Leading clinicians and clinical researchers discuss in practical detail the newest treatments used in rheumatic diseases, emphasizing - without neglecting current standard treatments - those experimental therapies now undergoing clinical trials and poised for early introduction into the rheumatology armamentarium. The diseases and therapeutic regimes examined here range from rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment by gene therapy, to osteoarthritis and systemic autoimune diseases. Each chapter is organized so that the busy clinician can quickly obtain all the information needed optimal patient treatment. This includes an analysis of the pathogenic mechanisms that explain the molecular basis of the newer therapeutics, reviews of animal data and the results of clinical trials, and recommendations concerning use, side effects, and precautions.