RheumAarhus | Aarhus Rheumatology Research Center

🎄 Holiday Break Announcement 🎄 At RheumAarhus | Aarhus Rheumatology Research Center, we will be taking a short break from December 23rd to January 6th to celebrate the holidays and recharge for the new year. 🎅🏼 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🥳 See you again in 2025! 🎉 #ChristmasBreak #SeasonsGreetings

🌟 Exciting New Research from RheumAarhus! 🌟 We’re pleased to share that our medical doctor and PhD fellow, Josephine Therkildsen, and her research team have recently published two important papers on the use of high-resolution computed tomography (HR-pQCT) imaging in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These studies underscore the potential of HR-pQCT to improve the detection and monitoring of erosive progression in RA, providing a more sensitive and accurate alternative to conventional radiography (CR).   📝 Key findings: HR-pQCT identified 20 times more new erosions and 10 times more cases of erosive progression over one year compared to CR, supporting its utility in monitoring RA progression. 🔗 Read the full article (published in Joint Bone Spine): https://lnkd.in/d8S75s3q Combining HR-pQCT with CR doubled the proportion of patients identified with erosive progression, highlighting its potential for more individualized treatment strategies in RA. 🔗 Read the full article (published in Rheumatology): https://lnkd.in/dCFpp2yf Congratulations to Josephine and the team on these valuable contributions to advancing imaging techniques in rheumatology! 🙌 #RheumatoidArthritis #MedicalImaging #HRpQCT #RheumatologyResearch #PrecisionMedicine

🌍 Last week, RheumAarhus | Aarhus Rheumatology Research Center was proudly represented at the EULAR - European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology Winter Meeting in Madrid! 🇪🇸 🌟 Tue Kragstrup attended as a chair for EMEUNET - the emerging eular network at EULAR. 🌟 Morten Aagaard Nielsen contributed as a subcommittee member of EMEUNET. 🌟 Line Raunsbæk Knudsen participated as a subcommittee member of the EULAR HPR (Health Professionals in Rheumatology) Community. 📚 The event featured two days packed with interesting talks, discussions, and interactive workshops - fostering collaboration within and across the EULAR communities. 🤝 #Rheumatology #EULAR #RheumAarhus #Collaboration #Innovation #Leadership

At RheumAarhus | Aarhus Rheumatology Research Center, we are thrilled to welcome 🎉 Dr. Mwidimi Ndosi, Associate Professor of Rheumatology Nursing at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom ✨ Starting January 1st, 2025, he will assume the role of Honorary Professor of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Health Education at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and the Department of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark 👏 We are proud to have Dr. Ndosi officially join our research group, and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration! 🤝 Ellen-Margrethe Hauge | Annette Thurah #PatientReportedOutcomes #PRO #Rheumatology #HealthEducation

📢 Welcome to Our New Research Assistant, Peter Alsing! 🎉 We are excited to announce that Peter Alsing recently joined the RheumAarhus research team as a research assistant. Peter will be contributing to an important new project titled: “Association of socioeconomic status with delay in first contact with the general practitioner due to symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.” 💡 About the Project: Early diagnosis and treatment are critical for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but delays in seeking medical help can have serious consequences. This study will explore how socioeconomic status influences the time it takes for patients to seek help from their general practitioner after experiencing their first symptoms. By shedding light on the role of social inequality in help-seeking behavior, this project aims to deepen our understanding of the barriers patients face on their journey to diagnosis and treatment. Peter’s work will help us address these challenges and ultimately improve outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to seeing the impact of his research! 🔗 Follow us for updates on this and other interesting studies. Welcome to the team, Peter! 🙌 #Rheumatology #SocioeconomicStatus #HealthcareInequality #RheumatoidArthritis #RheumAarhus

🌟 Afsluttende Reumamøde, November 27th 2024 🌟   Twice a year, rheumatologists from all rheumatology departments in the Central Denmark Region come together to exchange ideas, share research, and strengthen connections. This biannual meeting is a great opportunity for departments and researchers to showcase their work and engage in meaningful discussions. 🩺✨ We had the pleasure of hearing several interesting presentations: 👉 Celine Thiesen shared her work on measuring the bioactivity of Scl-70 autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis. 👉 Frederik Cosedis Enevoldsen presented his PhD research on coronary artery disease and cardiac CT analyses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 👉 Mads Lamm Larsen discussed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. 🧠 Additionally, Professor of Rheumatology Denis Poddubnyy from University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital gave an insightful lecture on “Diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis in daily practice - Diagnostic strategies and the scientific evidence”💡 Thank you to Abbvie for the collaboration and to everyone who contributed to making this event a success. Looking forward to the next meeting! 😊👏 #Rheumatology #RheumAarhus #AfsluttendeReumamøde #Spondyloarthritis

