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Abatacept After Ustekinumab Withdrawal in Active Plaque Psoriasis
A randomized controlled trial has shown that treatment of plaque psoriasis via costimulatory blockade ( CD28/B7) with abatacept did not prevent psoriasis relapse after withdrawal of ustekinumab.
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Hepatitis B Reactivation with Rituximab and Abatacept
Hepatitis B reactivation is an uncommon complication of biologic therapy use. Now, a serologic study of rheumatoid arthritis patients shows that HBV reactivation is seen with rituximab, and less so with abatacept, especially in patients without hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb) positiv
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RETRO - Taper or Not: You Decide
A prospective, phase 3 trial of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in sustained remission has shown more than half will flare if disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) therapy is tapered or discontinued and that remission is best maintained by continued DMARD therapy.
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RheumNow Podcast – #ACA: Ask Cush Anything (10.8.2021)
Arthritis numbers are rising, and people are finally talking about osteoarthritis. Also, ACR 2021 is just a few weeks away - are you ready? Finally, I'll review cases and questions submitted by viewers in Ask Cush Anything (#ACA). This, and nearly a dozen news items and reports, are discussed in this week's podcast. Let's begin.
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Clinical Associations with Myositis Antibodies
While myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) and myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAAs) may have prognostic value through their clinical associations, many patients will not have them and overall, they are poorly predictive of a malignancy risk.
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Prevalence of Arthritis Rising in the USA
The latest CDC estimates of the national prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AAAL) show a continued increase in absolute number: 58.5 million (23.7%) U.S. adults have arthritis, 25.7 million (43.9%) of whom have AAAL.
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Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis Portends Worse OA
An erosive hand osteoarthritis (EOA) study from the Osteoarthritis Initiative shows that EOA is more common in older women and is strongly linked to further progressive, articular structural damage.
This was a longitudinal cohort study of 3,365 individuals without prevalent erosive hand OA at baseline.
Pathways to a Psoriatic Arthritis Diagnosis
Ogdie and colleagues have retrospectively analyzed a longitudinal cohort of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients, showing that only two-thirds of PsA are diagnosed by rheumatologists, PCPs and dermatologists, with significant differences in what preemptive symptoms were noted by different subspecialties.
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Malnutrition and Quality of Life in Elderly RA Patients
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) imparts a significant disabilty and quality of life (QoL) limitations worsened by aging, but also by malnutrition.
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Lupus Frailty Index Predicts Organ Damage
Patients with longstanding systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who were considered frail were more likely to accrue disease damage over time, a secondary analysis of data from a Chicago lupus cohort found.
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AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline for Knee Osteoarthritis
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has published their Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Non-Arthroplasty); updating 19 of the 29 evidence-based recommendations and focuses on nonsurgical treatmentss to provide pain and patient function.
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Obesity Rates Rise During the Pandemic
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that obesity rates have risen in the USA during the pandemic. Sixteen states have obesity rates of 35% or higher - that's four more than last year, adding Delaware, Iowa, Ohio and Texas to the list.
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RheumNow Podcast – Jack of All Subspecialties (10.1.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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CDC Advises COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant Women
Today, CDC issued an urgent health advisory to increase COVID-19 vaccination among people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), who are trying to become pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future to prevent serious illness, deaths, and adverse
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Gout Flare and Treatment Studies Lacking in Severe Chronic Kidney Disease
Gout is a common comorbidity amongst those with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with the added challenge of choosing best therapies in the setting of declining renal function. A systematic literature review notes significant deficiencies regarding the efficacy and safety outcom
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Early Diastolic Dysfunction in Premenopausal Women with RA
A two-dimensional/Doppler echocardiography of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) detected premature, clinically quiescent diastolic function.
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Starting Febuxostat During an Acute Gout Flare
A randomized controlled trial in gout patients has shown that starting febuxostat during an acute gout flare was without ill-effects and did not prolong the gouty attack.
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Early Antibiotic Use Increases JIA Risk
A population based Swedish study of birth records shows that antibiotic exposure in first three years of life to be associated with a future risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), although infections during fetal life or childhood did not increase risk of JIA.
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Is Acetaminophen Potentially Hazardous in Pregnancy?
A consensus report from a multinational group of 91 scientists, clinicians and public health professionals alarmed the medical world last week as they suggest the use of acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy may have hazardous developmental effects on the fetus.
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