Development Of Rheumatology Research Articles

General knowledge of frequently applied test procedures in rheumatological and immunological diagnostics and research

Knowledge of test procedures is essential for an optimal approach in rheumatological and immunological diagnostics as well as for acorrect interpretation of the findings. In practice, they are abasis for the independent provision of diagnostic laboratory services. For scientific questions they have become indispensable tools in many areas. This article gives an overview on the most frequently used and important test methods in acomprehensive form. The advantages and performance of the different methods are addressed and the limitations and possible sources or error are discussed. Quality control increasingly plays a decisive role in the diagnostic and scientific practice, with the legal regulations applying to all test procedures in laboratory diagnostics. For the discipline of rheumatology, the rheumatological and immunological diagnostics are of particular importance as the majority of the known disease-specific markers are detectable by means of these procedures. At the same time, immunological laboratory diagnostics are a highly interesting field of activity which are expected to have a strong impact on the future developments in rheumatology.

Global excellence in rheumatology: Africa-The contribution of African women rheumatologists.

Over the last few decades, the development of Rheumatology on the African continent has made great strides. Alongside an increasing recognition of the prevalence and burden of disease from these conditions, has been a determination to raise awareness of these disorders in Africa together with an appreciation of the associated disease impact on individuals, families and society as a whole. Great improvements have also been made across the continent with regards to the education of medical students, trainee doctors and allied health professionals of these conditions. Furthermore, high quality rheumatological research is now emanating from Africa. Taken together, these actions mean that Africa is making a significant contribution to global excellence in Rheumatology. Although this achievement has been made possible by visionary, hardworking and inspirational men and women, we believe that it is vital to bring to light the extraordinary efforts of African female rheumatologists in this endeavor. Their contribution is all the more remarkable because of the barriers that women still face in medicine in general and in academia in particular. We showcase here, four women of distinction who in their own unique way, have exemplified the contribution of African female rheumatologists to global excellence in Africa. We pay tribute to them and to their ongoing efforts to act as beacons of excellence in rheumatology in Africa to men and especially to other women.

P50 Addressing the vocational development of young people with long-term health conditions in health care settings: a systematic review and mixed methods synthesis

Introduction/BackgroundLong term health conditions (LTHC) such as rheumatic conditions have significant impact on the biopsychosocial development of young people (YP) including vocational development. Educational transitions are prominent during adolescence and young adulthood yet not all transitional care programmes in rheumatology address this area [1]. The aim of this study was to identify and synthesise the benefits and experiences of addressing the vocational development of YP with LTHC in health care settings.Description/MethodA mixed methods synthesis approach [2] was employed. We systematically searched 10 bibliographic databases. Restrictions were applied on publication date (1996-2020) and publication language (English). Articles reporting quantitative and/or qualitative primary research on addressing vocational needs/issues of YP with LTHC in health care settings were included. YP was defined as 10-24 years [3]. Two reviewers independently screened records using predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria [4]. Quality appraisal was undertaken following study selection. Qualitative data were synthesised thematically. Quantitative data were synthesised narratively, given that a pooled synthesis was not considered appropriate. A cross-study synthesis integrated findings from both the qualitative and quantitative syntheses.Discussion/Results43 articles were included. The quality of qualitative evidence was good; however, the quality of quantitative evidence was poor. The thematic synthesis of stakeholders’ perspectives (n = 23 qualitative studies) resulted in seven recommendations for interventions: provide skills training; provide psychological support; offer to liaise with key stakeholders in educational/workplace settings; provide specialist career advice; provide information, signposting and facilitate access to supporting services; provide/facilitate access to social support; provide flexible care and optimal disease management to support education/employment transitions. The narrative synthesis summarised the results of 17 interventions. The cross-study synthesis mapped interventions against the set of recommendations arising from stakeholders’ perspectives: four interventions met five recommendations; two interventions met four recommendations; five interventions met three recommendations; six interventions met two recommendations. Transitional care interventions were the type of intervention that most comprehensively met the recommendations. The way in which interventions addressed vocational issues was not always clear, with some interventions addressing them directly and others indirectly. No interventions had vocational issues as the core, defining component of the intervention.Key learning points/ConclusionExisting stakeholder evidence highlights that vocational development is an important area to address in the care of YP with LTHC such as rheumatic diseases. The resulting set of recommendations provides guidance for future research in this area and transitional care developments in rheumatology. Further work in this area should address these aspects to enable better quality evidence and ensure consistency.

