Holding DMARDs Not Associated With Greater RA Activity After Additional Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

Doctor with blue gloves gives vaccine shot to shoulder of a woman

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), patient-reported disease activity stayed stable around the time of an additional COVID-19 vaccination dose when disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were held.

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COVIDprotocols.org: A New Approach to Developing Clinical Guidelines During a Crisis

COVIDprotocols.org, the world’s first and most comprehensive searchable website for step-by-step COVID-19 clinical guidelines, has its roots at the Brigham. Managing editor Edy Yong Kim, MD, PhD, of the Division of Pulmonary Care and Critical Care Medicine, provides a behind-the-scenes look at this valuable resource.

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Interest in COVID-19 Vaccination High Among Patients With Systemic Rheumatic Disease

Doctor administers COVID-19 vaccine to patient

Daniel H. Solomon, MD, MPH, Sara K. Tedeschi, MD, MPH, and colleagues surveyed patients with systemic rheumatic disease (SRD) about their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination. They report high interest and a high trust in physician recommendations about vaccination.

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Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Successfully Adapted to Telehealth

Patient uses a tablet for telehealth visit with doctor

The COVID-19 pandemic had prompted a 130-fold increase in telehealth visits by U.S. Medicare recipients. The Division of Aging at the Brigham was part of that surge, adapting the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to be suitable for telephone and video visits.

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Clinical Use of Powered Air-Purifying Respirators Jeopardizes Communication, Hearing

Doctor wears personal protective equipment with hood in hospital

Emily Moldoff, NP, Carleton Eduardo Corrales, MD, and Jennifer J. Shin, MD, and colleagues have documented that the noise generated by powered air-purifying respirators creates a substantial barrier to communication during clinical interactions.

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COVID-19–related Psychological Factors Can Interfere with Mother–Infant Bonding

Mother holds and looks down at newborn infant

In a nationwide online survey of pregnant and postpartum women, Cindy H. Liu, PhD, and Carmina Erdei, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues determined that psychological factors related to COVID-19, particularly grief, pose unique hazards to mother–infant bonding.

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Scientific Statement: COVID-19 and Heart Failure

In September 2021, the Heart Failure Society of America published a scientific statement that discusses clinical care for patients with HF during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ankeet S. Bhatt, MD, MBA, of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Brigham, was a co-chair of the writing committee and first author.

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Knocking Out Respiratory Viruses Before They Cause Damage

Brigham researchers are seeking to limit the severe effects of respiratory viruses by using new methods to reduce the viral load and excessive lung inflammation that are common with these lung infections. Pulmonologist Bruce D. Levy, MD, is a corresponding author of a recently published article on this research.

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Study Reveals New Insights Into Source of Certain Long-Haul COVID Symptoms

doctor speaking with patient

Results of an invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (iCPET) explain why patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS), also known as long-haul COVID, suffer from fatigue, shortness of breath and lightheadedness when exerting themselves. A recent study published in the journal CHEST found that PACS patients without cardiopulmonary disease demonstrate a marked reduction in aerobic activity and impaired systemic oxygen extraction, along with an exaggerated hyperventilatory response during exercise.

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Investigating Gastrointestinal Manifestations of COVID-19

COVID-19 cell

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walter W. Chan, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Motility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, have led several clinical studies investigating COVID-19 infection presentation, risk factors and outcomes on the gastrointestinal (GI) system.

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