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A history of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria — linked to chronic pulmonary infections, but unable to cause tuberculosis — may increase the risk for primary Sjögren’s syndrome, according to a large nationwide Taiwanese study. “Although the exact disease mechanism behind [Sjögren’s syndrome] remains elusive, a variety of environmental, genetic and hormonal…

David Curtis Glebe, a retired 64-year-old public prosecutor now living in Millsboro, Delaware, knows he’s lucky to be alive. In mid-2013, while in Arizona, Glebe was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer (PNET) — the same disease that killed Apple’s founder and CEO Steve Jobs. After three years of progress…

Treatment with epratuzumab, a B-cell targeting antibody, improves clinical outcomes of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients with associated Sjögren’s syndrome, research shows. But the post hoc analysis of the Phase 3 EMBODY trials suggests that the treatment fails in those with SLE alone. A post hoc analysis is one that…

High levels of certain immune regulatory cells – called T follicular regulatory (Tfr) cells – in the blood are associated with Sjogren’s syndrome, researchers found. Scientists believe these cells could be used as biomarkers of certain autoimmune diseases. The study, “Human blood Tfr cells are indicators of…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing the efficacy and safety of three investigational therapies — filgotinib, GS-9876, and tirabrutinib  — in adults with active Sjögren’s syndrome is recruiting participants. The study (NCT03100942) is being conducted by Gilead Sciences, in collaboration with Galapagos. It is expected to enroll 140 patients with active Sjögren’s…

This week marks the launch of the “7,000 Mile Rare Movement,” a nationwide effort to raise money for research into the 7,000 known rare diseases that afflict at least 30 million Americans. The campaign kicks off Feb. 1 and culminates with Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. Organized by…

Patients with an underlying rheumatic disease, including Sjogren’s syndrome, are not at higher risk for adverse effects when receiving cancer immunotherapies – called immune checkpoint inhibitors – than the rest of the population, according to the results of a Mayo Clinic study. The report, “Cancer immunotherapy in patients…

Women with Sjögren syndrome show particularly high levels of hearing loss and language recognition impairments compared to healthy women or those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), study reports. The research, “Early hearing loss detection in rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjögren syndrome using extended high frequency audiometry,” was published in the…