EMJ Podcast: Insights For Healthcare Professionals

Host Jonathan Sackier is joined by Steven Laureys, acclaimed neurologist, Founding Director of the GIGA Consciousness Research Unit, Liège University Hospital, Belgium, and Associate Professor at the CERVO Research Centre, Laval University, Québec, Canada. They discuss human consciousness, the ability of the brain to adapt in different situations, and the power of meditation.

Steven Laureys' Website: https://www.drstevenlaureys.org/ 

The No-Nonsense Meditation Book: https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-no-nonsense-meditation-book-en

Interview with Steven Laureys and Matthieu Ricard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ALsGqR1PHA

Ted Talk - Consciousness in Babies: https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_laureys_consciousness_in_babies

Ted Talk - Brain Concussion: Shake It and You Break It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nBqLwg2Eug&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

Ted Talk - From Brain to Consciousness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qqc_wJS6-Q&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

This podcast explores hematopoietic stem cell transplant in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) and the potential role of FCR001, an investigational allogeneic cell therapy. We are pleased to be joined by leading sclerosis expert Dinesh Khanna MD, MSc.  Dr. Khanna is the Sclerosis Program Director at University of Michigan, USA, Dr. Khanna discusses the symptoms, severity, and progressiveness of sclerosis, focusing on dcSSc. Dr. Khanna further explores the current treatment options, the unmet medical need, and the future of FCR001 and allogeneic stem cell transplants.

This podcast is funded and developed by Talaris Therapeutics, Inc. Talaris Therapeutics is a late-clinical stage cell therapy company that is developing an investigational allogeneic stem cell therapy.

This episode of the EMJ podcast delves into treatment options for patients with intermediate-risk (IR) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). With a wide range of subgroups that patients with IR NMIBC can fit into, there are many challenges associated with selecting optimal treatment options. Rodolfo Hurle, Chief of the Bladder Unit at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy, offers his expert perspective on this pertinent topic, as well as insights into the current standard-of-care for patients with IR NMIBC.

Highlighting the risk factors that need to be taken into consideration during the substratification of patients with IR NMIBC, Hurle explains the different approaches to treatment, as well as the duration of maintenance instillations. The potential roles of chemohyperthermia and neoadjuvant therapy for patients with IR NMIBC are explored, with Hurle providing key takeaway insights to listeners.

This week, Jonathan is joined by William Barrett, a talented surgeon. They discuss Barrett’s career in the USA and in other countries where he volunteered, and why he did not continue his career in research. They also talk about the vilification of fats and how social media can be used as a way of alerting healthcare professionals when new research is available, as well as Barrett’s work with Mercy Ships, an international non-profit organisation, where he performed surgeries while on a boat.

In this episode, Jonathan Sackier is joined by Arndt Vogel, committee member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The pair discuss Vogel’s career, his role within the organisation, the recent ESMO Congress, and key themes of cancer care.

Episode 3: Performance and Clinical Utility

Part 1 and 2 of this series covers an introduction into the topic of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) and an exploration of TB diagnostics. To round it off, the third podcast addresses the clinical utility of immune response testing in the management of paediatric TB. Various performance characteristics of the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QIAGEN GmbH, Hilden, Germany) assay are shared, including clinical sensitivity compared with bacteriologically-confirmed active TB cases. Finally, the performance of QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus in children aged

Episode 2: Diagnostic

In the first part of this mini-series introduced the topic of paediatric tuberculosis (TB). This is complemented by the second podcast, which explores TB diagnostics including the three commercially available diagnostic tests. Specifically, conversation focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the tuberculin skin test and interferon-y releases assays for the diagnosis of latent TB infection in children. The role of interferon-y releases assays as a complementary diagnostic tool for active TB in children is described.

The publication of these podcasts was funded by QIAGEN.

Episode 1: Introduction

The first podcast in this three-part series introduces the topic of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) and the concept of latent TB infection (L TBI). Statistics on the risk of progression from LTBI to active TB, as well as the risk of severe TB disease, dissemination, and death in children versus adults are shared.

The publication of these podcasts was funded by QIAGEN.

This week, host Jonathan Sackier is joined by Ricky Bhogal, a Consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, who specialises in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Oncology. The pair discuss the footballing injury which led Bhogal to study medicine, as well as the heady heights which Bhogal has already reached in his career as surgeon, educator, academic, and star of the Channel 4 documentary ‘Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life’.

In this EMJ Podcast, our host Brigitte Scott is joined by Russell Petty, Professor of Medical Oncology, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee and NHS Tayside, Scotland, UK, and Bianca Devitt, Medical Oncologist, Eastern Health, Australia, who share their perspectives on the multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach in cancer care.

This specialist roundtable discussion examines the key performance indicators for an MDT and the value of the MDT to patients and team members, and focuses on barriers to change in the MDT approach, emerging therapies that could impact the MDT approach, and the evolution of collaboration between clinical and molecular MDTs. To finish, the experts highlight the unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss adaptations to MDT practices that were required as a result, and whether they may continue in the future.

This podcast was funded by a medical educational grant from AstraZeneca, with the purpose of enhancing the fundamental understanding of oncology specialists of the value of a multidisciplinary team approach in the management of patients with cancer.