🎓 Huge congratulations to Clara Mistegård on successfully defending her PhD! 🎓 Her captivating lecture on "The Lectin Pathway of the Complement System in Axial Spondyloarthritis – Investigations into Diagnosis, Treatment Response, and Prognosis" was impressive and inspiring! 🌟 👏 Special thanks to her supervisory team: Anne Gitte Loft, Anne Troldborg, and Steffen Thiel. Clara’s dedication and hard work truly shine in everything she takes on! 💪 Here’s to an exciting future ahead, Clara! 🥂💼 #Spondyloarthritis  #SpA #LectinPathway #ComplementSystem #Rheumatology 

[English summary below] 🌟 CAR-T behandling: Fremtidens håb for udvalgte reumatologiske patienter? 🌟 Selvom evidensen stadig er begrænset, tyder meget på, at CAR-T behandling kan blive en revolutionerende løsning for patienter med behandlingsresistente reumatologiske sygdomme. 🧬💉 📖 Det kan du læse mere om i denne spændende statusartikel, som er ugens anbefaling i Ugeskrift for Læger. Artiklen er skrevet i samarbejde mellem reumatologiske afdelinger på Aarhus, Odense og Københavns Universitetshospital. 💡 Hvad er CAR-T behandling? CAR-T behandling, oprindeligt udviklet til hæmatologiske kræftformer, viser lovende resultater i behandlingen af alvorlige autoimmune sygdomme som SLE, myositis og sklerodermi. Behandlingen fungerer ved genetisk at modificere T-celler (patientens eller donors) til at målrette specifikke antigenoverflader, som fx CD19 (B-celleantigen), hvilket effektivt depleterer B-celler. Studier viser hurtig og længerevarende medicinfri remission hos svært behandlingsresistente patienter, hvor traditionelle terapier har svigtet. Med færre bivirkninger end alternativer som stamcelletransplantation peger resultaterne på et stort potentiale. 🔍 Håbet for fremtiden: Forhåbentlig kan CAR-T behandling i fremtiden blive et relevant behandlingstilbud til udvalgte reumatologiske patienter i Danmark. 🔗 Læs artiklen her: https://lnkd.in/dWKzDY74 Short English summary: CAR-T therapy, initially developed for hematologic cancers, holds promise for patients with refractory autoimmune diseases such as SLE, myositis, and scleroderma. This innovative treatment genetically modifies T cells to target specific antigens like CD19, leading to effective B-cell depletion and sustained drug-free remission in resistant cases. With fewer side effects compared to stem cell transplantation, CAR-T may become a future treatment option for selected rheumatology patients. Read more in this week’s recommended article in Ugeskrift for Læger, authored in collaboration with leading rheumatology departments in Denmark. #CARTcell #Rheumatology #AutoimmuneDisease

🔬 Insights on COVID-19 vaccination for patients undergoing B-cell depleting therapy 💉 At RheumAarhus, we are proud to contribute to advancing knowledge on how B-cell depleting therapies, particularly rituximab (RTX), impact immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Key highlights: 🕒 Timing is crucial: Vaccination should ideally occur before starting RTX treatment. If that's not feasible, vaccination is recommended during periods of B-cell recovery—typically around nine months after the last RTX treatment. 🔄 While antibody responses may be reduced, many patients still benefit from a robust T-cell response, providing some level of protection. The article emphasizes the need for a tailored vaccination strategy to optimize immune responses in patients receiving RTX or similar therapies. Acknowledgements to the study group: Christian Ammitzbøll, Marianne Kragh Thomsen, Christian Erikstrup, and Anne Troldborg. The study is published in Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eBhiWhAe #Rituximab #Vaccination #COVID19

📢 RheumAarhus is thrilled to announce the launch of Frederik Cosedis Enevoldsen's PhD project at Aarhus Universitetshospital with the project title "Linking Inflammation and Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis - Two Cardiac CT Cohorts"! 🎉 🔍 This groundbreaking project explores the complex connections between inflammation and coronary artery disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who face an estimated 1.5x higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to the general population. 📊 Research Focus: By analyzing cardiac CT angiographies from hundreds of patients with and without RA, the study aims to identify RA-specific patterns in coronary artery plaque characteristics. His research will assess how these factors relate to RA features and their contribution to the risk of major cardiovascular events and mortality. 🤝 Conducted in collaboration with the University Clinic for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Ischemic Heart Disease at Hjertesygdomme, Regionshospitalet Gødstrup, this study leverages data from the Western Denmark Heart Registry and the Dan-NICAD studies. 👥 Team: Main supervisor Ellen-Margrethe Hauge, with co-supervisors Dženan Mašić, Morten Bøttcher, and Honorary Skou Professor George Kitas. 🙏 Acknowledgements: We extend our gratitude to Health - Aarhus University and Gigtforeningen for their generous support. ✨ Stay tuned for exciting new insights in this vital area of cardiovascular and rheumatic disease! 🌍💙 #RheumatoidArthritis #CoronaryArteryDisease #CardiacCT #AarhusUniversity #Gigtforeningen