Episodes
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In another installment in the ongoing Arthritis & Rheumatology immunology series, guest David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, author of Unique Interplay Between Antinuclear Antibodies and Nuclear Molecules in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, takes us on a deep dive into research in SLE on how the combination of ANAs and immunologically active DNA can create new structures that can promote inflammation throughout the body as well as drive organ inflammation and damage.
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This week, our next guest, ACR Master Dr. Joan T. Merrill, joins us to discuss her latest study which endeavored to evaluate the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib and elsubrutinib in those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Join us for an in-depth analysis of the SLEek Study, its findings regarding the efficacy of these medications and Dr. Merrill’s conclusions.
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For those with rheumatic disease, everyday challenges can mean an increase in disease flare. However, research is increasingly pointing to the idea that psychosocial stressors could even heighten the risk of developing rheumatic diseases. Dr. Christine Parks looked deeper into this among those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in her latest study Life Events, Caregiving, and Risk of Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study
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This week, we explore a groundbreaking study on the prevalence of fibromyalgia and widespread pain in patients with psoriatic arthritis with first author and ACR Master, Dr. Philip J. Mease. In his latest article, titled: Prevalence of Fibromyalgia and Widespread Pain in Psoriatic Arthritis: Association with Disease Severity Assessment in a Large US RegistryUID , Dr. Mease explains what the presence of these conditions reveals about disease severity and how they converge.
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As the dawn of the Ai revolution marches on, scientific research and clinical medicine are adopting new and more streamlined ways to investigate and serve our patients. Today, we look at how Ai-driven, large language models (LLMs) might aid our field’s researchers in analyzing data from patient interviews. Dr. Bella Mehta, corresponding author of A Novel Approach for Mixed-Methods Research Using Large Language Models: A Report Using Patients’ Perspectives on Barriers to Arthroplasty , joins us this week to give us her insights on this this quickly evolving technology and how it can be employed in both the research and clinical setting.
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Genetic conditions, inherited personality traits, brain chemistry...these are but a few of the well-known biological determinants of health and are but a small sample of factors that can determine how severe disease may affect a patient. But what role can social factors play in determining a patient’s health? What of the ‘Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)’? Dr. Shivani Garg set out to identify these factors and understand how they play a role in determining the severity of symptoms in those with Lupus Nephritis (LN). What she discovered was that not only do these factors play a significant role, but each one added has a multiplicative effect on the patient’s reported outcome! Dr. Garg is our guest today and her study, published in Arthritis Care & Rheumatology titled: Multiplicative Impact of Adverse Social Determinants of Health on Outcomes in Lupus Nephritis: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review, will be the focus of our discussion.
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The process of weaning our patients off biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (b-DMARD) therapy is not unfamiliar in our clinics. However, when attending to our patients, many complications and questions arise. Specific guidance is needed, but where do we turn? Thankfully, our latest guest, Dr. Paul Emery, may have some answers. His latest study, Predicting Flare in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Biologic Induced Remission, on Tapering, and on Stable Therapy attempted to “identify predictors of flare in patients in stable b-DMARD–induced clinical remission”. Let’s dive in together and see what he and his team have found!
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To better understand the mechanisms that drive antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), Dr. Yu Zuo and his team, evaluated the presence of circulating calprotectin (cCLP) to detect any clinical associations or even the mechanistic role among a cohort of primary APS and aPL-positive patients. Dr. Zuo sits down with us this week to discuss whether calprotectin can be a functional biomarker for those with APS thrombocytopenia and what the future holds for this study’s conclusions.
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Benjamin Franklin once said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This week, we have the opportunity to see this realized in a recent clinical study entitled, Vitamin D and Marine n-3 Fatty Acids for Autoimmune Disease Prevention: Outcomes Two Years After Completion of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Our guest is the study’s first author, Dr. Karen Costenbader. She explains the results of this research, which suggests Vitamin D and marine n-3 fatty acids play a significant role in preventing autoimmune disease!
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Caring for our patients means reducing symptoms and occurrences of flare-ups. However, caring for their whole self means a watchful eye on how chronic disease symptoms impact their daily life and mental health. Discovering patterns between depression and anxiety and such chronic diseases, like ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, was the focus of Dr. Alyssa Howren’s latest study. Today, we take a look at this study, titled: “What Came First?” Population-Based Evaluation of Health Care Encounters for Depression and Anxiety Before and After Inflammatory Arthritis Diagnosis: Disentangling the Relationship Between Mental Health and Arthritis and try to disentangle the web of disease-related depression and anxiety
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When disease strikes, time becomes a critical resource our patients cannot afford to waste. For those with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), an inordinate amount of time often goes by before a proper diagnosis is made, resulting in delays for crucial treatments to be rendered. The reasons for this delay in diagnosis, particularly among those with axSpA are diverse, complicated and not well-understood. Our guest, Dr. Gregory McDermott, attempted to better understand this diagnostic delay with his study: Factors Associated With Diagnostic Delay in Axial Spondyloarthritis: Impact of Clinical Factors and Social Vulnerability in hopes that we may begin answering these challenges with solutions.
