Elucidating the Biology and Role of Synovial Fibroblasts in Rheumatoid Arthritis

kevin wei headshot
Kevin S. Wei, MD, PhD

Synovial fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells in the synovium that regulate tissue homeostasis in healthy joints. However, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), synovial fibroblasts assume pathological functions as they recruit infiltrating immune cells that degrade cartilage and bone, leading to joint damage.  Therapies aimed at synovial fibroblasts in RA have the theoretical potential to prevent joint damage while sparing side-effects from immunosuppression. However, incomplete understanding of synovial fibroblast heterogeneity and the pathways that regulate their identity pose major challenges to the therapeutic targeting of these cells.  We sought to attack this problem by applying cutting-edge single cell technology to examine the biology of synovial fibroblasts in RA.
Read More

Development of a Set of Potentially Preventable Adverse Conditions Specific to Lupus: A Delphi Consensus Study

Candace Feldman headshot
Candace H. Feldman, MD, MPH, ScD

It is estimated that at least 25 percent of all individuals with lupus are hospitalized each year. These hospitalizations tend to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality and are costly for the health care system. The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed a set of prevention quality indicators which they defined as conditions that “should be treatable on an outpatient basis, or that could be less severe if treated early and appropriately.” The AHRQ has used this set of “ambulatory care sensitive conditions” to identify populations at risk for hospitalization and to better understand the breakdown of health care services for these vulnerable groups. Examples of these conditions include diabetic complications, pulmonary disease (e.g. asthma) exacerbations, and pyelonephritis.
Read More

Abdominal Obesity and Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women

Bing Lu headshot
Bing Lu, MD, DrPH

Individuals with obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, are at an increased risk of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Several studies have observed an association between obesity and increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Abdominal obesity is associated with visceral fat and has been a stronger predictor of obesity-related health risk, such as cardiovascular disease, than overall obesity as measured by BMI. We sought to investigate whether abdominal obesity per se predicts RA risk in two large prospective cohorts, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII).
Read More

Older Patients Requiring Surgery After a Bone Fracture Benefit from GIFTS Program

Elderly patient lying in bed and having blood pressure measuredFalls that lead to bone fractures occur frequently in older people. These injuries, especially those that require surgery, often start patients down a path toward mounting health problems that threaten their ability to live independently or maintain a good quality of life.
Read More

Improving Care for Medicare Dialysis Patients at End of Life

A female nurse consoles a senior patient at homeEnd-stage kidney disease patients on dialysis need to continue dialysis to stay alive. To reduce the pain and common worries in their final phase of life, they also need access to hospice care. Unfortunately, Medicare patients with end-stage kidney disease often can’t have both.
Read More

Addressing a Critical Gap in Prostate Cancer Screening

Mark A. Preston, MD, MPH in a surgical theaterMark A. Preston, MD, MPH, a urologic surgeon in the Division of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is co-lead author of a study focused on improving prostate cancer (PCa) screening for African American men. The results were recently published in European Urology.
Read More

The Measure of a Molecule: Studying the KIM-1 Biomarker

Magnifying glass on antique anatomy book: KidneyIn the search of a practical screening method for early-stage renal cell cancer (RCC), researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have been studying the potential of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1). Their latest research was published in Clinical Cancer Research and represents the first time that KIM-1 was assessed in pre-diagnostic samples.
Read More

New Clues in Predicting Spontaneous Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia

A pregnant Caucasian woman is indoors in a doctor's office. Her female doctor is wearing medical clothing. The woman is holding her stomach which the doctor writes on a clipboard.Seven to eight percent of pregnancies end in spontaneous preterm birth. About five percent of pregnancies involve preeclampsia. The problem is, we do not do a good job predicting which women are at heightened risk for these issues.
Read More

Just the Right Dose: Antiepileptic Drug Clearance Changes Early in Pregnancy

Young pregnant woman with doctor in ambulance.New research from Brigham and Women’s experts in women’s epilepsy provides guidance on whether and when effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may be altered by the metabolic changes of pregnancy. The results suggest a need for therapeutic drug monitoring as soon as pregnancy is known.
Read More

Brigham Investigators Present Cardiovascular Discoveries at AHA Conference

Heart attack and chest pain medical cardiovascular disease as an illness of a human circulation organ in a 3D illustration style.On November 10, 2018, the American Heart Association (AHA) held its annual Scientific Sessions meeting, featuring the latest advances from major cardiovascular trials with the potential to transform clinical practice. Investigators from the Brigham led some of the most highly anticipated trials and presented their results at the conference.
Read More