Are ANA Tests Unreliable?

Save

Pisetsky and colleagues have reported in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease that ANA tests done on established SLE patients may yield surprisingly disparate results.

While ANA negative lupus was a problem of old assays and the loss of ANA positivity may be seen with chronicity or age, most rheumatologists believe that ANA positivity is an absolute requirement for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abatacept Improves GvHD Outcomes

Save

The results from a phase 2 clinical trial presented at the American Society of Hematology meeting demonstrated that the drug abatacept was highly effective in managing severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

RWCS Day 4 Podcast

Save

Listen in on the proceedings from the 2018 RWCS meeting in Maui, with excerpts from leading teachers in rheumatology. This podcast features presentations from Drs.

RWCS Day 3 Podcast

Save

Listen in on the proceedings from the 2018 RWCS meeting in Maui with excerpts from leading teachers in rheumatology. This podcast features topics in dermatology, the fellowship program lead by Dr. Bernie Rubin and videos by the fellows.  Featured are Drs.

The RWCS - RheumNow Week in Review - 9 February 2018

Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes news and education from the RWCS meeting in Maui.

RWCS Day 1 Podcast

Save

Listen in on the proceedings from RWCS with excerpts from leading teachers in rheumatology. This podcast features Drs. Bevra Hahn, Artie Kavanaugh and Anne Stevens. 

Nailfold Capillaroscopy Portends Prognosis in Systemic Sclerosis

Save

Two reports underscore the importance of nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) in scleroderma and have shown that nailfold capillary drop out was significantly associated with mortality in systemic sclerosis.

RWCS Meeting Begins Today

Save

The 11th annual meeting of the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium (RWCS) begins today (2/7) and runs through Saturday (2/10) and features a premiere faculty delivering state-of-the-art lectures.

The RheumNow Week in Review - 2 February 2018

Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes rising epidemiologic numbers, vaccine updates for H.

Poor Prognosis of the MDA-5 Antibody in Dermatomyositis

Save

Researchers from Hong Kong assessed the clinical associations seen with the anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody (anti-MDA5 Ab) assay in consecutive patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM).

Inefficacy of Immunosuppressive Treatments in Systemic Sclerosis with ILD

Save

EUSTAR study results published in Arthritis Research & Therapy show the current state of immunosuppressive use in systemic sclerosis patients with interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) to be ill-defined, but that liberal use of glucocorticoids (GC) in SSc-ILD should be discouraged

ESRD Death Declines in Vasculitis Patients

Save

In the past 2 decades, mortality from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among U.S. patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) has declined significantly, a nationwide study found.

The RheumNow Week in Review - 26 January 2018

Save

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report covers the price of biologics treatment in psoriasis, comorbidities in myositis, bronchiectasis with MPO antibodies, and the risk of secondary TNF failure with anti-drug antibodies.

Obesity Outweighs Psoriasis in Comorbidity Risk with Children

Save

Like their adult counterparts, psoriasis in children is an independent risk factor for comorbidity, but not as much as  obesity.

Problems with Biologic Drug Storage

Save

Is your patient’s refrigerator the problem with the inefficacy of biologic therapies? Studies show most patients don't store their biologics correctly, which may be a source of limited drug efficacy.

Prevention of HBV Infection: How Are We Doing?

Save

In 2016 the WHO set out to eliminate HBV infection as a public health threat by 2030. So far, we are far from this goal as vaccine implementation has been suboptimal in a number of important patient populations, including patients with rheumatologic diseases, as well as other immunocompromising diseases like HIV.

Salt Drives Gut-Brain Connection via IL-17

Save

A study from Nature Neuroscience shows that a high salt diet may mediate neurovascular disease by altering microbiome and the expansion of TH17 cells in the small intestine, thereby increasing plasma interleukin-17 (IL-17) and its subsequent effects on endothelium in the brain.

Stroke Risk Confirmed in SLE

Save

The most common cerebrovascular events (CVEs) seen among a large cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were stroke and transient ischemia, and the majority of these events were attributable to the disease itself, a multinational study determined.

B Cell Changes Predict Autoimmunity with Checkpoint Inhibitors

Save

The Journal of Clinical Investigation reports results of a study showing that increases in CD21lo B cells and plasmablasts following that combination checkpoint blockade preceded the onset of immune-related adverse events.

While some have postulated that IRAEs are thought to be T cell mediated, B cells have also been implicated. Investigators studied 39 melanoma patients undergoing treatment with either anti-CTLA4 or anti-PD1, or combination CCB therapy. They analyzed changes in circulating B cells before and after the first cycle of therapy of immune checkpoint blockade (23 received combination therapy, 8 received anti-CTLA4, and 8 received anti-PD1).

Stem Cell Transplant Succeeds in Scleroderma

Save

Myeloablative autologous stem cell transplantation was significantly more effective than 12 months of cyclophosphamide among patients with severe scleroderma, an open-label multicenter study found.