Related Articles
Air Pollution: Is There an Association with Rheumatic Disease?
Interactions between an individual’s genetic background and their exposure to environmental factors are thought to result in a cascade of immune reactions, ultimately leading to the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and juvenile dermatomyositis.1,2 For example, an environmental factor that conclusively affects susceptibility…
Industrial Fine Particulate Air Pollution Linked to Increased ACPA Positivity
Researchers investigating the effects of air pollutants on a biomarker for rheumatic autoimmune diseases have found a significant correlation between anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity in the general population and exposure to industrial fine particulate matter…
Enemy at the Gates: The Emerging Threat of COVID-19
On Dec. 30, 2019, an ophthalmologist named Li Wenliang notified his colleagues about an illness that was reminiscent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in a city in the Hubei province of China called Wuhan. As an ophthalmologist, this was not directly relevant to his practice; he merely wanted to warn colleagues that they might…
Bigger May Not Be Better for China’s ‘Super Hospitals’
ZHENGZHOU, China (Reuters)—Just before midnight, the pavement outside the glowing high-rise towers of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University is littered with slumbering bodies. Splayed on colourful mats or tucked into folding cots, these are patients’ relatives. Inside, beds line hallways and crowd elevator lobbies, while relatives share gurneys with patients and doze in…