of…

Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) patients have less diversity in their gut microbiome — with less abundant beneficial bacteria but more abundant opportunistic bacteria with pro-inflammatory activity — compared with healthy people, a study suggests. Patients also had higher levels of pro-inflammatory immune signaling molecules, which were…