TCD4pos lymphocytosis in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis patients following TNFα blocking agents

BACKGROUND: Lymphocyte expansion and true lymphocytosis are commonly observed in the everyday clinical practice. The meaning of such phenomenon is often poorly understood so that discrimination between benign and malignant lymphocytosis remains difficult to establish. This is mainly true when lymphocytosis rises in patients affected by immune-mediated chronic inflammatory diseases under immunosuppressive treatment, conditions potentially associated with lymphomagenesis. In this brief report the development of mild T CD4pos lymphocytosis in a group of patients with chronic arthritis under anti-TNF-α treatment is described. METHODS: Two hundred eight rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients have been evaluated longitudinally for at least 1-year before and 2-years after anti-TNF-α therapy introduction for the possible appearance of a lymphocyte expansion. In patients who developed lymphocyte expansion, T, B and NK cells were analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-five out of 208 (12%) subjects developed a mild T CD4pos lymphocytosis, during anti-TNF-α therapy, which reverted after its interruption. Higher lymphocyte count, more frequent use of steroids and shorter disease duration, before biological therapy start, have emerged as risk factors for lymphocytosis development. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first longitudinal cohort study evaluating the onset of lymphocytosis in RA and PsA patients under anti-TNF-α treatment and its possible clinical relevance. A mild T CD4pos lymphocytosis has been observed in 12% of RA and PsA patients probably related to anti-TNF-α treatment as previously reported by anecdotal cases. Patients with higher baseline lymphocyte count, use of steroids and shorter disease duration before the introduction of biologic therapy, seem to be prone to develop this laboratory reversible abnormality

Riding for the Health of Haiti

To help solve this need a Riders for Health base should be established in Haiti to help bring the hospitals and medical care to those who would normally not be able to reach it

Investigating Resistance to Candida albicans Infection through Genetic Mutations of Caenorhabditis elegans

Candidiasis is a serious disease caused by Candida albicans that affects over four billion people a year. Of those infected, 32,000 of them develop systemic infections in the US with a 30%-60% fatality rate. This type of infection is especially prevalent in immune-compromised individuals such as HIV-infected, diabetes and cancer patients. In this study, we mutagenized Caenorhabditis elegans and exposed them to C. albicans in order to isolate mutants resistant to the yeast infection. After survival tests of mutant C. elegans on C. albicans-containing media, three putative resistant strains were isolated for future analysis. Further characterization of these mutants may identify genes required for sensitivity to C. albicans infections and be useful in the study and prevention of Candidiasis

Associations Between Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Physical and Psychological Functioning and Willingness to Share Social Media Data for Research Among Adolescents With a Chronic Rheumatic Disease: Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: Social media data may augment understanding of the disease and treatment experiences and quality of life of youth with chronic medical conditions. Little is known about the willingness to share social media data for health research among youth with chronic medical conditions and the differences in health status between sharing and nonsharing youth with chronic medical conditions. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the associations between patient-reported measures of disease symptoms and functioning and the willingness to share social media data. METHODS: Between February 2018 and August 2019, during routine clinic visits, survey data about social media use and the willingness to share social media data (dependent variable) were collected from adolescents in a national rheumatic disease registry. Survey data were analyzed with patient-reported measures of disease symptoms and functioning and a clinical measure of disease activity, which were collected through a parent study. We used descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression to compare patient-reported outcomes between youth with chronic medical conditions who opted to share social media data and those who did not opt to share such data. RESULTS: Among 112 youths, (age: mean 16.1, SD 1.6 y; female: n=72, 64.3%), 83 (74.1%) agreed to share social media data. Female participants were more likely to share (P=.04). In all, 49 (43.8%) and 28 (25%) participants viewed and posted about rheumatic disease, respectively. Compared to nonsharers, sharers reported lower mobility (T-score: mean 49.0, SD 9.4 vs mean 53.9, SD 8.9; P=.02) and more pain interference (T-score: mean 45.7, SD 8.8 vs mean 40.4, SD 8.0; P=.005), fatigue (T-score: mean 49.1, SD 11.0 vs mean 39.7, SD 9.7; P<.001), depression (T-score: mean 48.1, SD 8.9 vs mean 42.2, SD 8.4; P=.003), and anxiety (T-score: mean 45.2, SD 9.3 vs mean 38.5, SD 7.0; P<.001). In regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, study site, and Physician Global Assessment score, each 1-unit increase in symptoms was associated with greater odds of willingness to share social media data, for measures of pain interference (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.001-1.14), fatigue (AOR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.13), depression (AOR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13), and anxiety (AOR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.18). CONCLUSIONS: High percentages of youth with rheumatic diseases used and were willing to share their social media data for research. Sharers reported worse symptoms and functioning compared to those of nonsharers. Social media may offer a potent information source and engagement pathway for youth with rheumatic diseases, but differences between sharing and nonsharing youth merit consideration when designing studies and evaluating social media-derived findings

Restoring the Santa Fe River: Using mobile technology to engage citizens in monitoring the river

The aim of this project was to assist the Santa Fe - Watershed Association in their effort to restore the Santa Fe River to a "living river" by enriching the collection and organization of environmental information while engaging the citizens of Santa Fe. This was accomplished by developing a public online repository, designing a mobile application and a companion website that, when fully implemented, would allow citizens to collect and manage data points and photos along the river

The Influence of Body Armor on Balance and Movement Quality

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(1): 648-656, 2018. Body armor is essential to the protection of military personnel; however, body armor may impede the users balance and movement quality. A better understanding of the influence of body armor on balance and movement quality may help in the development of new guidelines for training standards and procedures to mitigate the risk of injury associated with wearing of body armor in warfighters. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of body armor (combat boots, tactical vest and combat helmet) on balance and movement quality in male military cadets and personnel. Twelve male participants completed the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) under two separate conditions, body armor and non-body armor. Results indicated a significant difference in FMS composite score between the non-body armor and body armor conditions (p =.012), with the non-body armor condition resulting in significantly higher FMS scores than the body armor condition. Additionally, the FMS item score for shoulder mobility was significantly higher (2.25±0.62) in the non-body armor condition than the body armor condition (p= 0.03). The SEBT composite and the three individual reach distances were not significantly different between conditions. Based on the current findings, body armor within a 4.8 kg – 5.3 kg range does appear to impact movement quality as evaluated using the FMS in male military personnel and cadets. More research is needed to determine a threshold of compensatory movement patterns relative to an increase in body armor weight

Absolute lymphocyte count is a prognostic factor in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

[No abstract available