Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer with a PhD in microbiology/immunology from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. As a medical writer she has covered topics as diverse as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and autism. Her favorite subject, however, is the role of the immune system in health and disease. Dr. Pullen is also the mother of three children, the youngest of whom has Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). She is an active member of the PWS community and a thought leader on the importance of the ketogenic diet for this patient population.
According to a new study, patients with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have lower levels of non-esterified fatty acids, which coincide with an enhanced Th1 response. Researchers suggest that lower EPA and DHA at the onset of RA may exacerbate inflammation, and fatty acids may become a novel therapeutic target for the disease…
Physicians have been puzzled by the role of benign joint hypermobility syndrome in the development of gastrointestinal disorders and other autonomic symptoms and co-morbidities. However, new research found that benign joint hypermobility syndrome only minimally affects autonomic abnormalities…
Rheumatologists are already familiar with one mosquito-borne virus, chikungunya, whose presentation mimics arthritis. Now, with its recent spread to Puerto Rico and the Southeastern U.S., Zika, another mosquito-borne virus, has become an international public health concern. Sexual transmission of the virus was recently confirmed, expanding the virus’s threat…
A recent review examined the effectiveness of arthroscopic mensical surgery in treating meniscal injuries. Researchers determined that little evidence exists to support the use of arthroscopic meniscal surgery and more studies that directly compare it with nonoperative treatments are needed…
A recent analysis compared the care of patients with RA with that received by patients with gout, finding that hospitalization and costs for patients with gout have increased, but both are decreasing for patients with RA. Unlike RA, significant advances in treatment have not been made for gout, despite its increasing prevalence, and patients may land in the hospital unnecessarily…
New research examined the peripheral blood in patients with rheumatoid arthritis to investigate the association between disease activity, treatment and the functional activity of ABCB1 and ABCG2 drug efflux transporters. Results showed that transporter activity may correlate with increased disease activity and persist unrelated to treatment for as long as six months in some patients…
A recent review has expanded the current thinking about the benefits of exercise therapy for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Study participants experienced improved sleep, physical function and self-perceived general health…
With the increased popularity of CrossFit and other weight-training sports, a recent review examined the risk of injury associated with these activities. Using data from mostly retrospective studies, researchers determined that weight-training sports have a lower risk of injury than team sports, with bodybuilding having the lowest injury rate…
New research has demonstrated that a high-salt diet may increase the differentiation of follicular helper T cells (Tfh). A high-salt diet also increased lupus features in MRL/lpr mice, suggesting that the genes that increased expression in response to salt intake were similar to the genes that had increased expression in lupus CD4+ T cells…
A recent study documented blood transcriptional profiles in pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), finding that plasmablast signatures were the most robust biomarker of SLE disease activity. Researchers were further able to stratify patients into groups on the basis of molecular correlates, which may aid in personalizing SLE treatment and identifying biomarkers that can predict occurrence and frequency of flares…