Rheumatology | Featured Specialties | UC Davis Health

Researchers at UC Davis Health have introduced a new approach to identify systemic inflammation in patients diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, using a medical imaging technique with significantly lower radiation exposure. The researchers utilized UC Davis Health’s Total-Body PET Scanner, the first FDA-approved scanner of its kind in the United States.

A clinical trial led by UC Davis Health physicians aims to improve the long-term use of buprenorphine for opioid addiction. The $6.4 million study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and will explore telehealth compared to in-person follow-up appointments. The project addresses barriers to care including low income, lack of transportation, and social instability.

Researchers at UC Davis Health and UC San Francisco have identified a molecule known as Maternal Brain Hormone (CCN3) that increases bone density and strength. Their study, published in Nature, explains how women’s bones remain strong during breastfeeding, despite calcium being stripped from bones to support milk production. The discovery has the potential to treat bone conditions like osteoporosis.