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Does Seropositivity Change with Therapy?
A subanalysis of the early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) "IMPROVED" study has shown that changes in RA-autoantibody levels are not associated with disease activity or or long-term drug response, but instead reflect intensity of immunosuppression.
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Major Challenges for Lupus in 2019
Despite striking improvements in survival among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in recent decades -- from 1-year survival of less than 50% before the introduction of prednisone to 90% today in most specialized treatment centers -- many challenges remain in this perplexing, multis
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2019: the Year of Price Hikes
In 2019 there have been numerous reports of higher drug pricing for many drugs. Yesterday it was reported that the price of insulin drugs have more than doubled from 2012 to 2016.
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Smoking Doesn't Influence Rituximab Responses in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Alcohol, smoking and obesity have all been shown to influence the risk and activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may also influence response to therapy. This study assesssed whether smoking would influence response to rituximab (RTX) in RA.
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U.S. Gout Rates Remain Steady, but Substantial
Using data from 5,467 adults in the US in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2007-2016, researchers found that the prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia has remained at 3.9%, having doubled from the 1960s to the 1990s, corresponding to an estimated 9.2 mill
Read ArticleMalar Rash and Polyarthritis
58-year-old woman with a history of hypothyroidism presents with a 2-week history of joint pain and swelling in her right knee, which became migratory and later affected the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of her fingers; this followed a series of others being sick in the household.
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Does Methotrexate Work in Giant Cell Arteritis?
There seems to be both hope and uncertainty regarding the use of weekly methotrexate (MTX) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients whom need to limit their glucocorticoid use.
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FDA Panel Backs Approval of Romosuzumab for Osteoporosis
The US Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee on Bone, Reproductive and Urologic Drugs voted Wednesday in favor of approving Amgen’s osteoporosis anti-sclerostin drug, romosozumab (Evenity) for use women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.
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Anakinra for Acute Crystal-Induced Arthritis
A retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients who also had a gout and pseudogout attack shows that injections of anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) were highly effective and safe in nearly three-quarters of patients.
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Febuxostat Gets Reprieve from FDA Advisory Panel
On January 11, 2019 the FDA convened two advisory panels (the Arthritis Advisory Committee [AAC] and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee [DSaRM]) to consider the cardiovascular safety of febuxostat (Uloric) based on the 2018 “Cardiovascular Safety of Febuxostat and Allopurinol
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IL-6 Blocker Succeeds in Real-World Vasculitis
Tocilizumab (Actemra) was effective for refractory giant cell arteritis (GCA) in real-world practice, although serious infections occurred relatively frequently, Spanish investigators reported.
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Diet and Weight Loss Improves Psoriatic Arthritis
Short-term intervention with the very low energy diet (VLED) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with obesity (body mass index BMI ≥ 33 kg/m2) showed that weight loss was associated with significant positive benefits on weight and disease activity in joints, entheses and skin.
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Only One-Third of Gout Patients Receive Urate-Lowering Drugs
The most recent analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 2007-2016) data shows the prevalence of gout to be 9.3 million in the USA.
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RheumNow Podcast – Gout Spot Light (1.11.19)
Dr. Jack Cush discusses the highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
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Price of Drug Promotion Skyrockets
JAMA reports that health care advertising costs in the U.S. have almost doubled over the past two decades, surging from $17.7 billion in 1997 to at least $29.9 billion in 2016.
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Combo RA Treatment May Boost Risk for Serious Adverse Events
A current meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of combination bDMARD treatment in RA patients shows that combination treatments increase serious advese event (SAE) risks, and the risk for serious infections in particular.
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Opioids Double Rates of Suicides and Overdoses
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the rates of suicide and drug overdoses has doubled in the last 17 years, and that opioids are largely to blame.
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RheumNow Podcast – A Grand New Year (1.4.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journals for the beginning of 2019. All from RheumNow.com.
Best wishes for a charmed 2019! My advice: 1. Just show up. 2. If you can, then you must do. 3. Live each day as if it twas your 1st day/last day/make or break day. 4. Teach.
2018 Rheumatology Year In Review
This annual appraisal of hallmark moments, news and research articles from 2018 are gleaned from that published in RheumNow during the last year and filtered by other news sources and literature review. The top 10 list herein is rooted in what rheumatologists should know and what will likel
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Uncertain Long Term Efficacy in Trials of Knee Osteoarthritis
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 47 randomized clinical trials in knee osteoarthritis finds uncertainty around estimates of effect size for pain scores thereby casting uncertainty over the long-term efficacy of medications for knee osteoarthritis.
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