Dr. Amanda Nelson’s invited Year in Review paper explores the osteoarthritis literature from 2017, including prevalence as well as epidemiologic data related to a number of comorbidities such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Her paper also focuses on the critical need to identify novel strategies to reduce the impact of this highly prevalent and debilitating condition. Dr. Nelson’s review paper followed her presentation at the 2017 Osteoarthritis Society International Meeting.

AARP Magazine recently published an article detailing the many ways in which walking can improve health, specifically related physical and psychological conditions ranging from osteoporosis to depression and insomnia. For the “Arthritis” section of the article, nationally recognized expert Leigh Callahan, PhD — with the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center — provided insights related to the benefits of walking. Dr. Callahan was also quoted in a separate story published in Arthritis Today regarding the benefits of outdoor exercise.

For over 25 years, the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project in NC has been one of the premier longitudinal research studies world-wide regarding the causes and implications of osteoarthritis. Long term research studies can be challenging to maintain, as it takes considerable dedication from participants to remain involved over a period of years. That’s one reason why this study — which has yielded over 200 publications — is so unique, and was recently profiled by Arthritis Today. Read on to learn about the research team that continues to achieve important insights from this study, as they work closely with participants from the local community.

UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center epidemiologist Leigh Callahan, PhD, recently provided Arthritis Today with expert insights regarding an important new CDC study that explored the reasons why too few people with arthritis are engaging in physical exercise – even though physical activity is considered an important and first approach for people with arthritis symptoms.

UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center scientist Lara Longobardi, PhD, is conducting research designed to yield important new insights into the causes of osteoarthritis, with the goal of helping identify better ways to diagnose and treat the disease. Her work is largely focused on the role played by chemokines (pro-inflammatory molecules) in cartilage and bone degeneration after an injury, and how they affect the pain response.

UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center investigator Yvonne Golightly, PT, PhD, and her colleague Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD, (UNC Department of Exercise and Sport Science), are researching High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as a new, promising approach to add to rehabilitation programs for people with knee osteoarthritis. HIIT includes very short periods of vigorous exercise, as opposed to longer periods of moderately paced exercise. The research is made possible thanks to funding from the NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHID).

Beth L. Jonas, M.D., a leading rheumatology thought leader, has been awarded the endowed Reeves Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Arthritis Research. Endowed professorships are one of the highest honors bestowed by UNC upon faculty, in order to recognize the University’s most accomplished scientists and educators. In addition to honoring exceptional achievement, these professorships help the University recruit, retain, and support the highest quality faculty for its Department of Medicine. Dr. Jonas, who is Interim Chief for the UNC Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, and Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, is a nationally recognized clinician educator who has served in numerous leadership roles within the rheumatology community. (More…)

Findings from Thurston Arthritis Research Center scientists and Thurston-affiliated researchers have been published in Arthritis Care and Research. The study focused on “Fear of Movement and Associated Factors Among Adults with Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis.” It concluded that fear of movement (FOM) was common for these patients, and suggested that behavioral and psychological interventions may decrease FOM as well as improve outcomes. (More…)

For more than 25 years, the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project has established itself as one of the premier longitudinal research studies world-wide regarding the causes, societal implications, and means of addressing the impact of osteoarthritis. Ongoing research is providing important new insights regarding how osteoarthritis is diagnosed and assessed clinically, as well as how it can be addressed in community settings.

Aging is the greatest risk factor for osteoarthritis, but little is known about how specific age-related changes to cells cause the breakdown of cartilage. The research funding provided by a grant from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) will enable Dr. Diekman to study mechanisms of aging across different tissue systems. The hope is that this type of research will help play a role in advancing new discoveries that can help prevent and better treat all forms of arthritis. (More…)