High Dose Flu Vaccine for Patients Younger Than 65?

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We are diving head first into flu season and we need to prepare ourselves. Last year we now know that 80,000 Americans died from influenza.

The Great Debate: Plaquenil - Choosing Safety over Efficacy?

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ICI-Induced Inflammatory Arthritis and Shared Epitope Alleles

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have changed the hematology/oncology world. However, their AEs from a rheumatologic standpoint are still being evaluated and at this time, genetic risk factors for inflammatory arthritis due to ICI are not well understood. Dr. Cappelli et al evaluated a possible connection with HLA typing at their institution.

The 16th Annual La Paulee

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La Paulee is traditionally the party/feast after harvest and a time when hard work is rewarded with food, fun, and wine. And so it was that evening; after better understanding genes, cytokines, and pathology it was time to have a good time with friends, old and new.

Walking the Tightrope of Treat to Target in Psoriatic Arthritis

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In the last few years, new studies have been published examining if early intervention and tight control (TC) of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) disease activity will have the same beneficial outcomes as it does for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  

Nurse Led Gout Management Highly Effective

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UK researchers have shown that nurse-led gout management, using a treat-to-target urate-lowering strategy, is efficacious and cost-effective compared with usual physicain care. The results are published in the recent Lancet edition.

RheumNow Week in Review – ACR Preview Edition (10.19.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush summarizes the news and reports from RheumNow.Com this past week and previews RheumNow activities at the upcoming ACR 2018 meeting in Chicago.

It's the Genes, Not the Diet that Raises Urate

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Researchers from New Zealand find that in contrast with genetic contributions, diet explains very little variation in serum urate levels in the general population.

Update on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Toxicity

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JAMA has a 2018 update/review of the safety issues seen with mmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) - important new cancer therapies, with 14 cancer indications, that have significantly improved survival in several. ICIs are monoclonal antibodies that block inhibitors of T-cell activation and function.

Apremilast Succeeds in Scalp Psoriasis

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Celgene has announced results from the phase 3 STYLE study, showing apremilast yielding significant improvement in moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis. STYLE is a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study evaluating the efficacy and safety of apremilast in subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis of the scalp. The study enrolled 303 people who were randomized 2:1 to receive apremilast 30 mg twice daily or placebo for the first 16 weeks.

IL-6 for Adult Still's: A New Option?

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Some clinical benefits were seen among patients with adult-onset Still's disease treated with tocilizumab (Actemra) in a small clinical trial, but the study's primary endpoint was not met, Japanese researchers reported.

Hip and Knee Replacements Monitored by Smart Watch

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Reuters reports that patients with hip or knee replacements will now be followed for progress using their Apple watches.

RheumNow Week in Review – Four Fingers are Best (10.12.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. New info on scleroderma-SLE overlap, nailfold capillaroscopy, Women with SpA, acute gout management and lupus patient in pain who visit the ED.

Teenage Obesity Increases Lupus Risk

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Analysis of the Black Women's Health Study shows that obesity as a teenager may be associated with increased risk of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in adulthood.

SLE-Scleroderma Overlap Outcomes

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Overlap of autoimmune disorders represents a significant diagnostic and management challenge to the rheumatologist. A novel cohort analysis of overlap between systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) suggests such patients tend to be younger, more frequently have PAH, but less cutaneous manifestations of SSc.

NSAIDs OK for Certain High-Risk Groups?

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Some patients typically contraindicated for prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use may be able to take them with no increased risk of harm, according to a large observational study.

Complex Pain Syndromes in the Emergency Room

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Emergency physician Chris Hahn, MD, doesn't have any trouble conjuring a simple definition of fibromyalgia. "Just think about the most annoying chief complaints you can imagine. That's the diagnostic criteria."

Physical Therapy Equals Arthroscopic Surgery in Meniscal Tears

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Several new trials suggest that conservative management may be as efficacious as arthroscopic surgery in patients with meniscal tears, thus contributing to the trend of fewer arthroscopic surgeries. A new trial of patients with nonobstructive meniscal tears shows no significant difference in 2 year outcomes between physical therapy and early arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.

Allopurinol Shown to be Renal Protective

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Neogi and colleagues have shown that standard doses of allopurinol (300 mg/day) were associated with a 13% lower risk of renal function deterioration in chronic gout patients - thus, allopurinol does not appear to impair renal function over time.