All News
Need for Disruptive Innovation in Rheumatology
A full-read, novel Viewpoint article published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease (Huizinga TWJ, et al) spotlights a recent international meeting of big thinkers, scientific collaborators and industry dedicated to innovation in rheumatology.
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Venom Peptide-Steroid Conjugate Effective in Collagen Induced Arthritis
Science Translational Medicine features a report from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showing that a scopion venom peptide, coupled to steroid, can significantly reduce joint inflammation in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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Drug Interactions with Cannabinoids
Cannbinoids are widely available and used for a variety of indications, but little is known about their safety and their potential for drug interactions. The Canadian Medical Journal has published a review of drug interactions with cannabinoids, many of which are mediated by cytochrome-P450 metabolism.
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Airway Inflammation Drives Rheumatoid Risk
A cohort analysis of the Nurses' Health Study suggests that asthma and COPD are associated with increased risk for incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA), independent of smoking- thus airway inflammation may be an important factor in the evolution of pre-cllnical RA.
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Don't Blame the Weather in Sjogren's
Seasonal variations in symptoms -- commonly reported by patients with rheumatic diseases -- were not observed in a large cohort of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome, French investigators found.
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Folate Levels Protect from CV Mortality in RA
In a study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, JAMA reports that serum folate level of greater than 4.3 ng/mL was associated with lower CV mortality risk.
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Interleukin-37 Targeting in Gout
The Annals of Rheumatic Disease reports that interleukin- 27 (IL-37) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of gout, paving the way for future therapy with recombinant IL-37 in gouty arthritis.
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RheumNow Podcast- Methotrexate Mechanisms (2.28.20)
Dr Jack Cush Reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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Fatigue Looms Large in Lupus
Fatigue is an important component of the disease experience in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and can have a profound impact on patients' perception of well-being, Italian researchers reported.
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Why You Should Come to RheumNow Live March 13th
RheumNow Live kicks off its second annual meeting - a little, big meeting in Fort Worth - in just 2 weeks and I think you should be there.
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Bariatric Surgery Improves Rheumatoid Activity
Obesity is a risk factor for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may also an impediment to optimal DMARD and biologic responses. A new study has shown that after 1 year, obese RA patients undergoing bariatric surgery with weight loss had significantly lower disease activity.
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ACR Releases Reproductive Health Guidelines for Rheumatic Diseases
Today, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published the 2020 Guideline for the Management of Reproductive Health in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.
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Hyperuricemia Predisposes to Coronary Artery Disease in Men
There are numerous associations between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). An analysis of the Swedish SCAPIS Pilot study shows that higher levels of serum urate (SU) are associated with an increase in coronary artery calcification score in men but not in women. SU is not associated with common carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque scores in either men or women.
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No Cancer Increase in Psoriatic Arthritis or with Biologics in Psoriasis
JAMA Dermatology reports that psoriasis is associated with a slightly increased risk of cancer, particularly keratinocyte cancer and lymphomas.
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RheumNow Podcast- Half-Empty Flu (2.21.20)
Dr Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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Tofacitinib Effective in Refractory Still's Disease
Fourteen cases reported from mainland China suggest that tofacitinib (TOFA) may be effective in patients with refractory adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD), further adding to a growing list of potential use of JAK inhibition in managing inflammatory, and now autoinflammatory, disease.
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Seronegativity on the Rise in RA
Although the overall incidence rates of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have remained stable over recent decades, there has been a significant increase in seronegative cases, a retrospective study showed.
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JAK Inhibitors Stimulate Osteoblasts
Science Translational Medicine has a report on how the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors may boost osteoblasts to battle bone erosions in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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Adverse Effects of Low-Dose Methotrexate from the CIRT Trial
Low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) was studied in high risk cardiac patients in the cardiac intervention trial (CIRT), but was prematurely ended for not showing a change in cardiovascular event rates. Nonetheless this trial studied the safety and adverse event rates of LD-MTX and those results are reported in the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
Primary Care Visits Decline 2008-2016
A national claims-based analysis has shown a consistent decline, by commercially insured adults (18-64 yrs), in primary care physician visits from 2008 to 2016; with nearly one half having no PCP visits in a given year by 2016.
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