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FRIDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- New details about how rheumatoid arthritis destroys bone have been uncovered by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers, who said their findings are already helping efforts to create new drugs to reverse the process.

Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that affects about two million Americans, causes swelling, pain and deformity in joints and also thins bone.

Overproduction of the immune system chemical tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) leads to the destruction of cartilage and bone in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Along with controlling immune cells, TNF alpha also influences bone mass. It's known that TNF alpha decreases the number of bone-building cells called osteoblasts, but how it does this hasn't been clear.

In experiments with mice, the University of Rochester team found that TNF alpha affects osteoblasts through an enzyme called Smad Ubiquitin Regulatory Factor 1 (Smurf1) which, in turn, turns off two proteins that drive bone-building.

"The significance of our study is that it identifies Smurf1 as the signaling partner through which TNF does its damage in RA-related bone loss," Lianping Xing, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, said in a university news release.

Xing said the finding "enables us to begin designing small molecule drugs to shut down the action of Smurf1 and its relatives. Furthermore, since mice engineered to have less Smurf1 develop thicker bones, future drugs that shut down Smurf1 may be also useful against more common forms of osteoporosis simply by changing the dose. Of course, this is early stage work with many obstacles ahead, but is exciting nonetheless."

The study was published in the Aug. 22 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about rheumatoid arthritis  .

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A modified form of MRI may help diagnosis osteoarthritis at an early stage when it may be possible to prevent or reduce permanent joint damage, say U.S. researchers.

Current diagnostic methods don't detect osteoarthritis until it's in advanced stages. In this new approach, MRI is used to determine the concentration of a polymer called glycosaminogycan (GAG), a recognized biomarker for both osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. It's known that a low concentration of GAG is associated with the onset of osteoarthritis and other cartilage disorders.

The research was expected to be presented Aug. 20 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Philadelphia.

"Our methods have the potential of providing early warning signs for cartilage disorders like osteoarthritis, thus potentially avoiding surgery and physical therapy later on. Also, the effectiveness of early preventative drug therapies can be better assessed with these methods," researcher Alexej Jerschow said in an ACS news release.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, causes joint pain and disability for almost 21 million people in the United States. Osteoarthritis is especially common in the knee and hip and is the most common reason for total hip and total knee replacement surgery.

The cost and time it takes for the MRI assessment of cartilage is about the same as a normal MRI, and diagnosis could be given on the same day as the test, the researchers said.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about osteoarthritis  .

SUNDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The start of a new school year means it's time to remind students and parents about proper selection and use of backpacks.

"When used correctly, backpacks are the most efficient way to carry a load and distribute the weight among some of the body's strongest muscles," Eric Wall, director of the orthopedic surgery division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a center news release.

However, improper use of backpacks can cause injuries that require medical treatment. For example, backpack-related injuries send almost 6,000 students to emergency departments each year, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report released in 2002.

Wall and his colleagues in the division of orthopedic surgery offer guidelines to prevent school backpack-related injuries:

• When shopping for a backpack, select one that's lightweight, has two wide and padded shoulder straps, a cushioned back, and waist straps. A pack with wheels may be a good option if your child has to lug a very heavy load.
• Children should always use both shoulder straps, and the straps should be cinched tight.
• Limit backpack loads to no more than 15 percent to 20 percent of a child's body weight.
• The heaviest items should be packed closest to the center of a child's back.
• Children shouldn't carry all of their books throughout the school day. They should keep their books in their locker and get them when they need them.
• When wearing or lifting a heavy backpack, children should bend using both knees.
• Don't leave backpacks on the floor where people can trip on them, and don't swing a packs around where it can hit other people.
• If your child uses a backpack and complains of persistent back pain, consult with a pediatrician.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about backpack safety  .