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Sarah Mackie

@sarahlmackie.bsky.social

2.2K followers 1.7K following 80 posts

Academic Rheumatologist. Giant cell arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, clinical trials. University of Leeds, UK #RheumSky #AcademicSky #MedSky

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Nov 16

Making a rheumatology starter pack. Please comment to be added #MedSky

go.bsky.app/5yrCZcH

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · 3d

Today at work, it emerged that some of us (ok, me) had struggled to use the hospital’s new third-party app for requesting annual leave, and were thus destined to work for eternity without holiday.

They promised digital innovation would cut waiting lists…

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · 7d

Taken yesterday on the outskirts of Leeds, about five minutes before the rain started (again).

Green space on the outskirts of Leeds. Rain is coming.

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · 19d

At St Pancras, the little dog in the Meeting-Place Statue has been worn bright from being patted by many people. These moments of connection matter.

Work-wise, a couple of long-term projects are trundling along, and others are getting ready to go. Doors will close 30 seconds before departure!

Bronze relief from the frieze around the base of the Meeting-Place statue at St Pancras, depicting a man and a dog. The man is dark coloured, while the bronze of the dog is still bright.

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · 27d

Echoes of Malmö’s industrial past in Västra hamnområdet. On a Saturday morning, it was quiet and peaceful. Footpaths and waterways are threaded between old industrial buildings and modern housing blocks.

Old industrial building, with the name of the firm Kockums. It has high, arched windows: the glass reflects the modern buildings behind, and above those, the sky.

A corner of an old brick warehouse. The paint on the wall has the colours of a seascape: white-gold sky above, greenish sea below.

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Sep 8

@nulliusinverba.bsky.social This prologue episode is absolutely fascinating. As scientists we have to be able to argue the case for new ideas, and at the same time, be able to judge them dispassionately. Psychologically, this isn’t easy, even for psychologists.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/n...

Prologus 66: The Psychology of Controversy (E. G. Boring)

Podcast Episode · Nullius in Verba · 05/09/2025 · 1h 5m

podcasts.apple.com

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Aug 9

Lights over Leeds: high rise blocks, streetlights, aeroplane, full moon.

Evening in Leeds. High rise blocks with full moon and plane overhead.

Reposted by Sarah Mackie

@vasculitides @vasculitides.bsky.social · Jul 23

Late-Onset Spondylarthritis Presenting as Glucocorticoid-Resistant Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A hitherto underappreciated entity where TNF or IL-17 Blockade may have a Therapeutic Role
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40693392

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Reposted by Sarah Mackie

David Liew @drdavidliew.bsky.social · Jun 23

Why does it seem like PMR patients get stuck in situations we would never tolerate for other patients?

@drceowen.bsky.social and I call out many reasons.
PMR is killing them softly, and will continue to do so if collectively we neglect it.

now out @thelancetrheum.bsky.social:
t.co/wMOy9ZEzw4

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · May 19

Added!

Reposted by Sarah Mackie

CreakyJoints® @creakyjoints.bsky.social · May 1

Great news for people living with giant cell arteritis (GCA)!
The FDA has approved Upadacitinib (15 mg tablet, taken once daily) as a first-line treatment option — meaning it’s now a primary recommended way to manage GCA. Learn more: creakyjoints.org/education/gi...
#GCA #VasculitisAwareness

What Is Giant Cell Arteritis? These Are the Signs You Could Have It

Giant cell arteritis, or temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory disease that affects large blood vessels in the head. Learn about CGA symptoms & treatment.

creakyjoints.org

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Mar 28

Academic writing is, to me, like painting. First draft is the underpainting, putting in the main colour areas, then in redraft you paint over to sharpen detail.

Writing clinic letters, on the other hand, is like rapid sketching - capturing the essence of a moment in time as accurately as possible.

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Mar 20

Just added you - sorry for missing this before, am just discovering that Bluesky sometimes doesn’t show a whole comment thread!

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Mar 20

Added (somewhat belatedly, sorry!)

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Mar 20

Done! Welcome to #rheumsky

Reposted by Sarah Mackie

Adam Kucharski @adamjkucharski.bsky.social · Mar 16

Self-help books often cite population studies as evidence that you can change your life with one simple trick. X will improve your health. Y will make you more successful. But there's a crucial catch...

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Reposted by Sarah Mackie

Nikhil Garg @nkgarg.bsky.social · Mar 10

*Please repost* @sjgreenwood.bsky.social and I just launched a new personalized feed (*please pin*) that we hope will become a "must use" for #academicsky. The feed shows posts about papers filtered by *your* follower network. It's become my default Bluesky experience bsky.app/profile/pape...

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Reposted by Sarah Mackie

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Feb 20

At @science.org today, an important new way we can make major headway into immunologic and infectious diseases. Sequencing the lymphocyte B and T cell receptors and A.I. to accurately make the diagnosis!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp2407
A seminal study by @anshulkundaje.bsky.social et al

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Feb 12

Doing a talk on giant cell arteritis for general physicians next Tuesday, as part of a webinar on Updates in Rheumatology organised by the Royal College of Physicians.

You can register for the webinar here:

ow.ly/cLri50UXRCi

Episode 32: rheumatology | RCP Player

RCP Player offers healthcare professionals the latest medical updates through webinars, videos and podcasts. Explore our wide range of resources today.

ow.ly

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Feb 7

Tomorrow, I’ll re-read Andy Clark’s The Experience Machine, describing a “predictive processing” model of perception: how we see what we expect to see, while discounting information that doesn’t appear to fit. These perceptions form the basis of the information we use to make our decisions. (3/3)

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Feb 7

Today, I heard a talk from an economist explaining how the old idea of Homo economicus is a poor model of decision-making; how humans actually make decisions feelings-first, with post-hoc rational justification. (2/3)

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Feb 7

Yesterday, I heard a talk from a health psychologist presenting “shared decision making” as a collaborative, rational process, involving patients understanding health information and weighing up options, finally choosing the option that most aligns with their values and preferences. (1/3)

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Feb 7

Sharp (h)edges.

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Jan 17

As a cyclist I’m grateful for the road safety improvements the council has made for cyclists in recent years. Although, shared pedestrian and cycle paths not ideal in the era of e-bikes…

Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Jan 15

Do you know the @nulliusinverba.bsky.social podcast? They talk about science and philosophy (amongst other things)

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Sarah Mackie @sarahlmackie.bsky.social · Jan 6

These have been lovely to read over the holiday period. Thank you for posting them.