Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.  Opioid deaths are down, IL-33 levels are up and Weight loss is in the news again this week!

Science and researchers at Stanford Medicine have reported the use of Mal-ID (machine learning for immunological diagnosis) to analyze B and T cell receptors sequences from human blood, showing the ability to predict health status (healthy vs diseased) and discriminate between distinct autoimmune diseases or viral infections, and those who had received an influenza vaccine.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

A novel machine learning framework – Mal-ID – can decipher an individual’s immune system’s record of past infections and diseases, according to a new study, providing a powerful tool with the potential for diagnosing autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and vaccine responses with precision.

The AMA has just published the results of a U.S. Physician survey and shown MD attitudes have positively shifted regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from RheumNow Live 2025 held in Dallas, TX on Feb. 8-9, 2025.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, regulatory and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) applauded the bipartisan introduction of the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025, legislation to fully offset the harmful 2.8% cut in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).

A 24 year, prospective study analyzing very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in three consecutive eras suggests that RA has evolved since 2005, demonstrating less seropositivity, inflammation, and erosions but is characterized by more comorbidity, smoking and corticosteroid use.

JAMA has published a University of Minnesota cross-sectional study showing early adult (ages 25-44) mortality in the U.S. has risen substantially between 2011 to 2019 and 2020 to 2023. The largest portion of 2023 excess mortality was driven by drug poisoning, but many other external and natural causes exceeded what prior trends would have projected.

The American College of Rheumatology applauded the announcement of additional drugs subject to pricing negotiations with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This second round includes nintedanib (Ofev) and apremilast (Otezla), which are used to treat common and rare rheumatologic conditions.

Adalimumab is an effective treatment for JIA-associated uveitis and has been FDA approved for such use - but for how long and can the drug be withdrawn? An adalimumab (ADA) withdrawal trial has shown recurrence of uveitis, arthritis, or both, when the disease was previously controlled on ADA.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com, and features Dr. Charity Dean, the Keynote speaker at RheumNow Live 2025, and why she is an inspiration.

Analysis of data from two early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) cohorts shows remission in RA is primarily seen in those who do not require biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs), while those needing bDMARDs are less apt to achieve remission.