New data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, sheds light on the role of environmental and genetic risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two new studies by a team in Sweden have identified smoking, a low formal level of education and certain metabolic indicators as important risk factors in the development of RA.

After screening hundreds of compounds for their effects on fat development, researchers have discovered that an ingredient found in some plants fights diabetes in mice without some of side effects attributed to other antidiabetes drugs. The chemical they pinpointed, known as harmine, was first isolated more than 150 years ago from plants traditionally included in ritual and medicinal preparations around the world, team reports in May issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.