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The Körber Prize for European Science 2020 will be awarded to Hungarian physician Botond Roska, who has revolutionized ophthalmology and the field of vision and retinal research. He has set himself the goal of restoring sight to the blind.
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The University of Oxford announces that dexamethasone, a low-cost drug, reduces by up to one third the deaths of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with serious respiratory complications.
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Some elderly and sick patients benefit from a minimally invasive treatment of an aortic aneurysm. However, open aortic artery operations continue to be a good (and in cases the only sensible) alternative.
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Researchers identified thousands of specific peptides on the surface of cells for the first time. These so-called cryptic peptides mark tumor cells to a significant extent and may provide a new starting point for cancer immunotherapies.
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Outcomes of the C-OPTIMISE trial showed that a reduced maintenance dose of certolizumab pegol may be used in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) treated with the drug for a year and who achieved sustained disease remission, regardless of subpopulation.
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A concept of the new ‘Composite of Relevant Endpoints for Sjogren’s Syndrome’ (CRESS) has been developed, which enables discriminating between abatacept and placebo response in patients with this condition.
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Data from the first large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial OA TREAT, focusing on erosive hand osteoarthritis, showed that hydroxychloroquine was no more effective than placebo for changes in pain, function, and radiographic scores in the study period.
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These recommendations focus on prevention of COVID-19; managing patients in general; and managing patients who have been infected or have been in contact with a COVID-19 patient. They were simultaneously published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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Main trial data from the head-to-head EXCEED trial showed that, for patients who suffer from psoriatic arthritis and who are biologic-naïve, secukinumab monotherapy does not offer greater musculoskeletal benefits than adalimumab.
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For the first time, safety and tolerability results were reported for multiple ascending doses of rozibafusp alfa in patients with RA. This showed greater improvement from baseline in Patient Global Assessments and Physician Global Assessments as well as a non-linear, target-mediated disposition.
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Ankylosing spondylitis patients with longstanding disease achieved significant improvements in both lumbar spine and hip BMD during 8 years of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) blocking therapy- The effect in the lumbar spine was most pronounced and main improvements occurred during the first 4 years of treatment.
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A first-in-class therapeutic nanoparticle drug has been developed for the specific targeting of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, which may be a promising agent for targeting antibodies to citrullinated proteins and peptides (ACPAs).
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In a pre-specified subgroup analysis of the phase3b EXCEED trial, patients with psoriatic arthritis achieved higher responses with secukinumab compared with adalimumab in simultaneous improvement of joint and skin disease and in skin specific endpoints at week 52.
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The phase 3 CREDO-1 trial showed that treatment with olokizumab over 24-weeks was associated with significant improvements in the signs, symptoms, and physical function of RA. The safety profile of olokizumab was consistent with previous phase 2 trials with this agent.
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Results from the phase 4 CONTROL trial shows that adding adalimumab to the treatment regimen of methotrexate results in better outcomes than methotrexate dose escalation in patients with psoriatic arthritis who did not respond sufficiently to initial methotrexate therapy.
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Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors shows a significantly lower risk of serious venous thromboembolism (VTE) events compared with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs).
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In a phase 3 trial, patients with psoriatic arthritis who have an inadequate response to ≥1 non-bDMARD, showed improvement in musculoskeletal symptoms, psoriasis, physical function, pain, and fatigue and inhibited radiographic progression when treated with upadacitinib.
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Results reveal that opioids are increasingly popular in treating pain connected with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Experts indicate that measures need to be taken to ensure a safe and sensible use of these analgesics.
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Current data suggest patients with inflammatory rheumatic conditions do not exhibit an increased frequency of COVID-19 infection or a more severe course of disease. Risk factors such as older age, obesity, etc, seem more important.
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Results were presented of a phase 2 trial for MK-6482, the small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2a in von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)-associated renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
