Tools, Brains & Organizers for Your Phone

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Most people can’t live without their cell phone. But does the device define the modern medicine man and woman?  

Rheumatoid Arthritis Alone is Not a Risk for Post-Op CV Events

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Using hospitalization claims from 7 states, reasearchers studied the risk of cardiovascular outcomes following surgery in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.  (Citation source http://buff.ly/1TDsVG6)

Calling a Doctor by His or Her First Name

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Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title."

New Classification Criteria for Macrophage Activation Syndrome

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Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) is one of the most common underlying etiologies to the macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).  

Cell Phone Study Proves Car Crash Risk

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In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers enrolled over 3,500 U.S. drivers, aged 16 to 98 years, and followed them for a three-year period after rigging their vehicles with internal video cameras and devices to track speed and location.

Oral Prednisolone and NSAIDs Equipotent in Acute Gout

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An emergency department based study evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral prednisolone versus indomethacin in 416 patients with acute gout in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial.

Curbside Consults - February 2016

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The following is a collection of cases presented to me by rheumatology colleagues. Each has a challenging therapeutic or safety issue. Answers are based on experience with references from literature and guidelines.

Challenges of Dermatomyositis Progress

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In the current issue of Lancet, Pierre Miossec discusses the challenges of studying and managing juvenile dermatomyositis and, specifically, the

Transdermal NSAID Touted as an Advance

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Reuters reports that researchers at the University of Warwick have devised a new transdermal drug delivery patch that may change the future of pain management. 

Febuxostat Safe in Gout with Moderate-Severe Renal Impairment

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Renal impairment is a risk factor for gout and a barrier to optimal gout management. Many of the drugs used to treat gout require adjustment in those with renal disease.

Pulmonary Hypertension Earlier and More Severe in Men with Scleroderma

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Pulmonary hypertension is an uncommon complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and historically thought to slowly evolve in those with limited scleroderma over many years. 

Only Two-Thirds of US Adults Get Adequate Sleep

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Optimal sleep duration for adults is suppose to be 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Shorter sleep duration (7 hours per night) is associated with greater likelihoods of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and death.

RA Flares Common After Anti-TNF Withdrawal

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The risk of a flare increased by more than three-fold over 1 year when patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission, or with stable low disease activity, stopped their anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment, Dutch researchers reported.

CBC Hidden Pearls

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CBC…it’s easy as 123! The complete blood count (aka, CBC) is the most routine, but indispensable, of all medical assessments.

ASAS: MRI Definition of Active Sacroiliitis

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Increased use of MRI for diagnosis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in the last two decades has led to earlier diagnoses and gradual incorporation of MRI into the SpA assessment toolset.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Increases Cardiovascular Event Risk

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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting exocrine glands with painful abscesses in intertriginous areas.

Ultrasound Training Escalates in the United States

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A recent report cites the frequency of musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound (US) education in US residency and fellowship training programs.

RWCS 2016 – Periodic Fever and Macrophage Activation Syndrome + Pregnancy in IBD

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Pregnancy and Immune Modulating Therapies

Lupus Flares After Renal Transplant

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Whether lupus activity is ameliorated by end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or transplantation has been debated.

Patient's Out-of-Pocket Costs for New Drugs Sky-Rocketing

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The good news: in 2015 the FDA approved a record number of new drugs (n=45).

The bad news: most new drugs entering the market today have an exorbitantly high price tag.