News and information about the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases (NDB) and arthritis and rheumatology research. Written for NDB participants and anyone with a rheumatic disease.
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Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Checking in with Dr. Elizabeth Benito-Garcia
Dr. Elizabeth Benito-Garcia is not a new face around the NDB. She is a graduate of the CHORD (The Centocor Health Outcomes in Rheumatic Diseases) fellowship program and has already collaborated on arthritis research with Dr. Wolfe and the NDB. The CHORD Fellowship is a training program for rheumatologists-in-training interested in furthering their knowledge and expertise in arthritis research. Drs. Wolfe, Theodore Pincus of Vanderbilt University, and Hyon K. Choi of Harvard oversee the program.
In the second half of 2003, Dr. Garcia launched a project in Portugal to build a national arthritis database similar to the NDB in the United States. She translated the NDB questionnaire (the same questionnaire you just received) into Portuguese and began interviewing patients and collecting data. We now have over 100 Portuguese patients participating in the NDB.
Recently we caught-up with Dr. Garcia and she kindly gave us an update on how her work is going.
Although the Portuguese patients in the NDB can be used in studies with US patients, it’s often helpful to look at people from one country separately. The databank makes this easy for researchers. One reason to do this is that certain factors, such as what foods we eat or how labor-intensive our work is, affect our health. Hereditary traits also affect health. These factors can sometimes be linked to health characteristics of a country or culture.
“Much can be learned from each country,” Dr. Benito-Garcia said.
What are the differences between Portugal and the US when in comes to arthritis? “Not enough studies have been done in Portugal to answer this question adequately,” Dr. Benito-Garcia said. “It is believed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is less common and less severe in Portugal. Also, socioeconomic status level is lower in Portugal when compared to the US.
But treatments are exactly the same. Dr. Benito-Garcia said that there is much work to do in Portugal to be able to understand how arthritis affects the population. Portugal does not have well-organized research teams doing patient-based work.
Not to worry though, she’s working to fix that. Her future goals are to “set up an organized patient-oriented research organization in Portugal, help start training programs for clinician researchers and increase patient-oriented research in Portugal.”
We’ll be watching and keeping you up to date with her progress.
Dr. Elizabeth Benito-Garcia is not a new face around the NDB. She is a graduate of the CHORD (The Centocor Health Outcomes in Rheumatic Diseases) fellowship program and has already collaborated on arthritis research with Dr. Wolfe and the NDB. The CHORD Fellowship is a training program for rheumatologists-in-training interested in furthering their knowledge and expertise in arthritis research. Drs. Wolfe, Theodore Pincus of Vanderbilt University, and Hyon K. Choi of Harvard oversee the program.
In the second half of 2003, Dr. Garcia launched a project in Portugal to build a national arthritis database similar to the NDB in the United States. She translated the NDB questionnaire (the same questionnaire you just received) into Portuguese and began interviewing patients and collecting data. We now have over 100 Portuguese patients participating in the NDB.
Recently we caught-up with Dr. Garcia and she kindly gave us an update on how her work is going.
Although the Portuguese patients in the NDB can be used in studies with US patients, it’s often helpful to look at people from one country separately. The databank makes this easy for researchers. One reason to do this is that certain factors, such as what foods we eat or how labor-intensive our work is, affect our health. Hereditary traits also affect health. These factors can sometimes be linked to health characteristics of a country or culture.
“Much can be learned from each country,” Dr. Benito-Garcia said.
What are the differences between Portugal and the US when in comes to arthritis? “Not enough studies have been done in Portugal to answer this question adequately,” Dr. Benito-Garcia said. “It is believed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is less common and less severe in Portugal. Also, socioeconomic status level is lower in Portugal when compared to the US.
But treatments are exactly the same. Dr. Benito-Garcia said that there is much work to do in Portugal to be able to understand how arthritis affects the population. Portugal does not have well-organized research teams doing patient-based work.
Not to worry though, she’s working to fix that. Her future goals are to “set up an organized patient-oriented research organization in Portugal, help start training programs for clinician researchers and increase patient-oriented research in Portugal.”
We’ll be watching and keeping you up to date with her progress.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Cost-Cutting on Drugs Has Health Cost
"New research shows, for the first time, that people with preexisting chronic medical conditions who curtailed their prescription medications because of cost were 76 percent more likely to then suffer a significant decline in their overall health and 50 percent more likely to have a nonfatal heart attack, stroke or chest pain episode than those who did not cut back." - from USA Today
"New research shows, for the first time, that people with preexisting chronic medical conditions who curtailed their prescription medications because of cost were 76 percent more likely to then suffer a significant decline in their overall health and 50 percent more likely to have a nonfatal heart attack, stroke or chest pain episode than those who did not cut back." - from USA Today
Friday, June 25, 2004
Genetic variation doubles RA risk
"A team of researchers has discovered a genetic variation that doubles the risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)....'This is not an abnormal gene,' said Dr. Gregersen. 'It is present in a substantial fraction of the normal population, so it's probably there for a good reason. It may, in fact, help defend against infection.'... According to Dr. Gregersen, a genetic variant in the setting of certain environments and in the presence of other genes may have harmful effects, whereas the same genetic variant may have beneficial effects in another genetic and environmental context. 'So this particular genetic variation may have contributed to the survival of our ancestors. The price we have to pay for that, however, is that some people are modestly predisposed to developing rheumatoid arthritis.'" - from
EurekAlert!
