Recent News
An NEJM study has shown that glucocorticoids provide no added benefit when added to standard primary treatment in Kawasaki disease patients.Read Article
ACR Backs the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act
ACR
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today thanked lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives for introducing the bipartisan Provider Reimbursement Stability Act of 2025 (H.R. 8163), legislation designed to stabilize Medicare payments for physicians and protect patient access to care.
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Retrospective clinicopathologic review of 170 AORTIC surgical pathology cases (2009-16) - showed 87% w/ atherosclerosis, 13% aortitis/periaortitis and 2.4% atherosclerosis w/ excessive inflammation. Lymphoplasmacytic inflammation was most common w/ aortitis/periaortitis. https://t.co/CuP30dqRQU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
152 pts w/ immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) Rx in DBRPCT of Ianalumab (9mg or 3 mg/kg) or PBO q mo x 4 mos (all on Eltrombopag). Time to Rx failure signif longer w/ ianalumab. Stable 6 month response better w/ 9-mg group vs PBO (62% vs 39%; P=0.045) https://t.co/J04trYAwLu https://t.co/Alm8V2SAXn
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Litifilimab in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Biogen has announced positive results of their Phase 2 study, evaluating litifilimab in patients with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), presented at the recent American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. https://t.co/3Wb6iFViOm
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Still's Disease Update
Arthritis Research & Therapy has published an overarching review of Still's disease - claiming it to be a single acquired and complex autoinflammatory disease in which both pediatric and adult forms share core pathogenic mechanisms, genetic associations and clinical presentations, with minor differences between children and adults who are afflicted.
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Physician Use of Augmented Intelligence has Doubled
A 2026 Physician Survey to assess artificial intelligence and its use in Medical Practice has been published and follows earlier surveys around adoption and use. This is the third in a series of longitudinal surveys (prior waves 2023, 2024), enabling meaningful trend analysis. AI adoption has more than doubled in three years and physician sentiment shifting decisively toward cautious optimism.
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Screening High Risk Myositis Patients for Cancer
An Italian retrospective study of 411 idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) patients applied IMACS criteria to assess the risk of cancer and found significantly more cancers in those at high risk.
https://t.co/AHvC5xfsCr https://t.co/Bd4VMRX9PU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Retrospective observational study of IPAF (ILD w/ autoimmune) pts - from Mt Sinai ILD registry 791 - 14 Rx w/ rituximab vs 19 not. Betw group outcomes same: PFTs, O2 use, Infx, Resp admissions, mortality. RTX group recv more immunosuppressives. https://t.co/sle4a0JOFL https://t.co/SyhK12KhHY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Rheumatoid Arthritis Faculty Panel Q&A
This expert panel from https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 brings together leading faculty to address real-world challenges in RA care, offering practical insights you can apply immediately in practice.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/DfGDbKUGoD https://t.co/TpCAIUyGF2
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Litifilimab in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Biogen has announced positive results of their Phase 2 study, evaluating litifilimab in patients with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), presented at the recent American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting.
Litifilimab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that targets BDCA2 on Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells (PDCs) and is being studied in CLE and SLE.
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Modest Benefits with AI Scribes on EHR Documentation
EurekAlert!
Documenting a patient visit in the electronic health record (EHR) is essential to healthcare delivery, but also a major contributor to clinician burnout. Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled ambient documentation, or “AI scribes,” can automatically generate draft clinical notes for review after an appointment.
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A LESSON FOR GC OVERUSE: Inappropriate PPI use was Twice as successful w/ reduced w/ GP & Pt-facing intervention (15 vs 7%) vs usual care or GP-only intervention. Study of 1498 GPs, 34K pts https://t.co/4cxoeanAK8 https://t.co/FdfUdST40o
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
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.
https://t.co/iXEUfR18Is https://t.co/6DCUvGAW6N
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Top Four and More (4.10.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow this week - including his top four favorite subjects.
https://t.co/TUPky5m1Mo https://t.co/QRgh9SqcOF
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
NHIS 10yr survey of 195,600 Americans shows Chronic pain assoc w/ double rates of smoking & vaping. Smoking decr over time, but always higher in chronic pain pts (17.7% 2014, 13.1% in 2023) than w/o pain (12.5% 2014, 7.5% 2023). E-cigs incr over time, more w/ chronic pain https://t.co/iW7IDwHyJa
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Potential new mechanism of MTX Effx - MTX polyglutamates accumulates in monocytes by D5, modulates transcriptional signature “non-classical monocyte”-assoc genes by Wk4, & predicts MTX responses https://t.co/g14GONKgvq https://t.co/oyoua9xAN4
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Malignancies Not Increased with Biologic Therapies
The risk of malignancy in RA patients receiving biologic agents was evaluated by metanalysis of RCTs and found no significant increased risk of malignancy compared with other DMARDs or with placebo.
https://t.co/LM87wLjNoM https://t.co/KPGCcD7Q39
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
JAMA Guideline on the Management of Crohn Disease
https://t.co/GV0lICS8Sn https://t.co/aFWH5Tl4Jv
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
OL phase 2 study 50 active systemic JIA pts Randomized to IL-1 inhibitor, firsekibart or TCZ q2wk x 24 wks. At day 28, modified ACR Pedi 30response (no fever) favored FIRS 3mg dose (94% vs 75% vs 82%). Also higher ACR Pedi 70/90 responses & steriod tapers. https://t.co/8bdCLUFFLT https://t.co/ddQe7k25UE
Links:
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
