inflammation

Sunlight promotes healthy teeth.As the days get shorter and colder, it gets harder to spend time in the sun, and that’s probably bad for your teeth. According to an article in the Journal of Periodontology from WUSM researcher Charles F. Hildebolt, our teeth may be light-sensitive, at least indirectly. Vitamin D, which regulates calcium absorption, is produced by the body when exposed to sunlight.

Sunlight promotes healthy teeth.As the days get shorter and colder, it gets harder to spend time in the sun, and that’s probably bad for your teeth. According to an article in the Journal of Periodontology from a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, our teeth may be light-sensitive, at least indirectly.

Arthritis can hit harder in African- Americans.A pilot study comparing the results of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in African-Americans and Caucasians has revealed that African-Americans are more likely to suffer pain and disability from the disorder. Researchers at the School of Medicine found that both disease activity and the resulting disabilities were worse in African-Americans. Further analysis showed this was linked primarily to socio-economic status rather than race.

Arthritis can hit harder in African-Americans.A pilot study comparing the results of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in African-Americans and Caucasians has revealed that African-Americans are more likely to suffer pain and disability from the disorder. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied a group of 33 African-Americans and 67 Caucasians and found that both disease activity and the resulting disabilities were worse in African-Americans. Further analysis showed this was linked primarily to socio-economic status rather than race.

Lung cancer tumor to be treated with radiation.More than half of the lung cancer patients who receive radiation treatment for their illness develop a painful swelling and inflammation in the esophagus known as esophagitis. Although treating the lung cancer is the top priority for doctors, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis hope to lower the risk of this unpleasant side effect. They have quantified risk factors for esophagitis, linking it to the amount of radiation a patient’s esophagus receives and to simultaneous chemotherapy. The findings mean it may be possible to predict and potentially avoid esophagitis, according to Jeffrey D. Bradley, M.D., assistant professor of radiation oncology and lead author of a paper published recently in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

Glucocorticoid receptors on steroids.Doctors have used steroids for decades to control autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease, but their potentially serious side effects — including bone loss, obesity, diabetes and growth impairment — have made it difficult to keep patients on the drugs for prolonged periods of time. Endocrinologist Louis Muglia, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology and pharmacology and of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues have recently identified a key component of steroids’ effects on the immune system, a possible first step toward developing new drugs that can offer the same benefits as steroids without the many potentially serious side effects.