Best of 2021: Comparison of Three Coronavirus Vaccines

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On Feb. 27, the Food and Drug Administration announced it has issued an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose Covid vaccine, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine to be commercially available.  We've compiled a comparison table and some key information relevant to your delivering patient guidance henceforth. 

Best of 2021: Tofacitinib Safety Concerns

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Best of 2021: 11 Drugs That Cause Arthritis

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This is the #1 question I get from new consults: “How did I get arthritis?”

But as the aching are asking, they are really thinking these joint complaints must be due to something.

Best of 2021: FDA Approves Anifrolumab in SLE

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AstraZeneca announced today that anifrolumab (Saphnelo or anifrolumab-fnia) was approved by the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for that treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are receiving standard therapy.  

My Podcast Gift (12.24.2021)

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from RheumNow.

Dr. Jack Cush tells his podcast story - the genesis, keys to success and recommendations on how to get into podcasting - for teaching, practice, fun or influence.

Best of 2021: Potential Birth Defects with Hydroxychloroquine

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HCQ is one of the safest meds used in rheumatology, but new claims data suggests a small increase in the risk of malformations associated with first-trimester HCQ use. The March 2021 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology studied the risk of major congenital malformations during the first trimester of pregnancy in women with rheumatic disease taking HCQ.

Best of 2021: Rheumatologists Rank 2nd in Physician Burnout

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The 2021 Medscape Survey on Physician burnout ranks rheumatology second, just behind Critical Care medicine.

The survey included over 12,000 physcians from 20 specialties. While 42% of MDs claimed to be burnt-out, Rheumatologists claimed this 50% of the time. The top 3 this year were Critical care (51%), Rheumatology (50%) and infectious disease (49%).

Best of 2021: Actemra FDA Approved for Systemic Sclerosis Interstitial Lung Disease

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Genentech announced March 4th that the US Food and Drug Administration approved tocilizumab (Actemra) for the treatment of Systemic Sclerosis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD), specifically indicated for slowing the rate of decline in pulmonary function in adults S

Best of 2021: EULAR Guidelines on Intraarticular Therapy

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EULAR has published evidence-based recommendations on the use of intra-articular therapies (IAT) based on the literature review and recommendations of a multidisciplinary international task force. These IAT recommendations apply to adult patients with peripheral arthropathies.

Best of 2021: Rebuttals

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Since the COVID vaccine rollout, more people have been eligible to receive the vaccine. However, not everyone chooses to get one. I have heard many reasons (aka excuses) from my patients who are vaccine hesitant. 

Indications Awaiting (12.17.21)

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There's good news and bad news in rheumatology fellowship matching for 2022.  There's also new FDA approvals and indications, but a new serious safety warning has arisen from the CDC about the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the latest news, journal reports, regulatory approvals, plus 3 new cases from rheumatologists.

CDC Panel Recommends mRNA COVID Vaccines Over J&J Vaccine

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The U.S.

Certain Cancers Increased with Autoimmune Diseases

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Rheumatologists are well aware that inflammation and immune dysregulation are prime contributors to cancer risk, but do oncologists carry the same impressions? A large study from JAMA Oncology shows that patients with immune-mediated diseases (IMD) have an overall increased risk of cancer, especially in organ-specific immune-mediated diseases. 

SGLT2 Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetes Lowers Gout Risk

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A recent study of drugs used in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) shows that SGLT2 inhibitors have a lower risk for gout compared with those receiving DPP4 inhibitors.

Rinvoq FDA Approved for Active Psoriatic Arthritis

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The FDA has approved upadacitinib (Rinvoq) today for use in the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers.

Serious Adverse Events Associated with Tocilizumab in COVID-19 Patients

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Safety analysis of over 1000 adverse events associated with the use of tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID‐19 infection shows both rare expected and some unexpected AE.

Adherence to Medication - Predictive Factors in RA

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The numbers on treatment adherence is disappointingly low in RA, with a number of psychological, communication and logistical factors that outweigh the potentially negative influence of sociodemographic or clinical factors.

When to Stop Biologics in Systemic JIA?

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Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a dramatic onset inflammatory condition marked by spiking fevers, intermittent rash, polyarthritis and a host of other hyperinflammatory manifestations.

T2T Debate - A Prologue with Dr. Marty Bergman

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Drs. Jack Cush and Martin Bergman review the topic of treat-to-target (T2T) management in rheumatology.

Both will debate the pro's and con's of the T2T strategy at the upcoming RWCS meeting on Feb. 17, 2022.