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Dr. Margaret Miller will provide information for joint pain and arthritis sufferers.

By University Communications
October 9, 2008

Flandrau: The University of Arizona Science Center has moved its monthly science café discussion to a new and bigger location, the Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant in downtown Tucson.

The October Flandrau Science Café will be held on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Cushing Street is on the corner of West Cushing Street and South Meyer Avenue, across the street from the Tucson Convention Center.

The Science Café is a casual forum for people to meet and discuss a specific science topic with a UA scientist in the relaxed atmosphere of a local restaurant.

Margaret Miller, MD, a UA clinical assistant professor in the College of Medicine, will start next week's discussion with a short talk titled "Oh My Aching Joints! Advances in the Treatment of Joint Pain and Arthritis." Miller's talk will highlight the latest scientific knowledge and treatment for joint pain and arthritis.

"There are over 100 different types of arthritis with different causes, great variability in patterns and severity, and different treatments," Miller said.

Arthritis, a general term for pain and/or inflammation in one or more joints, takes many forms.

"Traditionally, arthritis has been divided into two general categories – noninflammatory and inflammatory. The most common noninflammatory arthritis is osteoarthritis. This type of arthritis has been called degenerative arthritis, or 'wear and tear' arthritis, because it is seen almost universally in the aging population," Miller said.

There are also many types of inflammatory arthritis; the most common of these is rheumatoid arthritis.

"Major exciting advances in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis have been made in the last decade," Miller said. "These advances are directly tied to our expanding knowledge of the immune system. Foremost has been the development of biologic agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and some other types of inflammatory arthritis."

Shipherd Reed, Flandrau program coordinator, will moderate the discussion, which will end at 7:30 p.m. Following the program, audience members will have the opportunity to submit discussion topic ideas for subsequent Science Café events.