Annals of Internal Medicine has published a population based study showing that the use of (short term) corticosteroid bursts were associated with GI bleeding, sepsis, and heart failure, often occurring within the first month of steroid therapy. 

Lancet Infectious Disease has reviewed the epidemiology, causes, clinical features, and current treatment for the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and adolescents associated with COVID-19, noting severe organ damage can occur pediatric COVID-19 patients who are severely ill.&

CDC reports that gmong 3,248 healthcare personnel (HCP) observed, 6% had antibody evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection; 29% of personnel with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were asymptomatic in the preceding months, and 69% had not previously received a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A systematic review of the outcomes of total shoulder replacements (TSR), humeral hemiarthroplasties, and reverse total shoulder replacements finds that approximately 90% of shoulder replacements last for longer than 10 years with good patient-reported outcomes.

Curative direct-acting antiviral therapy (DAAT) for hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection has been revolutionary, but a novel report shows that nearly one quarter of DAAT treated patients developed new onset or significant worsening of MSK symptoms, despite being negative for hepa

Significant variations were seen across hospitals in the treatment of children admitted with new-onset systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), despite increasing evidence of the efficacy of biologics and the hazards of extended glucocorticoid exposure, a retrospective cohort study found.

A longitudinal study of administrative data from British Columbia shows that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cancer risks overall were associated with older age at diagnosis and male sex, and lung cancer specifically was related to smoking, analysis of data from a large multicenter cohort found.

JAMA has published a clinical update of recent studies on GCA. While PET/CT scanning are novel means of demonstrating activity, they have not changed the diagnostic approach to GCA or PMR and although there are no new proven treatment strategies for PMR beyond glucocorticoids, the FDA has approved tocilizumab as a first-line glucocorticoid-sparing agent. 

The Journal of Rheuatology reports a pooled analysis of patients from 16 observational RA registries that examined the association between seropositivity (RF or ACPA) with biologic DMARDs responses; they showed better clinical responses when seropositive RA patients receive abatacept (ABA) o

Dr Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow: filgotinib rejection, delays in diagnosis, metformin benefits COVID, Abx and IBD, and UPA beats MTX.

You can reduce - but not stop - canakinumab therapy in patients who are in complete clinical remission in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

"Fierce, Formidable and Phenomenal" was the tag line used to introduce Vice-Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. Her introduction followed a review of the increasing role of women in voting, society and politics in America. Has the same been realized by women in academic medicine and rheumatology?