Biomarkers: how to consolidate them in clinical practice.

An inadequate biomarker validation can affect many patients' diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Therefore, special interest should be placed on performing these analyses correctly so that biomarkers can be applicable to patients and evidence of their clinical usefulness can be generated. A methodological work on the concept of biomarkers is presented, as well as the difficulties associated with the methodological approach to their development, validation, and implementation in clinical practice.

Characteristics of patients with spondyloarthritis followed in rheumatology units in Spain. emAR II study.

Objective: To describe the main demographic and clinical features of patients with spondyloarthropaties in Spain.

Patients And Methods: Review of randomized clinical charts of patients with spondyloarthropaties with at least one visit to the rheumatologist in the previous two years. Information was collected on demographic and clinical data (duration of illness, diagnostic category, disease activity, extrarticular manifestations, comorbidity and work disability).

[Responsiveness of outcome measures].

In medical research, particularly in the field of rheumatology, there is great interest about the concept of responsiveness of outcome measures as a sign of changes in the patient's health status. However, the terminology sorrounding this concept and the methods of analysis are confusing and lacking in consensus. We present a review about the concept and analysis of responsiveness taking into account both, the characteristics of the responsiveness and the type of design and predictable change in the sample being studied.