Professional development is the key to securing a future rheumatology workforce. Long term evaluation of a summer school for medical students-a national scientific society's educational initiative.

Objectives: A cumulative imbalance between rheumatologic need and an inadequate number of young colleagues entering the field leads to a dearth of rheumatologists in the near future. The Austrian Society for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation (ÖGR) has been organizing an annual Rheumatology Summer School (RSS) for medical students since 2017. The aim of this study was to analyze the annual RSS evaluations, the RSS' overall effects on attracting new talent into the field and the lasting promotion of rheumatology.

Characteristics and outcome of critically ill patients with systemic rheumatic diseases referred to the intensive care unit.

Objectives: Patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs) are at risk of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Data concerning these critically ill patients are limited to few retrospective studies.

Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective study of patients with SRDs admitted to an ICU at the Vienna General Hospital between 2012 and 2020.

How to plug the leaky pipeline in clinical rheumatology across Europe-lessons to be learned from experiences in business.

Objectives: While >50% of medical students and residents are women, their proportion drastically diminishes within higher ranks and leadership roles; this is known as the 'leaky pipeline'. We aimed to evaluate the leaky pipeline among rheumatologists across Europe and to assess determinants inducing rheumatologists to leave hospitals.

Methods: Experts in the field of economics developed a questionnaire with scientific focus on the leaky pipeline among rheumatologists, which was distributed electronically by national scientific societies of EULAR countries and by individual contacts.

The accelerated waning of immunity and reduced effect of booster in patients treated with bDMARD and tsDMARD after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the duration of humoral responses after two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in patients with inflammatory joint diseases and IBD and booster vaccination compared with healthy controls. It also aimed to analyze factors influencing the quantity and quality of the immune response.

Methods: We enrolled 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 35 with seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA), and 41 suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), excluding those receiving B-cell-depleting therapies.

National consensus statement by the Austrian Societies for Rheumatology, Pulmonology, Infectiology, Dermatology and Gastroenterology regarding the management of latent tuberculosis and the associated utilization of biologic and targeted synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

This publication provides a thorough analysis of the most relevant topics concerning the management of latent tuberculosis when using biologic and targeted synthetic Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) by a multidisciplinary, select committee of Austrian physicians. The committee includes members of the Austrian Societies for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Pulmonology, Infectiology, Dermatology and Gastroenterology. Consensus was reached on issues regarding screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis and includes separate recommendations for each biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD.

2022 update of the Austrian Society of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation nutrition and lifestyle recommendations for patients with gout and hyperuricemia.

Background: Gout is the most frequent inflammatory joint disease in the western world and has a proven genetic background. Additionally, lifestyle factors like increasing life span and wealth, sufficient to excess nutritional status and a growing prevalence of obesity in the population, as well as e.g.

Response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease depends on immunosuppressive regimen: a matched, prospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the humoral response to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine of patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) and the effect of immunosuppressive medication in a matched cohort study.

Methods: Patients with SARD were enrolled and matched 1:1 for sex and age with healthy control (HC) subjects. Differences in humoral response to two doses of an mRNA vaccine in terms of seroconversion rate (SCR) and SARS-CoV-2 antibody level between the two groups and the impact of treatment within patients with SARD were assessed.

Importance of the second SARS-CoV-2 vaccination dose for achieving serological response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: To assess the kinetics of humoral response after the first and second dose of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in patients with inflammatory joint diseases compared with healthy controls (HC). To analyse factors influencing the quantity of the immune response.

Methods: We enrolled patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA), excluding those receiving B-cell depleting therapies and assessed the humoral response to mRNA vaccines after the first and the second dose of the vaccine in terms of seroconversion rate and titre.

Compliance of Primary Care Providers With Gout Treatment Recommendations-Lessons to Learn: Results of a Nationwide Survey.

Gout is generally managed in the primary health care sector. Compliance of primary care physicians with gout management recommendations has been shown to be insufficient in the past. The primary aims of this study were to assess primary care providers' knowledge regarding gout and to determine if their treatment decisions are influenced by recommendations.

[Austrian 3e-recommendations for diagnosis and management of gout 2013].

Background: Gout is the most common inflammatory joint disease in the Western world, with increasing prevalence. Like former 3e-initiatives (Experts-Evidence-Education) dealing with other rheumatological problems, this initiative aimed at the development of international recommendations for the diagnosis and management of gout and hyperuricemia based on a systematic literature research.

Methods: In the participating countries 10 national questions were generated via a Delphi-process.

Remission in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison of the 2 newly proposed ACR/EULAR remission criteria with the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index-5, a patient self-report disease activity index.

Objective: We analyzed whether a patient self-report remission criterion, such as that according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index-5 (RADAI-5), meets the criteria of the 2011 proposed American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) definition of remission.

Methods: The 2 approaches of the ACR/EULAR proposal [Boolean- and Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI)-based] as well as the RADAI-5 were used to assess whether patients with RA are in remission. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV), and kappa analyses were performed to illustrate the relationship among the different approaches defining remission at a group level.

A comparison of the modified score for the assessment of chronic rheumatoid affections of the hands and the australian/canadian osteoarthritis hand index in hand osteoarthritis patients.

Objectives. To compare the modified score for the assessment and quantification of chronic rheumatoid affections of the hands (M-SACRAH) with the Australian/Canadian osteoarthritis hand index (AUSCAN) in hand osteoarthritis (HOA). Both are self-administered patient questionnaires, being designed to assess functional status, stiffness, and pain in affected patients, despite some differences in format, compass and arrangement of questions.

Lack of agreement between patients' and physicians' perspectives of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity changes.

Objective: To obtain information on changes in patients' satisfaction (PATSAT) and physicians' global assessment (PhGASS) with regard to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity fluctuations.

Methods: Eighty-eight RA outpatients out of 207 investigated were assessed for 3 months on average after the initial evaluation. PATSAT (1 = excellent to 5 = unsatisfactory), PhGASS (visual analogue scale 1-100), and the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) were assessed as at the first evaluation.

A meta-analysis of controlled clinical studies with diacerein in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Background: This systematic meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials with diacerein was performed to provide an evidence-based assessment of its symptomatic efficacy in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials with diacerein. A manual review of the literature, abstracts, and posters was also conducted.

A disease activity score for polymyalgia rheumatica.

Objective: To develop a composite score for measurement of disease activity in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and assess its internal and external validity.

Methods: A PMR activity score (AS) was designed and assessed for internal and external validity in two patient cohorts: 57 international patients evaluated primarily for development of the PMR-AS at baseline, weeks 4 and 24; and for validation, 24 Austrian patients assessed at baseline, week 4, and at a mean (SD) point of week 33.6 (24.

Development of the M-SACRAH, a modified, shortened version of SACRAH (Score for the Assessment and Quantification of Chronic Rheumatoid Affections of the Hands).

Objectives: The Score for the Assessment and Quantification of Chronic Rheumatoid Affections of the Hands (SACRAH) is a self-administered questionnaire assessing functional status, stiffness and pain in patients suffering from hand osteoarthritis (HOA) as well as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the hand. It consists of 23 questions in three domains, to be answered on 100 mm visual analogue scales (VAS). Our goal was to shorten the original SACRAH by elimination of redundant questions in order to make it easier to use for patients and physicians.

EULAR response criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica: results of an initiative of the European Collaborating Polymyalgia Rheumatica Group (subcommittee of ESCISIT).

Objective: To develop response criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) for monitoring treatment and comparing alternative treatments regimens.

Methods: 76 patients, mean (SD) age 68.7 (7.