Latest News from the Lupus Research Institute

First to Tell Congress 2010!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:52:35 -0800

LRI National Coalition’s Patients’ Voice for Lupus Research Heard on Capitol Hill March 4th

March 4th

A powerful day on Capitol Hill, our voices heard!

Antibodies linked to cardiovascular disease increase in patients with active lupus

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:28:17 -0800

Study finds SLE patients at risk for developing atherosclerosis

A study by researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom suggests that autoantibodies to fat binding proteins significantly increase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active disease. This increase in anti-apolipoprotein (anti-Apo A-I), anti-high-density lipoprotein (anti-HDL), and anti-C-reactive protein (anti-CRP) may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in SLE patients, placing them at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

2010 Shady Ladies® Celebrity Sunglass Auction Raises Over $85,000 for Innovative Lupus Research

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:12:16 -0800

January 30, 2010, Wellington, FL—Nearly 200 “Shady Ladies”—double the number from last year!—streamed in to Wellington’s Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in late January for a “Guys and Dolls” themed evening featuring cocktails, a silent sunglass auction, and a ringside dinner and live auction during the “Nespresso Battle of the Sexes” equestrian competition.

CVD Risk in Lupus Worse for Men and Older Patients

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:34:26 -0800

The greatest risk for atherosclerotic vascular events among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is for men and older individuals of both sexes, researchers said.

During eight years of follow-up for more than 1,000 patients enrolled in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) registry, 97 vascular events occurred in 72 patients, according to Murray B. Urowitz, MD, of Toronto Western Hospital, and colleagues.

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LRI Researchers in Texas and New York Advance New Ways to Easily Diagnose Lupus Kidney Damage

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:37:26 -0800

Newswise — Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

Although it might take years before such tests could be used clinically, the findings suggest they could pinpoint kidney disease better than tests currently in use, the researchers said.

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Activity Helps Prevent Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:10:53 -0800

LRI-funded researchers Daniel J. Wallace, MD, Bevra H. Hahn, MD, Maureen McMahon, MD, and colleagues report

Low levels of physical activity were associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus, a cross-sectional study found.

Analysis of data from patients who underwent carotid ultrasound and answered detailed questionnaires about their exercise habits revealed a negative correlation between mean intima-media thickness and physical activity (r=−0.14, P=0.03), according to Elizabeth R. Volkmann, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues.