Clinical Research Directory

Pilot Study Related to the Effect of Clopidogrel on Plasmatic Soluble CD40 Ligand During Systemic Lupus Erythematous

CD40 Ligand (CD40L) has been identified as a key feature in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis, a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by a multiorgan involvement. As platelets are a major source of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), we propose to study the effect of clopidogrel, a platelet inhibitor, on plasmatic sCD40L levels in SLE patients.

Rheumatology Diet Study

This study aims to collect information on rheumatology patients' dietary habits, autoimmune disease activity, dietary changes, disease symptom improvements, and perceptions on their dietary habits and how it affects their autoimmune disease. The main objective is to see if rheumatology patients change their dietary habits after their diagnosis of an autoimmune disease and if it subjectively improved their disease symptoms. It will also look at rheumatology patients' expectations for their rheumatologist when it comes to dietary advice and what resources they used to choose their new dietary habits. The study also seeks to measure the interest that rheumatology patients have in pursuing dietary changes as a means of controlling the symptoms of their autoimmune disease. It is expected that patients who changed their eating habits to healthier diets such as a Mediterranean diet would report less severe autoimmune disease symptoms. There are limited dietary recommendations for the management of many rheumatological diseases, so this study seeks to assess rheumatology patients' willingness to try dietary modifications, what improvements they had, and why they decide to make these changes in light of limited information.