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Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a painful and debilitating disease that our patients suffer from. However, a newly published study has concluded that there are some self-management interventions patients can engage with that have shown to improve fatigue, particularly for those newly diagnosed with SSc. Today, we review the procedures, interventions, results and conclusions of this study, titled: Effects of a Resilience-Building Energy Management Program on Fatigue and Other Symptoms in Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial, along with two of its authors, Dr. Susan L Murphy and Ms. Mary Alore, and how your patients can benefit from its lessons.
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As the need and demand for quality care increases, time in clinic needs to become more efficient. Working smarter, not harder, is a daily challenge for all in our field. With mobile technology streamlining so much and improvements in patient reported outcome (PRO) collection among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) needed, it had Dr. Daniel Solomon asking “...is there an app for that?”. Today, we review the study A Mobile Health Application Integrated in the Electronic Health Record for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient–Reported Outcomes: A Controlled Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of Impact on Visit Efficiency , recently published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Our guest, Dr. Daniel Solomon, is our guest and the study’s first author.
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Recent research indicates that those who suffer from AxSpA may have some hope in protecting against events of Uveitis! Dr. Katie Bechman, first author Incidence of Uveitis in Patients With Axial Spondylarthritis Treated With Biologics or Targeted Synthetics: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis, explains her team’s research findings and how they came to this exciting conclusion!
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“If I have seen further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants” Sir Isaac Newton famously stated in a letter to polymath scientist, Robert Hooke back in 1675. Today, Dr. Mary Crow, MD, aides Arthritis & Rheumatology launch a series on immunology, for rheumatologists. She is the co-author of the article Standing on Shoulders: Interferon Research, from Viral Interference to Lupus Pathogenesis and Treatment. In this episode, we stand with Dr. Crow to look back at the achievements made by brilliant minds in interferon research and analyze the unbroken line their advancements in rheumatology have led to today’s discoveries, with more to com
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Is there an increased risk of cancer once a patient has Scleroderma? If so, what is the risk and how does one go about showing this? Dr. Ami A Shah, Director of the Division of Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins sits down with us to explain those answers. We go over the methods, results and conclusions of the recent study Distinct Scleroderma Autoantibody Profiles Stratify Patients for Cancer Risk at Scleroderma Onset and During the Disease Course published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Afterward, Dr. Shah shares with us her journey to becoming a physician-scientist and mentoring others in Scleroderma research through a K24 grant.
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Welcome back to “Journals”! Our topic of discussion today comes from the manuscript Anti-Gephyrin Antibodies: A Novel Specificity in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis and Lower Bowel Dysfunction and our guest today is the study’s first author, Dr. Zsuzsanna McMahan. The study recognizes that the enteric nervous system (ENS) regulates the gastrointestinal (GI) function, which is commonly impaired in those who suffer from systemic sclerosis (SSc). Dr. McMahan and her team’s objective for this study was “to identify novel anti-ENS autoantibodies with an aim to clinically phenotype SSc GI dysfunction”. We sit down with Dr. McMahan and discuss the study’s methods and discoveries. Plus, her experience transitioning from a junior to an independent investigator and what advice she can offer our young listeners for the journey along the way.
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Dr. Tobit Steinmetz is our guest this week, author of the manuscript recently published in “Arthritis and Rheumatology” titled: "Association of Circulating Antibody-Secreting Cell Maturity with Disease Features in Primary Sjogren's Syndrome." Dr. Steinmetz and his team endeavored to better understand the hyperactivity observed among B cells, which play a major role in Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome (SS). To do this, he and the team examined the quantity, maturity and inflammatory properties of Antibody Secreting Cells (ASCs) in the B cell effector branch, which became the focus of the study. Tune in to hear how this was done, what their observations and conclusions were plus, Dr. Steinmetz’s insights for those looking to enter a postdoctoral position!
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After a major event, it’s important to take stock of the causes of such an event, but just as important, on the reactions to it. No other event has challenged humanity in recent memory like COVID-19. Today we discuss the pandemic in relationship to its impact on those who suffer with rheumatic disease and examine the global response. Our guest is Dr. Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD, the first author of the paper: Global Perspective on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rheumatology and Health Equity , which was recently published in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Sometimes, we learn more from what isn’t achieved than when we achieve an expected result. Such is the case for our next guest, Dr. David R. Jayne, who is the first author of Clinical and Biomarker Responses to BI 655064, an Antagonistic Anti-CD40 Antibody, in Patients With Active Lupus Nephritis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Trial , a study designed to characterize a dose-response relationship between an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody known as Bi 655064 and complete renal response (CRR) in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN). Dr. Jayne and his research team’s study may not have shown this dose-response relationship, but what was gained along the way surely shows the power of the negative study!
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