Introduction: The chatbot ChatGPT represents a milestone in the interaction between humans and large databases that are accessible via the internet. It facilitates the answering of complex questions by enabling a communication in everyday language. Therefore, it is a potential source of information for those who are affected by rheumatic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with diseases of the musculoskeletal system are confronted with a large quantity of treatment offers based on methods of complementary medicine. Despite a considerable number of publications on this topic, the scientific evidence is still poor. This article focuses on Ayurvedic medicine (AM), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mind-body medicine and homeopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Real-world data for filgotinib, a Janus kinase (JAK)1 inhibitor, are limited in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Objectives: To explore real-world filgotinib use in patients with RA in Germany.
Materials And Methods: This retrospective chart review included patients aged ≥ 18 years with confirmed moderate to severe RA who initiated filgotinib before December 1, 2021, with ≥ 6 months of medical records available prior to filgotinib initiation or after initial diagnosis.
Methods of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are appealing for many patients with rheumatic diseases. The scientific data are currently characterized by a large number of publications that stand in contrast to a remarkable shortage of valid clinical studies. The applications of CAM procedures are situated in an area of conflict between efforts for an evidence-based medicine and high-quality therapeutic concepts on the one hand and ill-founded or even dubious offers on the other hand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been found to be increased in type 2 diabetic subjects. However, it still remains unclear if these elevated IL-6 levels are co-incidental or if this cytokine is causally related to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in humans. Therefore, in the present study we examined insulin sensitivity, serum adipokine levels and lipid parameters in human subjects before and after treatment with the IL-6 receptor antibody Tocilizumab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe potential of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells (MSC) to replicate undifferentiated and to mature into distinct mesenchymal tissues suggests these cells as an attractive source for tissue engineering. The objective was to establish a protocol for the isolation of porcine MSC from bone marrow and to demonstrate their ex vivo differentiation into various mesenchymal tissue cells. MSC from passage 2 were selected for differentiation analysis.
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