In this podcast, Caroline Ospelt (Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland) talks to Alessia Alunno (Rheumatology Unit, University of Perugia, Italy) about the similarities and differences in the cytokine storm that occurs in COVID-19 patients and people with rheumatic diseases. Link to related paper: https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e001295

RMD Open: Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases

COVID-19 and cytokines - same storm, different origins?

A systematic literature review on imaging techniques for diagnosis, outcome prediction and disease monitoring in large vessel vasculitis informing the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations is discussed in this podcast by two of the authors of the paper: Dr. Christina Duftner, rheumatologist at the Medical University Innsbruck, Austria, and Dr. Sofia Ramiro, rheumatologist at Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands. Read the paper on the RMD Open website: https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000612.

Imaging in large vessel vasculitis

RMD Open Editor-in-Chief Professor Bernard Combe talks to Professor Annette van der Helm from Leiden University Medical Center about the use of MR imaging in the diagnosis and classification of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Professor van der Helm briefly summarises the pros and cons of MR imaging in comparison with the use of CT images, and highlights some of the technical challenges of this technique. For further information on this topic please read this viewpoint article published in RMD Open: https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000728.

The use of MRI in rheumatology

What is peer-review and why is important? EMEUNET, the Emerging EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Network, organises a training program in collaboration with the EULAR journals to improve peer review skills of young researchers. Want to know more? Listen to the conversation between Dr Aurélie Najm (Nantes University Hospital, France) and Dr Javier Rodriìguez-Carrio (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain), first author of “Improving the peer review skills of young rheumatologists and researchers in rheumatology: the EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program”, published by the members of the EMEUNET Peer Mentoring subgroup. Read the full article on the RMD Open website: https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000619 Learn more about EMEUNET here: https://emeunet.eular.org

Improving the peer review skills of young researchers in rheumatology

What mistakes should be avoided in our diet? And what potentially beneficial foods should we be taking? The answers are given by Professor Maurizio Cutolo (Postgraduate School of Rheumatology, University of Genova, Genova, Italy)in this short conversation with Claire Daien (Rheumatology department, Montpellier University, France) recorded at the XVII Mediterranean Congress of Rheumatology, in Genova, Italy, in April 2018. Read the full editorial on the RMD Open website: http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000591.

Don’t neglect nutrition in rheumatoid arthritis!

To better standardise the evaluation of disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis patients, especially in moderate disease, consensus scores of their medical doctor (MD) global ratings (EGA) are needed. Dr Janet Pope (Western University of Canada) suggests the development of a catalogue of patient scenarios to decrease the wide variability of ranking among rheumatologists. She explains how that could work in this conversation with Dr Paul Studenic (Medical University Vienna, Austria). Read the study “Physician global assessments for disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis are all over the map!” on the RMD Open website: http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000578.

A standardised catalogue of patient scenarios to improve the ranking of RA disease activity?

Editor-in-Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe is joined by Theodore Pincus, Rheumatologist at the Rush University, Chicago, to discuss how new screening tools such as the MDHAQ (Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire) are improving diagnosis in rheumatology. To read more about these topics, visit the RMD Open website: MDHAQ/RAPID3 scores in patients with osteoarthritis are similar to or higher than in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study from current routine rheumatology care at four sites - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000391 Responsiveness of a simple RAPID-3-like index compared to disease-specific BASDAI and ASDAS indices in patients with axial spondyloarthritis - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000235 Improving inflammatory arthritis management through tighter monitoring of patients and the use of innovative electronic tools - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000302 Systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for assessing disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000202.

Osteoarthritis or rheumatoid? The MDHAQ patient questionnaire role in routine rheumatology care

Professor Xavier Mariette (Head of Rheumatology at Université Paris-Sud, France) is an expert in Sjögren's syndrome. He tells Editor-in-Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe what is known so far about a relatively unstudied autoimmune disease characterised by dryness of the mouth and eyes which is closely linked to rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Read more about this subject on the RMD Open website: • “Epidemiology of neurological manifestations in Sjögren's syndrome: data from the French ASSESS Cohort” -http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000179; • “SIGLEC1 is a biomarker of disease activity and indicates extraglandular manifestation in primary Sjögren's syndrome” - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000292; • “Patient burden of Sjögren’s: a comprehensive literature review revealing the range and heterogeneity of measures used in assessments of severity” - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/3/2/e000443.

Sjögren's syndrome: what do we know so far?

Cassandra Calabrese (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA) speaks with Editor-in-Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe about checkpoint inhibitors. For more information, please visit the RMD Open website, where the related article to this podcast can also be found: Rheumatic immune-related adverse events of checkpoint therapy for cancer: case series of a new nosological entity: http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000412.

Rheumatic immune-related adverse events of checkpoint therapy for cancer

Professor Jonathan Kay (Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA) tells Editor-in-Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe why he supports the switch from branded drugs to their cheaper biosimilar. They spoke at the EULAR conference 2017, held in Madrid, in June. For more information on this topic read: • Key design considerations on comparative clinical efficacy studies for biosimilars: adalimumab as an example - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000154 • Biosimilars: what do patients need to consider? - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000141 • Biosimilars in rheumatology: what the clinician should know - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000010 • Switching from originator biological agents to biosimilars: what is the evidence and what are the issues? - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/3/2/e000492.

Branded drug or biosimilar? Reasons to adopt generics in rheumatology, by Professor Jonathan Kay

Dr Joao Fonseca, head of the Rheumatology Department at the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre (Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa), tells Editor in Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe how the data from the reuma.pt database is improving the early diagnosis and treatment of arthritis in Portugal. The Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt) was started by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology in 2008 with the aim to register patients suffering from all the different inflammatory joint diseases. http://rmdopen.bmj.com/

Early diagnosis and treatment: the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register

Interleukin-17 (IL-17A) is a cytokine critical for the acute defence against extracellular bacterial and fungal infections. Excess production during chronic inflammation has been associated with many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. In this podcast, the Editor-in-Chief of RMD Open Bernard Combe and Pierre Miossec (Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Lyon, France) discuss a review paper about an update on IL-17A. The review concludes that the use of IL-17 inhibition in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is easy to understand because of the role of IL-17 in bone destruction. However, the use of the same inhibitors for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) implies another understanding. In fact, IL-17 specifically in combination with TNF, induces bone matrix formation by isolated osteoblasts. This is the case at the site of ligaments insertion, where osteoclasts are absent. Local bone formation leads to syndesmophytes. Professor Miossec also explains how these findings might impact clinical practice. For more details about this article, visit the RMD Open website: http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000284.

Interleukin-17: a role in inflammatory arthritis and implication for clinical practice

BMJ and EULAR are launching a new rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases journal, RMD Open, and Editor-in-Chief Bernard Combe explains what readers and authors can look forward to. http://rmdopen.bmj.com/

Welcome to RMD Open

RMD Open is an online only Open Access journal that publishes high-quality peer-reviewed original research covering the full spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders, rheumatism and connective tissue diseases, including osteoporosis, spine and rehabilitation. Clinical and epidemiological research, basic and translational medicine, interesting clinical cases, and smaller studies that add to the literature are all considered. RMD Open is co-owned by EULAR and BMJ. http://rmdopen.bmj.com/ * The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

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RMD Open: Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases

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