Objective. To investigate the efficacy of oral type II collagen (CII) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), when added to existing therapy.Methods. Patients with active RA (n ‫؍‬ 190) were randomized into a 6-month, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial. Patients continued to take their current arthritis medications. Patients received either placebo or bovine CII, 0.1 mg/day for 1 month, then 0.5 mg/day for 5 months.Results. There were no significant differences between the baseline characteristics of either group. The primary response parameter was the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) preliminary definition of improvement in RA (ACR 20). There was no statistically significant difference in the ACR 20 after 6 months (20.0% of placebo patients; 16.84% of bovine CII patients). There were significant differences in several clinical variables after treatment, all favoring the placebo group.Conclusion. Oral solubilized bovine CII, added to existing therapy, did not improve disease activity in patients with RA.

The QA/QI process described in this report, or one similar to it, could improve transfusion safety and serve as a model for increased involvement by transfusion service medical directors in the oversight of transfusionists' practices.

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Objective. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Adult Rheumatology In-Training Examination (ITE) is a feedback tool designed to identify strengths and weaknesses in the content knowledge of individual fellows-in-training and the training program curricula. We determined whether scores on the ACR ITE, as well as scores on other major standardized medical examinations and competency-based ratings, could be used to predict performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Rheumatology Certification Examination.Methods. Between 2008 and 2012, 629 second-year fellows took the ACR ITE. Bivariate correlation analyses of assessment scores and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine whether ABIM Rheumatology Certification Examination scores could be predicted on the basis of ACR ITE scores, United States Medical Licensing Examination scores, ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination scores, fellowship directors' ratings of overall clinical competency, and demographic variables. Logistic regression was used to evaluate whether these assessments were predictive of a passing outcome on the Rheumatology Certification Examination.Results. In the initial linear model, the strongest predictors of the Rheumatology Certification Examination score were the second-year fellows' ACR ITE scores (b 5 0.438) and ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination scores (b 5 0.273). Using a stepwise model, the strongest predictors of higher scores on the Rheumatology Certification Examination were second-year fellows' ACR ITE scores (b 5 0.449) and ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination scores (b 5 0.276). Based on the findings of logistic regression analysis, ACR ITE performance was predictive of a pass/fail outcome on the Rheumatology Certification Examination (odds ratio 1.016 [95% confidence interval 1.011-1.021]).Conclusion. The predictive value of the ACR ITE score with regard to predicting performance on the Rheumatology Certification Examination supports use of the Adult Rheumatology ITE as a valid feedback tool during fellowship training.In-Training Examinations (ITEs) can be useful formative assessment tools used across medical specialties and subspecialties to assess developing knowledge during postgraduate training while providing valuable