ARCTIC Study Shows No Benefit to Ultrasound Remission in RA

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The goal in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment is remission. But what level or method of remission is best?

Remicade Patent Infringements Denied: Opens Door for New Biosimilars

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A U.S. court has affirmed its decision that the patent for Johnson & Johnson's drug Remicade is invalid. This new ruling favors the intent of Celltrion and Pfizer, who are seeking to bring their biosimilar versions of infliximab to market in the near future.

DASH Diet: A Role in Gout?

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People with hyperuricemia who followed the blood-pressure-lowering DASH diet showed significant decreases in serum urate levels, post-hoc analysis of data from an influential randomized study found.

In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, participants adhering to the diet, which emphasizes the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods as well as whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts, had a mean decrease in serum urate levels of -0.35 mg/dL (95% CI -0.65 to -0.05), according to Stephen P. Juraschek, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues.

Fewer Psoriasis Patients Satisfied with Current Treatments

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A new national survey in the United States of nearly 600 individuals with psoriasis, reveals that although patients have numerous treatment options, they have difficulty finding treatment plans that work. In addition, respondents reported a heavy emotional toll, with many feeling isolated and stigmatized due to the condition.

Smoking Worsens Rheumatoid Inflammation

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Tobacco and chronic smoking is a major risk factor for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and chronic smoking has been linked to severity of disease and lower DMARD response rates.

Autoimmune Disease as Harbinger of Myelodysplasia

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Myelodysplastic syndrome may infrequently present with inflammatory or autoimmune symptoms. This literature review shows a variety of presentations and treatment options for such patients.

Rheumatologists May be Unaware of New Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy Monitoring Guidelines

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Rheumatologists are well-acquainted with the rules for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy screening: A) annual visits to the ophthalmologist and B) maintain HCQ doses at less than 6.5 mg/kg to avoid retinopathy.

RheumNow Week in Review – 12 August 2016

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Watch Dr. Cush review 13 highlights from this week on RheumNow.

Consensus Recommendations for Juvenile Dermatomyositis

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SHARE (Single Hub and Access point for pediatric Rheumatology in Europe) is a group established in 2012 to develop and optimize diagnostic and management regimens in Europe for children and young adults with rheumatic diseases.

No Added Lymphoma Risk with TNF Inhibitor Use

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Warnings of cancer, especially lymphoma, have accompanied the development and promotion of tumor necrosis factor inhbitors (TNFi) in the treatment of RA and other inflammatory disorders.

Etanercept May Lower Alzheimers Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unknown but some have speculated a role for inflammation.

EULAR: Guidance for Managing Lupus Pregnancy

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The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) has published comprehensive recommendations on reproductive health and family planning for women with systemic lupus erythematosus and/or antiphospholipid syndrome – conditions that largely affect women of childbearing age.

Cryptochromes Regulate Circadian Inflammation

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Circadian rhythms may be disrupted or become exaggerated in a variety of inflammatory conditions. For instance, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1 have a known circadian cycle to their production, but the same can not be said for TNF.

EULAR Updates Gout Guidelines

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A EULAR task force of 24 individuals (including 15 rheumatologists) have updated their previous 2006 guidelines for gout. The current update, which includes 11 recommendations, is based on a systematic literature review and a Delphi consensus approach to recommendations.

RheumNow Week in Review – 5 August 2016

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Highlights from this week on RheumNow.com include:

1. Having #RA in addition to solid cancer (breast, lung, prostate, colon) increases mortality rates by 40-50% in elders https://t.co/aitjusmOai
2. The global market for rheumatoid arthritis therapies was $19.9 billion in 2015, expected to reach $21.3B by 2020 https://t.co/d2Sh5C8y9f
3. Half of doctors never heard of MACRA:Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act. Starts on Jan 1st! https://t.co/eYgWBWCw6y Blog:https://t.co/sRKZSOFyNV

And more!

Serious Infections are Not Increased in HIV Patients Treated with TNF Inhibitors

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Infections are a concern for many when using tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor (TNFi) therapy to treat inflammatory disorders. Even moreso in those at higher risk.

Severe, Refractory Psoriasis in HIV-Positive Patients: Are TNF Inhibitors a Solution?

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Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are more prevalent, often more severe, and sometimes refractory to conventional treatments in HIV-positive patients, but clinicians are understandably concerned about moving on to immunosuppressive anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents when other treatments fai

Dinosaur Arthritis

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The recent edition of Science has an interesting article on the cause of death in a dinosaur - septic arthritis.

Palentologists have unearthed a 70 million year old duck-billed dinosaur near New Jersey and found that the arm bones were not quite right.  

RAPID3: An Effective Assessment Tool in Spondyloarthritis

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Serial biomarker or clinical metric assessments are ubiquitous and commonly used to assess patients with rheumatoid arthritis (HAQ, CDAI, RAPID3), lupus (C3, C4, dsDNA) and gout (uric acid). But numerous disorders are either harder to assess or have tools or metrics that that are not commonly used.

MRI Findings Match Patients' Experience With RA

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Patient-reported outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) correlate independently with measures of inflammation and structural damage on MRI scans, according to data from a longitudinal study.