The proposed Multipurpose Arthritis Center at Cornell Medical center represents a group of committed health and education professionals collaborating to improve the understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. The long-term objectives of the proposed MAC include: 1) the development of a new capability in clinical research which will foster studies of prognosis and management of rheumatic and orthopedic diseases, 2) to promote new initiatives to enhance our understanding of psychosoical aspects of musculoskeletal disease such as patients' coping mechanisms, 3) to encourage the growth of young academic faculty and the exploration of novel research ideas, 4) to serve as a research resource in the CMC community and to draw attention and effort to critical problems in musculoskeletal disease and 5) to develop, implement and evaluate state-of-the-art programs designed to meet emerging needs in professional, patient and public education. The long term objectives of the MAC will be realized through a series of specific coordinated efforts. It will provide an important stimulus for young orthopedic (Healey, Johnson) and rheumatic disease (Bhardwaj, Chartash, Salmon) investigators and will encourage novel biomedical ideas involving dendritic cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, helper-T cell induced B cell activation, marine lipids and receptor signal transduction, adenosine modulation of monocyte function in inflammatory disease, and chondrocyte response to dynamic mechanical factors. Using the principles of clinical epidemiology, the MAC will investigate problems relating to thromboembolism in postoperative orthopedic patients, prosthetic joint loosening and corticosteriod-induced osteoporosis. The MAC will also promote the study of coping and adjustment to chronic illness and the psychosocial impact of complicated lupus pregnancies. Serving as a pivotal research and education resource to MAC investigators and to the CMC community, the MAC will provide four critical Core facilities in Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting, Cell Culture, Education Research and Development, and Research Methodology. Thus, the proposed MAC reflects a strong commitment to advance both biomedial and non-biomedical capabilities to address clinical research and education issues in muscluoskeletal diseases.
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