SAA'S Medical Board >>>    Medical Board Listing, SPARTAN

Many of SAA's Medical & Scientific Advisory Board members are renown researches and are constantly working on projects regarding spondyloarthritis. SPARTAN - the SPondyloArthritis Research & Treatment Network - is a network of health care professionals in North America who are dedicated to research, awareness and treatment of spondyloarthritis. SAA is SPARTAN's fiscal agent. SAA's Executive Director, Laurie Savage, is also on SPARTAN's Executive & Steering Committees. What follows are links to abstracts and samples of SAA's Medical Board and SPARTAN's important research.

HLA-B27 misfolding and spondyloarthropathies Robert A. Colbert, MD, PhD - SAA Medical Board Chair - SPARTAN Member HLA-B27 plays a central role in the pathogenesis of many spondyloarthropathies and in particular ankylosing spondylitis. 2009 Jan;3(1):15-26. Epub 2009 Jan 3.

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis Daniel Clegg, MD - SAA Medical Board Member - SPARTAN Member Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a condition characterized by inflammatory back pain and associated with considerable disability and diminished quality of life in affected individuals. J Rheumatol Suppl. 2006 Sep;78:24-31.

Efficacy and safety of infliximab in patients with ankylosing spondylitis over a two-year period Atul Deodhar, MD - SAA Medical Board Member - SPARTAN Member OBJECTIVE: To assess safety and efficacy of infliximab in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through 102 weeks. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Sep 15;59(9):1270-8.

Association of an ERAP1 ERAP2 haplotype with familial ankylosing spondylitis Robert D. Inman, MD - SAA Medical Board Member OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether there is excess transmission of alleles from the ERAP1 ERAP2 locus in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) families. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 May 10.

Assessment of active spinal inflammatory changes in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: Validation of whole body MRI against conventional MRI Walter Maksymowych, MD - SAA Medical Board Member OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of whole body (WB) MRI versus conventional (CON) MRI in assessing active inflammatory lesions of the entire spine in patients with established and clinically active axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) using the Spondyloarthritis Research Con-sortium of Canada (SPARCC) MRI index. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 May 7.

Does physical therapy still have a place in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis? Muhammad Asim Khan, M.D. - SAA Medical Board Member - SPARTAN Member PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review studies of various physical therapy programs in ankylosing spondylitis and identify their benefits and potential indications in the treatment of this disease. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2008 May;20(3):282-6.

Interleukin-17 causes neutrophil mediated inflammation in ovalbumin-induced uveitis in DO11.10 mice James Rosenbaum, MD - SAA Medical Board Member - SPARTAN Member T cell-mediated uveitis is strongly associated with many systemic inflammatory disorders. Th17 cells are a novel T cell subset characterized by production of interleukin (IL)-17. Cytokine. 2009 Apr;46(1):79-91. Epub 2009 Feb 28.

The assessment of ankylosing spondylitis in clinical practice Millicent Stone, MB MRCP (UK) MSc - SAA Medical Board Member Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that predominantly affects the axial skeleton in adolescent patients causing spinal pain and stiffness. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2007 Sep;3(9):496-503.

Correlation between dendritic cell functional defect and spondylarthritis phenotypes in HLA-B27/HUMAN beta2-microglobulin-transgenic rat lines Joel Taurog, MD - SAA Medical Board Member OBJECTIVE: To examine the functional capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) from a panel of HLA-B27/human beta2-microglobulin (Hubeta2m)-transgenic rat lines and crosses with varying susceptibilities to spondylarthritis (SpA)-like disease. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Nov;58(11):3425-9.

A case of childhood-onset ankylosing spondylitis: diagnosis and treatment Ruben Burgos-Vargas, MD - SAA Medical Board Member BACKGROUND: A 14-year-old boy with a 6-year history of recurrent arthritis and enthesitis, which had not responded to previous treatment with NSAIDs, sulfasalazine and methotrexate, presented with a severe flare of these symptoms as well as spinal and sacroiliac joint pain. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2009 Jan;5(1):52-7.

Juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis is associated with worse functional outcomes than adult-onset ankylosing spondylitis Robert W. Warren, MD, PhD, MPH - SAA Medical Board Member OBJECTIVE: To compare functional outcome of patients with juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis (JoAS; defined as AS with symptom onset before 16 years of age) with that of patients with adult-onset AS (AoAS) and to identify variables associated with a poor functional outcome of JoAS. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Jun 15;53(3):445-51.

Occupational physical activities and long-term functional and radiographic outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis Michael H. Weisman, MD - SAA Medical Board Member - SPARTAN Member OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify specific occupational activities associated with functional limitations and radiographic damage in patients with longstanding ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jun 15;59(6):822-32.

Identification of acute phase reactants and cytokines useful for monitoring infliximab therapy in ankylosing spondylitis David Yu, MD - SAA Medical Board Member Although most ankylosing spondylitis patients show an apparent clinical response to infliximab therapy, there is considerable individual variation. Because current clinical assessment relies heavily on subjective patient self-evaluation, biomarkers of high sensitivity and specificity are much needed. Clin Rheumatol. 2008 Nov;27(11):1429-35.