This research profile is on Clinical Medicine: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders editorial board member Dr Axel Finckh. Clinical Medicine: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders is an open access journal published by Libertas Academica.

Editor in Chief Dr Tariq Haqqi has recently issued a call for papers.

Primary research focus:

Epidemiology Clinical Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis

Most notable developments in this area:

• Identification of Gene-Environnement interaction as a risk factor for the development of RA (Shared Epitope with Tabacco smoking)
• Identification of ACPA positive RA as a clinically meaningfull subgroup of RA
• Identification of first factors that help clinicians to select patients most likely to respond well to specific biologic agent in RA: (i.e. early polyarthritis responding to MTX mainly if ACPA positive, Rituximab more likely to have a favorable response to seropositive (RF or ACPA) RA patients, or to patients that have a history of anti-TNF inadequate response,...)

Collaborators:

• Cem Gabay: Mentor
• Matt Liang: Mentor
• Karen Costenbader: colleague epidemiologist
• Jean Dudler: colleague and fellow clinical researcher

Reason for working in this area:

By working with and for the Swiss RA registry (SCQM-RA)

View of open access publishing:

Positive, because of fast publication turnover and less administrative burden

Recent publications:

• Finckh A, Ciurea A, Brulhart L, Moeller B, Walker UA, Courvoisier D, Kyburz D, Gabay C, SCQM-RA. Which Subgroup of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Benefit Most From Switching to Rituximab Versus Alternative Anti-TNF Agents After Previous Failure to Anti-TNF Agent? Annals Rheum Dis. 2009 May 4 (Epub ahead of print)
• Finckh A, Dehler S, Gabay C, on behalf of the SCQM physicians. The Effectiveness of Leflunomide as Co-Therapy of TNF inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis. A Population Based Study Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 Jan;68(1):33-9
• Martin-du-Pan SMC, Dehler S., Gabay C, and Finckh A on behalf of the physicians of the SCQM. Comparison of Drug Retention Rates and Causes of Drug Discontinuation Between Anti-TNF Agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Arthritis Rheum. (AC&R) 2009 Vol 61(5):560-568
• G. Palmer, D. Talbot-Ayer, C. Lamacchia, D. Toy, C.A. Seemayer, S. Viatte, A. Finckh, S. Smith, C. Gabay. Inhibition of IL-33 signaling attenuates the severity of experimental arthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2009; Vol. 60, No. 3, March 2009, pp 738–749
• Lübbeke A, Duc S, Garavaglia, Finckh A, and Hoffmeyer. Body mass index and severity of clinical and radiographic signs of osteoarthritis in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Obesity 2009 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]

Further information about Dr Finckh:

• Swiss RA, AS, and PSA registries

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