Comparative clinical characteristics of untreated early rheumatoid arthritis in patients with early and late onset according to the All-Russian Register of Patients with Arthritis “OREL”

The question about the peculiarities of the course of rheumatoid arthritis in different age periods was raised in the literature repeatedly and the answer depended on the period of development of rheumatology and was not unambiguous. The course of age-specific features of the initial stages of disease development has also been studied (although less frequently). At the same time, the issues of age-related features of as yet untreated early rheumatoid arthritis have not been previously presented in the literature studied by the authors. This article gives a brief overview of the problem and discusses the findings.The aim of the present study was the comparative study of the characteristics of untreated early rheumatoid arthritis with early (18–49 years) and late (50 years and older) onset.The material was represented by 292 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with disease duration from 1 to 12 months from the disease onset, entered into the All-Russian Register of Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis “OREL” in the period from January 01, 2012 to December 31, 2018 with the results of examination at the time of the first examination. All patients were naïve to treatment with basal (synthetic, biological or other targeted) drugs and systemic glucocorticoid therapy. In 141 patients, the disease started at a younger age, group 1 (18–49 years), and in 151, at an older age (50 years or older), group 2.Methods. Disease activity (according to DAS-28 index), radiological stage – (according to Steinbroker, modified), functional disorders – according to functional class, immunological characteristic and additional immunological characteristic (rheumatoid factor, cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies) and other parameters were estimated in accordance to requirements of current national rheumatoid arthritis classification. The results of the study indicate that the disease in older age is characterized by more pronounced inflammatory, destructive changes in relation to the joint apparatus and functional disorders than the onset of rheumatoid arthritis at a young age.

Paths to academic rheumatology

The development of rheumatology into one of the most progressive medical disciplines is mainly based on the enormous scientific knowledge gained in recent decades. Physician scientists have played asubstantial role in this development. With respect to the ongoing challenges, physician scientists will be urgently needed in the future. Therefore, young physicians need to be attracted to scientific research in rheumatology. This article describes possible paths into academic rheumatology, highlights facilitators and barriers to ascientific career and discusses ideas for the recruitment of young scientists for rheumatology based on the existing literature. It is without doubt that young scientists are urgently needed in rheumatology; however, the number of young physician scientists seems to be declining. The paths to academic rheumatology are manifold and variable but setting the course early on during medical school by science-oriented teaching, research internships and doctoral theses, appears to be advantageous. Favorable factors for the decision to pursue an academic career in rheumatology are enjoyment in research, recognition of research rotations for rheumatology training and improved career opportunities. The greatest barriers are considered to be the exemption from clinical duties as well as lack of experience with scientific methods and acquisition of research funding. Therefore, it is important to make potential scientists enthusiastic about the research underlying modern rheumatology and to encourage research during medical school in order to attract young people to academic rheumatology.

The development of rheumatology at the stage of formation of a new technological paradigm

Using rheumatology as an example, the paper considers current trends in the development of medical science in the 21st century. It is emphasized that biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology are becoming the central research priority site attracting to clinical medicine and rheumatology, neuroscience (including cognitive and computational neurobiology, neuroinformatics), and psychology. Modern rheumatology effectively adapts current scientific achievements, which contributes to the significant progress of fundamental and clinical medicine. Deciphering the key immune mechanisms of the pathogenesis of immune-mediated inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IIRD) has allowed biotechnology techniques to be used to design fundamentally new drugs, such as biological agents, small molecules that are able to selectively affect certain pathogenetic constituents and to minimize the overall functioning of the immune system. This could substantially enhance the efficiency of treatment for IIRDs, by achieving a long-term stable remission in many patients and contributed to a significant expansion of ideas on human pathology. It is assumed that most promising studies of pharmacotherapy for IIRDs towards personalized medicine will be based on postgenomic technologies, including proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, as well as the integrated use of digital methods.

TREAT-TO-TARGET SLE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE AND RUSSIAN EXPERTS’ COMMENTARIES

The start of the new millennium is marked by a substantial progress in the development of rheumatology: pathogenesis of many rheumatic diseases (RDs) was more deeply studied; their diagnostic criteria validated; disease activity indices worked out; the concepts of remission and exacerbation introduced; much attention has been given to the investigations of quality of life in patients. The possibility of pharmacotherapy for immunoinflammatory RDs was extended by the advent of biological agents (BA). The treatment strategy for RDs was also changed. The treat-to-target concept was put forth for rheumatoid arthritis in 2010 and for ankylosing spondylitis later. The project of treat-to-target concept in systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) was launched on the initiative of the world’s leading rheumatologists in January 2013. The result of their work is the treat-to-target-in-SLE recommendations published in 2014 and formulated as 4 basic principles and 11 general recommendations. The purpose of this publication is to provide general characteristics of the basic provisions of the principles and recommendations with commentaries of leading experts discussing characteristics of SLE in the Russian Federation and some debatable and unsolved problems.

A new look at rheumatology in China--opportunities and challenges.

