Risk of Incident Heart Failure and Heart Failure Subtypes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart failure (HF). However, little is known regarding the relative risks of heart failure subtypes such as HF with preserved (HFpEF) or reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in RA compared to non-RA.

Methods: We identified RA patients and matched non-RA comparators among participants consenting to broad research from two large academic centers.

Reasons for multiple biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD switching and characteristics of treatment refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Switching biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD (b/tsDMARD) medications occurs commonly in RA patients, however data are limited on the reasons for these changes. The objective of the study was to identify and categorize reasons for b/tsDMARD switching and investigate characteristics associated with treatment refractory RA.

Methods: In a multi-hospital RA electronic health record (EHR) cohort, we identified RA patients prescribed ≥1 b/tsDMARD between 2001 and 2017.

Murine macrophage-based iNos reporter reveals polarization and reprogramming in the context of breast cancer.

As part of the first line of defense against pathogens, macrophages possess the ability to differentiate into divergent phenotypes with varying functions. The process by which these cells change their characteristics, commonly referred to as macrophage polarization, allows them to change into broadly pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) subtypes, and depends on the polarizing stimuli. Deregulation of macrophage phenotypes can result in different pathologies or affect the nature of some diseases, such as cancer and atherosclerosis.