EHR Connected Doctors May Be Disconnected from Patients

Save

Reuters reports doctors who entered data into electronic health records (EHR) during patients' appointments tend to communicate less and receive lower ratings from their patients.

UCSF Study Shows Weight Loss Protects OA Cartilage

Save

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco have shown that >10% weight loss may impact the rate of cartilage loss as determined by MRI scanning.  They presented their findings yesterday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). 

Curbside Consults - December 2015

Save

The following is a collection of cases presented to me by my colleagues in Canada during a day of workshop case discussions among clinical consultants. Each case is presented because of a challenging therapeutic issue.

The Rising Price of Dermatologic Drugs

Save

Containment of health care costs was a primary goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But there is little evidence of success in curbing the rising price of prescription drugs. As such, many medications are unaffordable to those who need them.

Fertility in RA Linked to Disease Activity, NSAIDs and Prednisone

Save

Brouwer and colleagues from the University Medical Center Rotterdam in The Netherlands have studied the issue of infertility in a cohort of RA patients followed prospectively.

Chronic Digital Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis Portends More Complications

Save

A prospective, international observational study of systemic sclerosis patients enrolled in the Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry: Patients were required to have ≥3 follow-up visits over at least a 2 year observation period between 2008-2013.

Don't Blame the L-Tryptophan and Turkey

Save

The harvest holiday is upon us and many will huddle around the television to enjoy their post-turkey coma; only to awaken and see the highlights of the football they intended to watch.

An article in Science Daily quotes experts at Loyola University on this matter.

Eczema May Respond to Tofacitinib

Save

A recent report from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib to be effective in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

ACP Says There are Reasons for Generics Over Branded Drugs

Save

The American College of Physicians (ACP) says that prescribing generic medications whenever possible can improve adherence to therapy, improve outcomes, and reduce costs for patients and the health care system. ACP’s best practice advice paper is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

DSB: ACR 2015 Safety Reports

Save

The following is a compilation of abstracts presented at the 2015 Annual ACR meeting in San Francisco. These were chosen on the basis of impact, quality and safety message.

Interstitial Lung Disease Not Increased with Biologics

Save

Extraarticular manifestations affect more then half of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and interstitial lung disease or "RA lung" is one of the more prevalent. The frequency of ILD in patients with RA varies from 5% to 58%.

Power Doppler Ultrasound Detects Early Synovitis Change in APPRAISE Study

Save

While new recommendations suggest early aggressive management of rheumatoid arthritis, our ability to assess treatment response is limited to clinical and laboratory assessment.

EU Endorses Biosimilar Etanercept (SB4) from Samsung/Biogen

Save

Reuters today reported that a copy of the blockbuster biotech drug Enbrel (SB4) was recommended for approval in Europe on Friday, making it the second so-called biosimilar antibody medicine to win such a green light from the continent's regulators.

CMS Releases Final Rule on Joint Replacement

Save

MedPage Today reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule governing payment for hip and knee replacements for Medicare patients this week that includes several concessions to stakeholders, such as delaying implementation from early 2016 to later in

Opioid Use Ups the Risk of Hospitalized Infections in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Researchers from Vanderbilt University have studied the issue of opioid use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether this influences infection risk.

From Psoriasis to PsA: Who and Why?

Save

The number of patients with psoriasis who go on to develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is considerably higher than has previously been estimated, a prospective cohort study found.

Psoriasis May Not Be a Risk for CV Events

Save

Patients with psoriatic skin and joint disease are uniquely susceptible to multiple comorbidities, obesity and possibly more cardiovascular risks. In rheumatoid arthritis, the increased CV risk and CV events have been closely aligned with inflammation and disease activity.

AMA Proposes Ban on Television Drug Ads

Save

The American Medical Association has called for a ban on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs and medical devices, noting these forms of advertising drive up health care costs and often mislead the public.

SB4 - A Second Biosimilar Up For Review in Europe

Save

A biosimilar of etanercept (Enbrel) made by the South Korean company Samsung Bioepis is under consideration by regulators in the European Union. Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture between Samsung Biologics and Biogen, is taking aim with its version of etanercept.