In the past two decades, Chinese rheumatology has developed rapidly in terms of both clinical practice and basic research. Many rheumatology departments and divisions have been established, creating positions for more residents to join rheumatology practices. Numerous studies of rheumatic diseases have been published in recent years by Chinese rheumatologists and immunologists, supported by government funding that has dramatically increased over the past few years. These studies are focused mainly on epidemiology, mechanisms, early diagnosis and interventions of rheumatic diseases. Increasing numbers of national and international scientific activities in China, including research collaborations, education programmes and conferences have greatly helped the development of rheumatology. In this APLAR series article, the major, high-impact studies and latest developments in Chinese rheumatology are reviewed.

The Development of Rheumatology in Singapore: A Pictorial Journey

The Development of Rheumatology in Singapore: A Pictorial Journey

Proceedings of the 2012 Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposia

Recent years have witnessed important developments in rheumatology. Novel diagnostic methods, stratification approaches, and treatment paradigms have been brought into the clinic for a number of rheumatologic and autoimmune diseases. In addition, there have been developments in related medical disciplines that are relevant to the care of patients with rheumatic diseases. Keeping pace with these many developments is a challenge, and clinical rheumatologists have used various methods to educate themselves about these advances. In January 2012, the 5th annual Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium was held. At this meeting, faculty and participants held discussions and exchanged knowledge about new scientific data and how it may impact the care of rheumatology patients. Excerpts from some of the lectures from the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium 2012 are included in this review. These and other presentations can be viewed in their entirety at http://www.r-w-c-s.com.

V.A. Nasonova and the development of rheumatology in the North-Western Federal District

V.A. Nasonova and the development of rheumatology in the North-Western Federal District

Development of rheumatology through two millennia ‐ By Ivo Jaji? and Zrinka Jaji?

Development of rheumatology through two millennia ‐ By Ivo Jaji? and Zrinka Jaji?

Current developments in rheumatology in the Soviet Union.

Current developments in rheumatology in the Soviet Union.

Pediatric Rheumatology for the Practitioner

Textbook of Pediatric Rheumatology, by James T. Cassidy, 684 pp, with illus, $47.50, New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1982. Rapid recent developments in rheumatology have demanded new books about rheumatic manifestations in children. The venerable books of Brewer and Grokoest drew attention to the specialty of pediatric rheumatology some years ago and served to excite the interest of pediatricians and internists alike in choosing a subspecialty. In some centers, pediatric rheumatologists provide expertise, in other centers, rheumatologists divide their interests between adult and childhood rheumatic disorders. We are now treated to the almost simultaneous appearance of two new textbooks. One, by Jacobs, is a tour de force in that a single author has written it all. But the other, by Cassidy, is not far behind, as there are only five collaborators, who are given little of the responsibility. Essentially, then, these two books reflect the opinions of the

Drug Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases

Only three years after the first edition of this book appeared, another edition is at hand. This serves as testimony to the rapid developments in rheumatology, specifically in the areas of drug treatment of rheumatic diseases. The book discusses in brief but more than adequate fashion the various drugs now available in England, which include almost all of those available in the United States and many more that are only on the horizon here. It describes some sensible approaches to pain and the treatment thereof, and the kind of planning necessary to decide what one aims for before administering any specific drugs. For this section on clinical pharmacology, the editor, venerable for his long identification with therapeutics if not for his years (this book again shows him as always youthful), has had the collaboration of Dr Edward Huskisson, equally well known internationally as an exponent of contemporary drug therapy. Dr

Development of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Services

Development of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Services

Growth and Development of Rheumatology in the United States—A Bicentennial Report

Growth and Development of Rheumatology in the United States—A Bicentennial Report

Rheumatology as a specialty in medicine. A personal appraisal.

The historical development of rheumatology as a specialty within the field of general medicine is reviewed. Its place in undergraduate education is considered. The need for the development of facilities for post-graduate education is stressed. The relationship between rheumatology and physical medicine is discussed. It is concluded that rheumatology is now a well defined specialty within the field of general medicine requiring a high degree of skill and experience, leaving no time for undertaking additional responsibilities in the more general field of medical rehabilitation.

Latex slide fixation test in dermatology.

Because of the continued interest and concern of the dermatologist in lupus erythematosus, he must be aware also of the developments in rheumatology. Frequently arthritis may precede the onset of the cutaneous phase of lupus erythematosus, and it is of interest to determine whether this is rheumatoid arthritis or that of lupus erythematosus. Many believe there are no significant differences in this arthritis. Laboratory tests have been of some help in this differential diagnosis. These tests include, of course, L.E. preparation, sensitized sheep red blood-cell agglutination for rheumatoid arthritis, etc. In general, these have been difficult to perform and have required trained personnel. Until recently, there was no fast, reliable screening test available for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. In December, 1956, Singer and Plotz described the latex fixation test. 1 The principle of the test is similar to that of current techniques for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis by