These guidelines for management of onychomycosis have been prepared for dermatologists on behalf of the British Association of Dermatologists. They present evidence-based guidance for treatment, with identification of the strength of evidence available at the time of preparation of the guidelines, and a brief overview of epidemiological aspects, diagnosis and investigation.

Objective To summarize the endorsement of measures of patient-reported outcome (PRO) domains in chronic gout at the 2010 Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Meeting (OMERACT 10). Methods During the OMERACT 10 gout workshop, validation data were presented for key PRO domains including pain [pain by visual analog scale (VAS)], patient global (patient global VAS), activity limitation [Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI)], and a disease-specific measure, the Gout Assessment Questionnaire version 2.0 (GAQ v2.0). Data were presented on all 3 aspects of the OMERACT filters of truth, discrimination, and feasibility. One PRO, health-related quality of life measurement with the Medical Outcomes Study Short-form 36 (SF-36), was previously endorsed at OMERACT 9. Results One measure for each of the 3 PRO of pain, patient global, and activity limitation was endorsed by > 70% of the OMERACT delegates to have appropriate validation data. Specifically, pain measurement by VAS was endorsed by 85%, patient global assessment by VAS by 73%, and activity limitation by HAQ-DI by 71%. GAQ v2.0 received 30% vote and was not endorsed due to several concerns including low internal consistency and lack of familiarity with the measure. More validation studies are needed for this measure. Conclusion With the endorsement of one measure each for pain, patient global, SF-36, and activity limitation, all 4 PRO for chronic gout have been endorsed. Future validation studies are needed for the disease-specific measure, GAQ v2.0. Validation for PRO for acute gout will be the focus of the next validation exercise for the OMERACT gout group.

Testing a reading exercise for identification of several typical crystal such as the negatively birefringent needle-shaped crystals that are under polarized light microscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing gout. The objective of this study was to assess current performance of crystal identification by professionals involved in examining synovial fluid in routine care. Rheumatologists, trainees, lab technicians, and other physicians with an interest in crystal arthritis completed an online test. The test consisted of 30 images: 8 monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, 5 calcium pyrophosphate (CPP), 4 cholesterol, 2 depot methylprednisolone, 2 calcium oxalate, 2 rice bodies, 1 hydroxyapatite, 1 liquid lipid, 1 fibrin, 1 Charcot-Leyden, and 5 different artifacts. Of the 22 non-MSU slides, a subset of 8 was pre-designated that were thought to be clinically important to be identified as non-MSU. The primary outcome was defined as the correct identification of all eight MSU slides plus the identification of all eight pre-defined non-MSU slides as non-MSU. The online test was completed by 110 participants. The primary outcome was achieved by 39%. Correct identification of all MSU images was achieved by 81%, correct identification of all 8 pre-defined non-MSU, CPP images, and all 22 non-MSU images as non-MSU by 68, 68, and 23%, respectively. MSU crystals were well identified, but incorrect identification of non-MSU crystals occurred frequently. This study suggests that there is room for improvement regarding crystal identification of particularly CPP and other non-MSU crystals even in this highly motivated group.

Highlights COVID-19 disease is associated with stroke All strokes subtypes are seen in association with COVID-19, with ischemic stroke being most prevalent The most common etiology for ischemic stroke in SARS-CoV2 infection is cryptogenic Sex plays an important role in stroke outcomes in patients with COVID-19 disease Males have higher rates of ICU admission, in-hospital complications and more likely to have worse outcome at hospital discharge compare with females

Objective. To identify, in people known to have gout, the testable, key components of a standard definition of gout flare for use in clinical research. Methods. Consensus methodology was used to identify key elements of a gout flare. Two Delphi exercises were conducted among different groups of rheumatologists. A cognitive mapping technique among 9 gout experts with hierarchical cluster analysis provided a framework to guide the panel discussion, which identified the final set of items that should be tested empirically. Results. From the Delphi exercises, 21 items were presented to the expert panel. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling showed that these items clustered into 5 concepts (joint inflammation, severity of symptoms, stereotypical nature, pain, and gout archetype) distributed along 2 dimensions (objective to subjective features and general features to specific features of gout). Using this analysis, expert panel discussion generated a short list of potential features: joint swelling, joint tenderness, joint warmth, severity of pain, patient global assessment, time to maximum pain, time to complete resolution of pain, an acute-phase marker, and functional impact of the episode. Conclusion. A short list of features has been identified and now requires validation against a patient-and physiciandefined gout flare in order to determine the best combination of features.