Interesting read this week - I cover a nifty little paper that presented data about adrenal insufficiency after stopping prednisolone, published in JAMA Open in March 2025. Open Access Journal Here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2831668
Interesting NEJM trial this week comparing methotrexate to prednisone for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Paper available here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501443
Podcast this week about the recently published SELECT-GCA study, which evaluated the use of the janus kinase inhibitor upadacitinib (Rinvoq) for patients with new and relapsing GCA. Successful trial and an interesting topic. Paper itself here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2413449
This week I cover another of my newsletters, though I mostly use it as a skeleton to riff on a common (and challenging) issue for rheumatology consultants; diagnosing HLH. Check out the guidelines themselves here and have a listen to the podcast! https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(23)00273-4/fulltext
Another day, another b cell podcast. Seems to be all the rage! This week I discuss the recently published NEJM trial of the anti CD20 agent obinutuzumab in lupus nephritis. Worth a read and listen, paper can be found here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2410965
What do you do when observational data and RCTs conflict? This week I'm covering the "real world PEXIVAS" study that was done by the French Vasculitis Study Group. Great read, interesting issues, have a listen and be sure to share with friends!
One of my rare case-report podcasts, a topic that I typically avoid. The craze about CAR-T has also made me a little crazy, though, so I wanted to share what I think may be the ultimate destination for "more B cell depletion than rituximab" strategies. Article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2407150
Podcast this week about overdiagnosis! Currently one of my favorite topics and something that I think will be an emerging issue in our field. We recently published a Viewpoint in Lancet Rheumatology ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39341221/ ) addressing this issue. I'm going to read from it and after that will be giving a few final (spicy) thoughts on the topic. Hope you find it worthwhile! s
New RCT in a new disease with a new drug! But is it as shiny as one would hope? Interesting discussion today about what a trial means, how it will affect practice, and how we could do better as a field. Happy holidays everyone!
Reading one of my recent newsletters this week, this one about PMR tapers. Be sure to subscribe at ebrheum.com if you want access to the visuals and upcoming editions!
Quick rundown of an important rheumatology RCT this week, discussing the IL-5 inhibitor benralizumab for the treatment of relapsing/refractory EGPA. MANDARA Study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2311155
Important methodology podcast this week, covering a lot of ground with expert epidemiologist Rishi Desai. Really enjoyed our conversation and glad to be publishing today! **House Keeping Note: we actually recorded this ~15 months ago but I somehow lost the audio... which somehow re-appeared! #technology STAR-RA: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35027405/
Exciting podcast this week about the upcoming / impending use of CAR-T in rheumatology. Highly recommend rheumatologists learn about this now; it's going to be a big thing for many years to come. In a future episode I will lay out my case for skepticism, but for now I think a good run down of the first big published series will be enough! NEJM CAR-T Case Series: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2308917 Nature Review Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41584-024-01139-z...
This week's podcast will be a quick read of one of my newsletters. The title basically speaks for itself! Find the newsletter and my other work at ebrheum.com
At ACR23 I had a twitter-disagreement about steroid tapers from PEXIVAS with Mike Walsh, the lead author on the PEXIVAS trial. He kindly agreed to join me for a moderated discussion. Loved hearing his perspective and have to admit he pulled me closer to his practice... but not all the way there. Longer podcast than usual but I prefer to release audio uncut and this took as long as it needed! Hoping y'all enjoy. Articles referenced during the podcast: PEXIVAS: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.105...
Rheum4Debate is back! In this episode I moderated a debate between two pulmonologists about RA-ILD. As a reminder, Rheum4Debate is an Oxford-style debate show, where two debators disagree over a motion during 3 rounds of discussion. The motion for todays show was: “Asymptomatic patients with rheumatoid arthritis and high risk features for interstitial lung disease should be screened using pulmonary function testing and a high resolution CT scan” Joshua defended the motion and Scott argued agains...
Nice study this week on an important topic. Can we prevent the development of rheumatoid arthritis by initiating DMARDs during a preclinical phase? Lots to discuss: what does it mean to be "pre-clinical?" How does this fit with other studies of this nature? Check it out! https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02650-8/fulltext
Informative podcast this week with Dr. Alexander Oldroyd, the first author of the recently published "International Guideline for Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy-Associated Cancer Screening." The article itself appeared in Nature Reviews Rheumatology and provides what I think is a very useful framework for approaching this issue. Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41584-023-01045-w
Quick methodology episode this week discussing the concept of "fragility" in randomized controlled trials of lupus. Really enjoyed discussing this paper and was grateful to have been a part of it. Get the text here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/lupusscimed/11/1/e001068.full.pdf
Today I'm taking another twitter discussion into the podcast realm! Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta has published hundreds of papers about polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis, including a recent publication in Nature Reviews: Rheumatology that piqued my interest ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s41584-023-00976-8 ). In this podcast we discuss screening for GCA among patients with PMR, what it means to have a diagnosis, the role of novel IL-6 inhibitors, and many other topics. Have a listen and...
Interesting topic and interesting paper this year, including discussion of observational biases, positive and negative controls, and interpreting data as it comes. Paper: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810259
Important trial on the podcast this week! I take a deep dive into the recently published SAPHYR study, which evaluated the use of the IL6 inhibitor sarilumab for patients with PMR. A few aggravating quibbles but overall a very useful trial and an important step forward for patients with PMR. Article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2303452
This week I took a twitter disagreement from the impersonal world of twitter to the podcast world of a back and forth conversation. Really enjoyed talking to Dr. Len Calabrese about monoclonal antibodies, FDA regulatory pathways, and life in general.
Excited to share an editorial that I wrote along with Cody Bruggemeyer and Desh Nepal, two trainees with me at the Medical College of Wisconsin. We discussed what I believe to be a pervasive (but seldom discussed) issue in rheumatology RCTs: unblinding. I suspect many of our studies suffer from this. Have a listen!
Happy to share the FIRST randomized trial in CPPD today. It's kind of a weird study but worth a quick discussion. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665991323001650
This week I dive into the health related quality of life measures that were reported in the ADVOCATE study. I found them overall somewhat convincing and they have affected my practice. Have a listen and be sure to follow along. Find my work at ebrheum.com
Quick episode this week from a recent Perspective piece I had published in the New England Journal. Have a listen or a read! https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2304828
Podcast this week discussing key opinion leaders (KOLs) and pharmaceutical companies. Please subscribe to my newsletter (ebrheum.com) and be sure to share the podcast with friends!
Nice quick RCT rundown this week, covering the ALLHEART study, a pragmatic RCT of urate lowering therapy to reduce cardiovascular disease. Quick listen for a useful teaching point! https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01657-9/fulltext
Today I cover the recently published long-COVID study from Norway. It's a great paper that challenges much of the prevailing wisdom. I think there are some interesting limitations, but anyone who sees post COVID patients (aka all of us) would do well to read it. Or have a listen here! PDF: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802893
