This study examined stopping methotrexate after 6 months of combined treatment with etanercept. Results showed that continuing combination treatment is preferable to stopping methotrexate.

This article investigated the safety and effectiveness of triple therapy with low dose dapagliflozin (Farxiga) plus saxagliptin (Onglyza) added to metformin (Glucophage) in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D). The authors concluded that triple therapy significantly improved blood glucose control in these patients.

This study examined whether blocking TNFalpha can also regulate the production of TNFalpha in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

This study looked at the characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis patients who were more likely to use reminders to adhere to their treatment plan and the effect this had on disease activity. The authors concluded that older white men were most likely to use medical reminders. The use of calendar reminders was associated with fewer tender joints.

The study looked at the association between biological drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the risk of melanoma (skin cancer). The authors concluded that there was no increased risk of melanoma in RA patients receiving treatment with biologics.  

The study looked at the safety of multiple treatments of ofatumumab (Arzerra) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The authors concluded that there were no additional risks to patients after multiple treatments with ofatumumab.

This article investigated the factors associated with an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF; irregular heart beat) in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The authors concluded that other heart conditions, kidney disease, and older age increase the risk of developing AF in these patients. 

This study examined the influence of alendronate (Fosamax) and betamethasone on bone loss in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

How might berries improve human health, healthy aging, and quality of life?  Maybe, due to their anti-inflammatory effects, since inflammation can be an underlying contributing factor in the “development, progression, and complication” of a number of chronic diseases. Higher intake of anthocyanins, the brightly-colored pigments in berries, has been associated with anti-inflammatory effects, which may be “a key component” underlying the associated reduction in chronic disease risk. But these are all just associations. You can’t prove cause and effect until you put it to the test.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that blueberry smoothies could turn off inflammation genes. (This is measuring the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in white blood cells taken from individuals before and after six weeks of drinking placebo smoothies with no blueberries.) They got worse over time. Six weeks later, more inflammatory chemicals pouring out, whereas the blueberry group started out about the same at week zero, but six weeks of daily blueberries and, the expression of inflammatory genes went down.

“In addition to attenuating inflammation,” they demonstrate that “blueberry consumption was able to significantly decrease the levels of free radicals” in their bloodstream: no change in the placebo group, but after six weeks of blueberry smoothies, the amount of free radicals in their blood was  extinguished by half. Okay, but does all that antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power actually translate into clinical benefits? For example  what is the effect of blueberry consumption on recovery from excessive weight lifting-induced muscle damage?

A randomized crossover study: a blueberry smoothie or antioxidant-matched placebo smoothie five and 10 hours prior to, and then 12 and 36 hours after, exercise-induced muscle damage. The smoothies were about a cup and a half of frozen strawberries, a banana, and apple juice, or without the berries, but dextrose and vitamin C added to match it for calories and antioxidant power. Even so, the blueberries worked better at mopping up free radicals. Here’s the oxidative stress without the blueberries: it goes up and stays up. But, with the blueberries, it comes right down. Yeah, but what we care about is the recovery of muscle strength, so you can jump right back into training. Same drop in peak torque 12 hours later, but a day later, significantly faster restoration of peak muscle strength, demonstrating that the ingestion of blueberries can accelerate recovery — something that may be especially relevant to athletes who compete over successive days.

That’s all well and good, but what about using berries to treat inflammatory diseases like arthritis?  Yes, they may have protective effects against arthritis in a rat — significantly reducing “paw volume”— how swollen their paw gets when you inject it with some inflammatory irritant. But there had never been any humanarthritis berry studies, until now.

Remember that amazing study where strawberries alone could reverse the progression of precancerous lesions? The strawberries were dramatically downregulating pro-inflammatory genes. Give strawberries to diabetics for six weeks, and not only does their diabetes get better, their C-reactive protein levels, a marker of systemic inflammation, drops 18%. Even just a single meal can help. Have people eat a largely unhealthy breakfast, and the level of inflammatory markers goes up over the next six hours, but less so if you added just five large strawberries to the meal.

So, can “strawberries improve pain and inflammation” in confirmed knee osteoarthritis? No fair that the title ruined the suspense, but yes, osteoarthritis patients randomized to get like a pint and a half of strawberries a day for 12 weeks and yeah, certain inflammatory markers plummeted on the strawberries. But did they actually feel any better? Significant reductions in constant pain, intermittent pain, and total pain. The “first clinical study on the effects of…berries” on human arthritis, and found that a “simple dietary intervention, the addition of berries to one’s diet, may have a significant impact on pain, inflammation, and overall quality of life in obese adults with [osteoarthritis].”

This article investigated the impact of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) frequencies on glucose control (GC) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who are not on insulin. The authors concluded that frequent SMBG (8-14 times/week) is effective for these patients.