The RheumNow Week in Review – No Good Gout (8.10.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and latest journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. Info on Surgery and Hip Fractures, Gout drugs abandoned, Allopurinol escalation, hydroxychloroquine drug levels, how to treat scleroderma in India and exactly who gets back pain.

Fractures Augment 10 Year Mortality Risks

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This nationwide study of adults (50+ yrs) from Denmark has shown that following a fragility fracture, the 10-years mortality risk was increased, especially in the first year following the fracture. 

Early Hip Fracture Surgery Reduces Mortality

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CMAJ reports that seniors are more likely to survive a hip fracture if the surgery is done as soon as they’re admitted to the hospital - suggesting hospitals should expedite operating room access for patients whose surgery has already been delayed for nonmedical reasons.

Dr. Roland Moskowitz (1929 - 2018)

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Dr. Roland Moskowitz was a giant in the rheumatology world for decades, and one of a handful of researchers who doggedly rose to one of rheumatology's greatest challenge: osteoarthritis. He has passed away at the age 88 years.

Selective Use of HLA-B*5801 Testing in Gout

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The current edition of JAMA Internal Medicine describes an Asian gout patient who presents with an allopurinol hypersensitivity reaction that could have been diagnosed by testing for HLA-B*5801.

Febuxostat (IR or XR) Effective in Gout with Renal Impairment

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Saag and colleagues report the results of a 3 month phase III trial demonstrating equal efficacy between febuxostat extended release (XR) and immediate release (IR) formulations in patients with gout.  and normal or impaired renal function.

Big Advances for Two Osteoporosis Drugs

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New developments with the FDA and new scientific findings are adding momentum to two drugs experts believe are game-changers in osteoporosis treatment.

Back Pain in Psoriatic Arthritis

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A single center study of psoriatic arthritis patients has shown that rheumatologist-judged inflammatory back pain (IBP) and criteria defining IBP may not perform well when ascertaining axial involvement in PsA patients. 

Higher Infection Rates for Infliximab in Psoriasis

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A prospective study of psoriasis patients from the British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register demonstrated that infliximab therapy yielded 2-3 times more serious infection than seen in those treated with non-biologic DMARDs or methotrexate (MTX).

The RheumNow Week in Review – Handshakes or Hugs (8.3.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com, including new treatments for LTBI, gout consequences, RA and offspring risk, PsA risk, and the opioid epidemic effects.

Maternal RA Increases Offspring Risk of Autoimmune Disorders

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A Danish population study suggests that fetal exposure to maternal rheumatoid arthritis results in an increased offspring risk of thyroid disease, epilepsy and RA, compared to children born to mothers without RA.

Ethnicity Matters in Sjogren's Syndrome

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Among the ethnically diverse residents of Manhattan, certain groups had markedly different incidence rates of primary Sjogren's syndrome, a retrospective study found.

Opioid Aversion is Augmenting Spinal Steroid Injections

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As physicians turn away from opioids, are they resorting to options that may also be unsafe?

The New York Times reports that some physicians are using the anti-inflammatory drug, Depo-Medrol, for intraspinal injections to manage painful spinal and perispinal disorders.

IL-1 Suppression May Improve Dilated Cardiomyopathy

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Interleukin-1 (IL-1) suppression helped reverse symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) for one patient in a case study that may implicate inflammation in the development of the condition.

Company Payments to Rheumatologists, Specialists Linked to Increased ACTH Prescriptions

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Despite its exorbitant price tag and paucity of supportive clinical evidence, ACTH (corticotropin) sales have increased in the United States. A recent JAMA article examined its use by specialists and found that those who prescribe ACTH (including rheumatologists, nephrologists, neurologists) received corticotropin-related payments from the products sole manufacturer, Mallinckrod.

Statin Associated with an Increase in Inflammatory Myopathy

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JAMA Internal Medicine reports that exposure to statin medications may be linked to histologically confirmed idiopathic inflammatory myositis.

Type I Interferon Drives Photosensitivity in Cutaneous Lupus

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Kahlenberg and coworkers have reported in ARD that interferon kappa (IFN-κ) is a key regulator of type I interferon (IFN) photosensitive responses in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE).

Veterans Administration Shuns Marijuana as an Option

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Cannabis therapy is legal in 30 states in the US, and soon to be legal in Canada and Great Britian, but the US Veterans Administration continues to reject medical marijuana as a therapeutic option - even in states where it is approved.

The Fate of Palindromic Rheumatism

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Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is an intermittent inflammatory arthropathy with episodes of arthritis and/or periarticular inflammation that wax and wane over time. It is thought that up to one-third of such patients may go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The RheumNow Week in Review – Lupus in the News (7.27.18)

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