Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Rheumatology / 18.12.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: M Mushfiqur Rahman, MSc. PhD candidate School of Population and Public Health University of British Columbia, Statistical Analyst Arthritis Research Centre of Canada 5591 No. 3 Road, Richmond BC, Canada, V6X 2C7; MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Author’s response: Using 18 years of administrative health records from British Columbia, Canada, our aim was to determine whether osteoarthritis increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in a longitudinal study. We also examined the risks of specific cardiovascular conditions such as, myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke after adjusting for age, sex, socio-economic status, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a co-morbidity score. We observed a significant increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and congestive heart failure among individuals with osteoarthritis compared with age-sex matched non-osteoarthritis individuals. Our data suggests that adult women and men aged 65 years and older with osteoarthritis had higher risks of developing these conditions. The risks were also higher among severe osteoarthritis patients who had undergone total joint replacement surgeries. Men aged between 20-64 years with osteoarthritis did not show higher risks of developing these conditions. (more…)
Author Interviews, Rheumatology / 02.11.2013

Dr. Laura Coates Division of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease Chapel Allerton Hospital Chapeltown Road Leeds NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of LeedsMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Laura Coates Division of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease Chapel Allerton Hospital Chapeltown Road Leeds NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Leeds
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The TICOPA study showed that treating patients with early psoriatic arthritis to an objective target with regular review improved patient's clinical outcome both in terms of arthritis and skin psoriasis.  There was an increase in adverse events in the tight control arm but only 4 serious infections seen in the tight control arm that were thought to be related to treatment (2 cases of cellulitis, 2 cases of chest infection). (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Mayo Clinic, Rheumatology / 30.10.2013

Eric Matteson, M.D. Rheumatology Chair Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Eric Matteson, M.D. Rheumatology Chair Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. MedicalResearch.com:   What are the main findings of the studies? Dr. Matteson: “The main finding is that patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk of heart disease.  Further, women who experience early menopause also have a higher risk of heart disease.” (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Rheumatology / 29.10.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lotta Ljung, MD, PhD Umeå University, Umeå and Karolinska  Institute Stockholm, Sweden MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Ljung:  In this observational study we observed a lower risk of acute coronary syndromes in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) compared with the risk among patients without this exposure. The adjusted relative risk (HR) was 0.73-0.82  among TNFi exposed patients compared with the biologics-naive RA cohort, depending on the time frame evaluated, which can be concluded as a moderately lower risk. Compared with the risk in the general population, the risk in RA patients was higher, whether exposed to TNFi or not. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Rheumatology / 03.10.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with A/Prof Susanna M Proudman MB BS (Hons) FRACP Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide Senior Consultant in Rheumatology Royal Adelaide Hospital North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In patients with early DMARD-naïve rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fish oil (delivering an average daily dose of 3.7 g dose of omega-3 fats) was associated with benefits additional to those achieved by combination treat-to-target DMARDs with similar methotrexate use. These included significantly reduced risk of triple DMARD failure, defined as needing the addition of leflunomide, and a higher rate of ACR remission. Because a structured treatment algorithm that was responsive to disease activity and tolerance was used, drug use could be used as an outcome measure for the effects of fish oil. This is one of the novel features of this study as the study design allows for a RCT to be performed on a background of treat-to-target therapy for early RA. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Outcomes & Safety, Rheumatology / 30.08.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mwidimi Ndosi, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), RN. Academic & Clinical Unit for Musculoskeletal Nursing (ACUMeN) Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine University of Leeds England MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The aims of this study was to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of nurse-led care for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The main findings were: (i)             Patients seeing clinical nurse specialists for their rheumatoid arthritis follow-up care do not get an inferior treatment. (ii)           Nurse-led care is safe and in some aspects presents added value to patients (iii)          Nurse-led care represents good value for money in terms of disease management for people with RA. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Case Western, Rheumatology / 29.08.2013

Dr Janet E Pope Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine The University of Western Ontario, St Joseph's Health Centre 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 4V2MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Janet E Pope Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine The University of Western Ontario, St Joseph's Health Centre 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 4V2   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?  Dr. Pope: We performed a RCT of patients who were stable for 6 months of etanercept added to methotrexate (inadequate responders to Mtx) who were randomized to stopping Mtx or continuing Mtx to determine if in the next 6 months (and later as the trial continues) the response rate would be the same if Mtx was discontinued. Overall, Mtx + etanercept was not statistically equivalent to etanercept alone (ie non-inferiority did not occur); implying 6 months after stopping Mtx, the etanercept patients on monotherapy performed slightly less well than those on combination therapy. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Rheumatology / 22.08.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Matthew Parkes Research Statistician Research in Osteoarthritis Manchester (ROAM) Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit Centre for Musculoskeletal Research Institute of Inflammation and Repair The University of Manchester Manchester Academic Health Science Centre Manchester M13 9PT MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Looking at all trials of lateral wedge insoles, they seem to reduce pain slightly. However, looking at trials which compare lateral wedges to flat wedges, they don’t appear to differ in terms of pain reduction. (more…)
Author Interviews, Fish, General Medicine, Rheumatology / 16.08.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniela Di Giuseppe Division of Nutritional Epidemiology Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm 171 77, Sweden MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Women whose long-term intake of omega 3 PUFAs exceeded 0.21 g a day, equivalent to at least one serving of fatty fish or four servings of lean fish a week, had half the risk (52% lower) of rheumatoid arthritis of women who consumed less. (more…)
JAMA, Rheumatology / 04.07.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jonas Eriksson, PhD-student Clinical Epidemiology Unit Karolinska Institutet, T2 171 76 STOCKHOLM Sweden Biological vs Conventional Combination Treatment and Work Loss in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis A Randomized Trial MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The main finding from this study is that in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and with an insufficient response to methotrexate, addition of biologic (infliximab) or conventional combination therapy (sulfasalazine+hydroxychlorquine) resulted in significant improvements in work ability over 21 months. However, at 21 months, no significant difference could be detected in work ability change between patients randomized to addition of biologic or conventional therapy. When comparing the randomized early rheumatoid arthritis patients to matched general population comparators, the average number of days of work loss did not return to the level of the general population, underscoring the need for more effective treatment strategies and earlier diagnosis. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Vaccine Studies / 19.06.2013

Marloes Heijstek MD University Medical Center, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital Department of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology Room number KC 03.063.0 P.O. Box 85090 Lundlaan 6 3508 AB UtrechtMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marloes Heijstek MD University Medical Center, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital Department of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology Room number KC 03.063.0 P.O. Box 85090 Lundlaan 6 3508 AB Utrecht MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Heijstek: The main findings of our study are that MMR booster vaccination does not affect JIA disease, does not cause flares of arthritis and induces high rates of protective immunity. (more…)