WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The insensitivity of naked mole-rats to acid-induced pain could lead to better treatments for humans suffering from inflammatory arthritis, U.S. scientists say.

By identifying the process behind crippling arthritis, the Stanford research offers hope that someday it will be possible to interrupt it. The problem isn't just injury -- but the body's response to it, scientists say.

An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The causes behind this chronic disease -- which can exhibit itself as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformation, and loss of function in the joints -- have eluded scientists for centuries. A new study offers tantalizing glimmers about the roles of a gene called CCR2, an immune system cell called Th17 cell, and a ...

(Medical Xpress) -- An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The causes behind this chronic disease — which can exhibit itself as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformation, and loss of function in the joints — have eluded scientists for centuries. A new study by UNC researchers offers tantalizing glimmers about the roles of a gene called CCR2, an immune ...

Adding another incentive to exercise, scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found that physical activity improves arthritis symptoms - even among obese mice that continue to eat a high-fat diet. The insight suggests that excess weight alone isn't what causes the aches and pains of osteoarthritis, despite the long-held notion that carrying extra pounds strains the joints and leads to ...