Speaking in his office, it is clear that Brett Thombs’ route into research has been
anything but conventional. After leaving many jobs behind, his career quickly accelerated,
and today he is Professor and Canada Research Chair at McGill University (Montreal,
QC, Canada). There, Thombs directs two projects: the Scleroderma Patient-centered
Intervention Network (SPIN) and the DEPRESsion Screening Data project.
Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a rare and complex autoimmune connective-tissue
disease. Once considered an untreatable and unpredictable condition, research advancements
have improved our understanding of its disease pathogenesis and clinical phenotypes
and expanded our treatment armamentarium. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential,
while ongoing efforts to risk stratify patients have a central role in predicting
both organ involvement and disease progression. A holistic approach is required when
choosing the optimal therapeutic strategy, balancing the side-effect profile with
efficacy and tailoring the treatment according to the goals of care of the patient.
Systemic sclerosis and COVID-19 vaccines: a SPIN Cohort study thelancet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thelancet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Online mental health intervention improves anxiety in isolated scleroderma patients during the pandemic
People with a rare autoimmune disease, who likely experience more serious isolation during a global pandemic, saw their anxiety and depression improve after receiving online mental health intervention through an international study involving investigators from Michigan Medicine.
The paper, published in the
Lancet Rheumatology, analyzed the mental health progress of over 150 people with scleroderma, a disease that causes tightening of the skin and connective tissues. Researchers randomized patients to either receive video support intervention or be put on a waitlist, finding mental health outcomes improved after the program finished.
Online mental health therapy significantly aids the isolated, immunosuppressed in pandemic eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.