News

About 100 scientists, researchers, pharmaceutical executives, and others will converge on Austria’s capital city early next month for the 2nd International Congress on Advanced Treatments in Rare Diseases. The March 4-5 meeting, to take place at the Hilton Am Stadtpark Vienna, features 27 speakers on a variety of disorders…

Higher-than-normal levels of chromium in the soil seem to be associated with an increased prevalence of Sjögren’s syndrome in Taiwan, suggesting chromium as a possible environmental risk for the condition. The study, “Increased prevalence of Sjogren’s syndrome in where soils contain high levels…

Patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome may have different personality characteristics, including a tendency to be more neurotic and less extroverted and open to experiences, than healthy individuals, a study reports. The study, “Personality, depression and anxiety in primary Sjogren’s syndrome — Association with sociodemographic factors and…

Scores of events are afoot worldwide to mark Feb. 28, Rare Disease Day 2019. The activities aim to raise awareness about rare diseases and the millions of people — estimates run as high as 350 million — they are thought to impact. Across countries, patients, caregivers and advocates will paint faces, wear…

A supervised walking program, practiced three times a week for 16 weeks, safely improves cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise capacity while reducing fatigue in women with primary Sjögren’s syndrome, a clinical study found. The study, “Supervised walking improves cardiorespiratory…

Activating the immune receptor Ly9 significantly reduces the infiltration of immune cells into the salivary glands and kidneys of mice with Sjögren’s syndrome-like disease, without compromising their general immune system — making it a potential therapeutic target for the chronic condition, a study finds. The study, “Ly9 (CD229)…

Vaginal dryness in premenopausal women with primary Sjögren’s syndrome does not change the normal vaginal bacterial composition, a study reveals. The study, “Normal vaginal microbiome in women with primary Sjögren’s syndrome-associated vaginal dryness,” was published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Immune cells…

The PI3K-delta inhibitor known as seletalisib, an investigative treatment for primary Sjögren’s syndrome, improved the production of saliva, lowered the levels of autoantibodies and inflammatory mediators, and decreased immune B- and T-cell infiltration in salivary glands in a mouse model, study researchers report. The study, “Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase delta…

Sonoelastography, a fast and non-invasive imaging technique that detects increases in tissue rigidity in salivary glands, may help to diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome, a study suggests. The study, “Is sonoelastography a helpful method of evaluation to diagnose Sjögren’s syndrome?,” was published in the International…

Cash-strapped governments across the 28-member European Union are struggling to control runaway healthcare expenditures — at exactly the same time as the promise of new but expensive therapies to treat rare diseases has never been greater. That’s the paradox faced by pharmaceutical companies as well as patient advocacy groups in…