Combination therapy with methotrexate and the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor etanercept (Enbrel) provided significantly greater clinical and radiographic benefits in early rheumatoid arthritis than treatment with methotrexate alone, an international double-blind study confirmed.

Treatment with hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) may help delay the occurrence of skin damage (MedPage Today) -- scarring alopecia, extensive scarring, and skin ulcers -- in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, researchers said.

Inflammatory disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus may be mediated by autoantibodies with the potential to influence development of the atherosclerosis underlying much of the mortality associated with the condition, researchers said.

Group cognitive behavioral therapy may help patients with chronic or acute low-back pain, British researchers say.

Americans, and particularly women, have a higher prevalence of arthritis and related activity limitations than their Canadian counterparts, possibly because they're more likely to be obese and inactive, a health survey found.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI revealed different patterns of inflammation between rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis in the hands and wrists of afflicted patients, researchers found.

Women with rheumatoid arthritis who inadvertently became pregnant while taking leflunomide were not at increased risk of giving birth to babies with major malformations, a prospective cohort study found.

Short-term, high-dose cyclophosphamide appeared equivalent to the traditional lower dose monthly regimen for moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus, a prospective trial found.

The greatest risk for atherosclerotic vascular events among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is for men and older individuals of both sexes, analysis of a multinational cohort found.

Low levels of physical activity were associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus, a cross-sectional study found.

SAN ANTONIO (MedPage Today) -- A personalized, online self-management program helped patients with pain syndromes improve coping skills and reduce stress and depression, according to results of two studies reported here.