"A team of researchers has discovered a genetic variation that doubles the risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)....'This is not an abnormal gene,' said Dr. Gregersen. 'It is present in a substantial fraction of the normal population, so it's probably there for a good reason. It may, in fact, help defend against infection.'... According to Dr. Gregersen, a genetic variant in the setting of certain environments and in the presence of other genes may have harmful effects, whereas the same genetic variant may have beneficial effects in another genetic and environmental context. 'So this particular genetic variation may have contributed to the survival of our ancestors. The price we have to pay for that, however, is that some people are modestly predisposed to developing rheumatoid arthritis.'" - from
EurekAlert!
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
More Rituximab news...
"For two weeks, patients took rituximab alone or in combination with two other drugs: the standard drug, methotrexate, and the less widely used cyclophosphamide. Another group took methotrexate alone. After six months, more than 40 percent of patients who took rituximab combinations were greatly improved. One-third of patients on rituximab alone were greatly improved. But only 13 percent of those on the standard drug alone improved that much." - from CNN.com
"For two weeks, patients took rituximab alone or in combination with two other drugs: the standard drug, methotrexate, and the less widely used cyclophosphamide. Another group took methotrexate alone. After six months, more than 40 percent of patients who took rituximab combinations were greatly improved. One-third of patients on rituximab alone were greatly improved. But only 13 percent of those on the standard drug alone improved that much." - from CNN.com
Monday, June 21, 2004
Small study shows arthritis relief from Lipitor
"The study, appearing in the June 19 issue of The Lancet, found that patients given daily doses of atorvastatin (Lipitor) had a small but statistically significant improvement in arthritis compared to those given an inactive placebo.... Because it was a small-scale study, including just 116 patients, "we need bigger and more powerful studies" to determine whether statins have a role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Iain B. McInnes, professor of experimental medicine at the University of Glasgow and leader of the trial. " - from Yahoo! Health
"The study, appearing in the June 19 issue of The Lancet, found that patients given daily doses of atorvastatin (Lipitor) had a small but statistically significant improvement in arthritis compared to those given an inactive placebo.... Because it was a small-scale study, including just 116 patients, "we need bigger and more powerful studies" to determine whether statins have a role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Iain B. McInnes, professor of experimental medicine at the University of Glasgow and leader of the trial. " - from Yahoo! Health
Thursday, June 17, 2004
New drug appears effective against RA
"For the first time, a drug has relieved rheumatoid arthritis by knocking out a certain type of immune cell. The latest research, an international study led at University College London and published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine looked at a drug called rituximab, and the results were promising. Rituximab, which is sold under the brand name Rituxan and is already approved for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, targets B cells, which manufacture these antibodies." - from Yahoo! Health
"For the first time, a drug has relieved rheumatoid arthritis by knocking out a certain type of immune cell. The latest research, an international study led at University College London and published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine looked at a drug called rituximab, and the results were promising. Rituximab, which is sold under the brand name Rituxan and is already approved for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, targets B cells, which manufacture these antibodies." - from Yahoo! Health
Thursday, June 10, 2004
New aftificial finger joint invented
Artificial finger joints made of silicon plastic have been used for the last three decades, but tend to fall apart after three years or so. The new implant, developed at the University of Hong Kong is much stronger. The first implants in humans won't happen for several months to a few years. - from BBC News
Artificial finger joints made of silicon plastic have been used for the last three decades, but tend to fall apart after three years or so. The new implant, developed at the University of Hong Kong is much stronger. The first implants in humans won't happen for several months to a few years. - from BBC News
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Women understimate brittle bone risk
"It seems that the women surveyed do not connect knowledge about osteoporosis with the reality that they might personally be at risk. We have a significant educational task in front of us to reverse this perception that 'it can't happen to me'." As bone loss occurs without symptoms, osteoporosis can go undiagnosed and untreated for years until one or several fractures have occurred. - from BBC NEWS | Health
"It seems that the women surveyed do not connect knowledge about osteoporosis with the reality that they might personally be at risk. We have a significant educational task in front of us to reverse this perception that 'it can't happen to me'." As bone loss occurs without symptoms, osteoporosis can go undiagnosed and untreated for years until one or several fractures have occurred. - from BBC NEWS | Health
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Easy on the Vitamin C
"Everybody needs vitamin C in their diet, but taking supplements beyond the recommended daily allowance is probably inadvisable" when it comes to fighting arthritis, said Dr. Virginia Kraus, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University and lead author of a study that challenges the conventional wisdom on diet and osteoarthritis. - from HealthDay
"Everybody needs vitamin C in their diet, but taking supplements beyond the recommended daily allowance is probably inadvisable" when it comes to fighting arthritis, said Dr. Virginia Kraus, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University and lead author of a study that challenges the conventional wisdom on diet and osteoarthritis. - from HealthDay
Now available for your support group or arthritis meetings....Our new pamphlets explain what we do and how you and can help. Each one has a postage-paid postcard to request more information or join the project. The pamphlets and a small table-top stand are available free from the NDB. Just send us an email!