Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Fail to Deter Opiate Abuse

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A systematic review of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), advocated in the president's Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan, fails to show evidence of efficacy in preventing nonfatal and fatal overdoses.

Low Disease Activity in Lupus Limits Damage

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Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who were assessed as being in a low disease activity state during more than half of clinical visits had a decrease in organ damage events of approximately 50%, a retrospective study found.

Sons of Gout Study

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The genetics and heritability of gout has suggested a higher risk in certain families.  A UK cohort study examined the prevalence of gout and monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposition among those at risk (sons of gout patients) for gout and found a high incidence of hyperuricemia and MSU crystal deposition.

Long Term Remission in SLE is Possible?

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Researchers from the Toronto Lupus Clinic have described an atypical “monophasic” course in a small number (7.5%) of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients who achieved and sustained clinical remission, with most off of all medications for an average of 18 years.

FDA Approves Low Dose Baricitinib for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved baricitinib (Olumiant) for use in adults in moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to TNF inhibitors (TNFi). It is not approved for use, nor has it been studied, in children.

FDA Approves Baricitinib 2 mg for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved baricitinib (Oluminant) at the lower dose of 2 mg per day for use in adults with with moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to commonly-used treatments known as TNF inhibitors.

The RheumNow Week in Review – Good News for GPA, CZP, Tofa but not ERA (6.1.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this weeks reports from RheumNow.com, including the risk of autoimmunity with vaccination, early RA outcomes, new FDA approvals for certolizumab and tofacitinib and the risk of death from infection with biologics.

MRI Imaging for Sacroiliitis Requires Bone Marrow Edema for Reliability

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de Winter and colleagues from the Netherlands have reported on magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints of healthy subjects, patients with axial spondyloarthritis, runners and those with chronic back pain, and found a high incidence of sacroiliitis in many, but that deep bone marrow edema was most specific for those with axial SpA.

Ustekinumab: A Novel Intervention in Giant Cell Arteritis

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Treatment of refractory giant cell arteritis (GCA) with ustekinumab (Stelara) showed therapeutic promise as a steroid-sparing agent in a small, open-label study, Irish researchers reported.

High anti-TNF Failure Rates with Obesity

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A meta-analysis has suggested that obesity is an under-reported predictor of inferior response to tumor necrosis factor blockade (anti-TNF) in a range of inflammatory immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), with the results showing a 60% risk of impaired response to anti-TNF across several

Increased Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Canadian researchers have analyzed population data and shown that the incidence and prevalence of depression, anxiety  and bipolar disorders are elevated in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared to a matched population.

ACP Policy Calls for Increased Efforts in Women's Health Issues

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The American College of Physicians have published a position paper in Annals of Internal Medicine calling for an examination of the challenges facing women in the U.S.

Cancer Risk Raised in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were at increased risks for malignancy, and possibly more so if they were treated with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a meta-analysis found.

In nine cohort studies that included more than 43,000 PsA patients, the pooled relative risk for overall malignancy was 1.29 (95% CI 1.04-1.60) compared with the general population, according to Yunyun Fei, MD, and colleagues from Peking Union Medical College in Beijing.

Restless Sleep and Inactivity Intertwined in OA

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Adults with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee who frequently experienced restless sleep were less likely to engage in potentially beneficial moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, analysis of data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative found.

The RheumNow Week in Review – Methotrexate CIRT Study (5.25.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this past week's news from RheumNow.com - the risk of Cutaneous and Systemic LE, increasing flu vaccination, higher risk of VTE, MPO predictions, new drug for GIOP and CIRT - MTX in cardiovascular risk patients.

Measures of Opioid Misuse Predict Future Opioid Overdose and Death

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The current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine examines patterns of potential opioid misuse that are associated with subsequent adverse outcomes nationally.

MPO Antibodies Predict Relapses in MPO-ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

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A study of MPO-ANCA positive patients followed serially over 2 years shows that reappearance of MPO‐ANCA may predict  relapse in patients with MPO‐ANCA positive AAV and that routine MPO‐ANCA monitoring is warranted. 

FDA Approves Denosumab for Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis

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Amgen announced that the U.S.

ACR Leaders Lobby Capitol Hill for Help on Rising Costs and Access Barriers in Arthritis Care

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Rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals convened on Capitol Hill this week to urge legislative action on pressing policy issues affecting rheumatology care during the American College of Rheumatology’s Advocacy Leadership Conference, held May 16 -17, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

Autoinflammatory Syndromes Show Dramatic Response to Canakinumab

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The New England Journal of Medicine reports that the anti-interleukin (IL)-1β monoclonal antibody canakinumab (Ilaris) was effective in the treatment of three distinct autoinflammatory recurrent fever syndromes (FMF, TRAPS, HIDS) with responses that were far superior to what was see