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Osteoporosis Screening in High-Risk Men

Jack Cush, MD

A Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Systems study of older male veterans found benefits of a remote model of screening that significantly improved osteoporosis screening, treatment, and adherence compared with usual care, with high patient and clinician acceptance.

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Not all difficult-to-treat RA will have rapid radiographic progression

Jack Cush, MD

A study of radiographic outcomes in difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2T RA) and poly-refractory RA (pr-RA) show a subset in whom damage is rapid and in need of more aggressive therapy.

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Sequencing DNA to find new lupus treatments

EurekAlert!

Medical University of South Carolina geneticist Betty Tsao, Ph.D., will lead a five-year project to identify rare mutations associated with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, with more than $3.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Tsao holds the Richard M. Silver Endowed Chair for Inflammation Research in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at MUSC.

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Activity Trackers Can Predict RA Flares

MedPage Today

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who experienced disease flares often showed changes in heart rate and physical activity captured by popular wearable devices 4 weeks before they became clinically apparent, a small study indicated.

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Lung Involvement in Pre-RA

Kristen Demoruelle, MD

When I see patients with RA-associated ILD, I’m often asked: “Are the lungs and joints really connected?” The answer is yes, and the connection extends further back than some may realize. While RA is defined by inflammation of the joints, extra-articular complications of the lung are well recognized. ILD has often been viewed as a complication of longstanding RA, but it can also appear before joint disease in a subset of patients.

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High-Resolution CT in CTD-Interstitial Lung Disease

Jack Cush, MD

A systematic review and meta-analysis examined the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in diagnosing and characterizing interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs).

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Big Fat FDA Pink Slip (9.19.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this week on RheumNow.com. Today we cover GLP-1 agonists, acupuncture, what JAKs won’t do & an FDA Pink Slip. 

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RheumNow Podcast – Ro, Ro, Ro52 (9.12.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Are there benefits to diet or vegan diets? What's the effect of menopause on CTD?  Ro52 makes a big entrance with all our ILD coverage this month.

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Retrospective study of 259 SSc pts underwent cardiac MRI looking for primary heart involvement (pHI) - detected in 37 14%). Predictors included troponin T (OR 14.1), CRP [OR 11.2), ILD [OR 6.3), and arrhythmias https://t.co/8KTINQ5loi https://t.co/60wQAPCUJv

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Retrospective study of 137 pts w/ Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) w/ myositis Abs testing. 11% MSA+. & more like to have autoimmune Dz, +ANA, +RF. MSA negativity predicted by these 4: neg RF, ANA <1:320, no hypergammaglobulinemia, no Raynaud's - specificity 100%, sensitivity https://t.co/JAca1fpwZT
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Our final webinar in this month's Rheum to Breathe: ILD campaign brings together ILD experts to discuss best practices in diagnosis, screening, and monitoring, covering: tools, labs, and imaging; timing and frequency of screening; ILD screening in RA; and, referral strategies. https://t.co/Culzv9bSD4
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
ILD and ANCA: What to do? Several cohort studies conducted in Asia, Europe and the Americas have evaluated the clinical significance of ANCA when detected in patients with ILD as well as the types of ILD encountered in patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and their https://t.co/nrToywCaKm
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Prospective French study of 101 RA-ILD (mean 66yrs) assessed for shorter WBC telomere length (LTL); short LTL seen in 43% & assoc w/ lower FVC (82% vs 93%pred) & TLCO (49% vs 63%) & greater FVC/DLCO decline & lung progression after 12 mos (47% vs 22%; p<0.001) https://t.co/ObVeon0riy
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Panel of IPF assoc 8 biomarkers (eotaxin, Flt-3L, IL-8, MDC, MCP-1, MMP-2/7/9) tested in 2 RA-ILD cohorts (n 164). IPF multibiomarker scores higher in RA-ILF vs RA alone. Highest quartile had ~2 fold incr risk of prevalent & incident ILD https://t.co/vYg9iB4EtH https://t.co/5ZZx6gg7A4

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Study of urinary soluble CD163 levels in 214 SLE pts (129 w/ LN), found urinary CD163 highly correlates w/ UPCR, active vs inactive states, predicts Renal Bx histologic activity (AUC 0.962) & renal dz flares & allows prediction of complete, partial and non-responders https://t.co/HNKAuFDgPG
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Evidence of immune ageing detected at the earliest stages of RA. Study of 69 controls, 32 CSA, 44 undiff. arthritis (UA), 23 early RA, & 56 DMARD naive RA. UA & CSA had reduced naive CD4 T cells. Th17, Tregs &7 senescent T cells, were only seen once RA was established. https://t.co/c1wiA5gvM5
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
In lupus patients presenting with demyelinating symptoms, consider a probable disease overlap between NPSLE and NMOSD. >>>> serum AQP4 is highly specific for NMOSD. @RheumNow #APLAR25 @rheumarhyme @marklagacmd https://t.co/2Z8rbJ3a1c

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sheila RHEUMarampa ( View Tweet)
Peter Taylor on extra articular manifestations of RA Keep an eye on RA patients’ glomerular function RA patients have increased risk of CKD Systematic review >1million pts Risk Ratio 1.52 @RheumNow #APLAR25 https://t.co/5iZwtmvwSR

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Aurelie Najm AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Flow cytometry on Peripheral blood can help patient stratification in RA A cluster rich in TEMRA Terminally Differentiated Effector Memory T Cells is associated with response to treatment and therapeutic decision taking into account showed higher remission 39% vs. 24% Next https://t.co/8ZZ2epf7LK

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Aurelie Najm AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Cross-sectional study of 320 dermatomyositis (198 classic DM, 122 amyopathic DM/CADM) & compared myositis panels for ANA, MSA, MAA, etc. Comparing CDM vs CADM - ANA pos in 63% vs 49%, p<0.05; MSA+ 47% vs 40% (NS); MAA+ 29% vs 26%(NS); MSA&MAA neg 40% vs 48% (NS)

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

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