Recent News
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com this week - including his top four favorite subjects.Read Article
“Math has no opinion” - Mellody Hobson
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Couldn’t attend https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026?
You can now watch the entire meeting On Demand.
This high-impact program features leading experts discussing:
• RA outcomes and pathogenesis
• Obesity, inflammation, and rheumatic disease
• Treatment decisions in Psoriatic https://t.co/A3wb3pzbl3
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Updated CRA/SPARCC Recommendations for Axial Spondyloarthritis
The original CRA/SPARCC recommendations endorsed IL-17i and TNFi as equivalent second-line options for adults with active axSpA who fail an adequate NSAID trial. JAK inhibitors were reserved for patients with prior https://t.co/e1iLSksgYj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Danish real-world study anifrolumab use in 36 #SLE pts. SLEDAI-2K decreased from 8 (baseline) to 2 @ mos 3; @6 mos 52% had SLEDAI-2K=0. 87% had PGA ≤0.5 w/ LLDAS, & 70% DORIS remission. Pred use declined by >50%. Herpes infx were most freq AE https://t.co/gNIAoXplMt https://t.co/D6xhQrY8ep
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
UK Our Future Health study of 1,563,155 finds affective Dz (depression, bipolar, anxiety) signific higher (p<0.001)in autoimmune pts vs gen. pop. (29% vs 18%) - dx by PHQ-9, GAD-7. (OR 1.86), even after adjustments income and pain, etc. https://t.co/HoKBeAZxbS https://t.co/NtJhaf7WCo
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ILD in RA – Dr. Jeffrey Sparks
In this https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Sparks reviews the latest advances shaping diagnosis and management of ILD in RA.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/U5cZVlgAka
#Rheumatology #ILD #RNL2026 https://t.co/LidiS3Wj9d
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Italian retrospective study 411 IIM pts classified cancer risk per IMACS criteria: 44% high-, 38% intermed- 18% standard-risk. 9.2% had CA w/in 3yrs. Signif more in high-risk (OR 4.05). CA predictors: TIF1γ (OR 12.3), SAE1 (OR = 11.9) https://t.co/j4gA0g79bI https://t.co/Pt5nMs89bl
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COMMON - Incidental Rotator Cuff Abnormalities on MRI
In this cross-sectional study of 602 Finnish adults undergoing bilateral shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical assessment, abnormalities were found in nearly everyone over age 40 years, regardless of whether https://t.co/2n58lglVP0
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Advanced Practice Rheum: Methotrexate
In this session, we're going to review methotrexate. It is the most popular of disease-modifying drugs used in rheumatology. While it may be indicated for a few disorders, it's widely used in many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. https://t.co/RKh3mQv7Hx
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Asia-Pacific Lupus study of Mucocutaneous activity (MC-A) in 4102 SLE pts. 36% had MC-A (rash 1055; alopecia 731; m ulcers 352); 15% persistently. MC-A assoc w/ W, smoking, +serologies, vasculitis, myositis, serositis, nephritis, NP-SLE https://t.co/XeBc4DJon9 https://t.co/n2wAq2OIGt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Hopkins Myositis study of 637 dermatomyositis pts - FLARES were assoc w/ DM Dz activity; manifest as rash (76%), motor weakness (58%), Pulm (19%), arthritis (12%). O
nly 2–5% of Flare pts had cancer Dx w/in 6–24-mos https://t.co/AKC9oIKAS7 https://t.co/26q8FfkUfl
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Among neuro-ophthalmic complications of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, myasthenia gravis (often with concomitant myositis) is most common irAE, followed by optic neuropathy (often as optic neuritis) https://t.co/7pxqSKY3M1 https://t.co/bisbShFHIc
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Predictors of Calcinosis Cutis in Systemic Sclerosis
Calcinosis cutis (CaC) is a common and disabling non-lethal manifestation in systemic sclerosis (SSc). This study used SSc patients from the EUSTAR database to clinically characterize patients and identify risk factors for https://t.co/uXbcCa04Lv
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VEXAS Syndrome - A Review
Beck et al has published a review of the VEXAS syndrome in The Lancet, focusing on the pathogenesis, spectrum, and treatment strategies.
https://t.co/Nik0TJm6Qu https://t.co/WS35PRnbBv
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Opioids Down, Gabapentins Up
The number of U.S. patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy declined from 2015 to 2023, but co-prescribing of opioids with gabapentinoids increased, prescription data showed.
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Malignancies Not Increased with Biologic Therapies
The risk of malignancy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving biologic agents was evaluated by metanalysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and found no significant increased risk of malignancy compared with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or with placebo.
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Itch is common in Scleroderma (SSc) and not related to Dz duration. Study of 2173 Pts (~20K itch assessments), 87 F; mean age 55 yrs; 40% w/ diffuse SSc. Itch (moderate 4/10) seen in ~35% at all times https://t.co/QnT8d0xA5Z https://t.co/yEgB6ImDTi
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
5 yr Italian study of hospitalized autoimmune pts(2018-23) 4,896 IMID pts compared to 301,126 non-IMIM. IMID had signif higher risk cancer (adj OR 1.32) highest 1st yr. Decreased from 1.83 @ yr 1 to 1.2 @5+ yrs. IMID had more lung & bladder CA, leukemia lymphoma & melanoma https://t.co/UXqDHQtzv0
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
From 2015 to 2023, long-term opioid therapy declined in the USA. Approximately 4 million to 5 million patients were prescribed long-term opioid therapy in 2023. Long term opioid use remains a challenge https://t.co/N5s7mYvXSw https://t.co/YHdTbHLB4q
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Video
From the Blog
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
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Podcasts
Top Four and More (4.10.2026)-
Whats New PsA? (4.3.2026)
PsA GRAPPA Domains- Outcomes With a JAKi-
Moral Distress (3.27.2026)
Therapeutic Updates
PsA GRAPPA domains: Outcomes With a JAKi
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Dr. Schwartzman and Dr. Ruderman discuss how PsA disease activity across GRAPPA domains may guide treatment decisions, sharing both the evidence for and their experience with a JAKi across domains.
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Poster Hall
