Are Guidelines Worth the Cost?

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A thoughtful perspective on the purpose, focus and cost of guideline efforts in rheumatology has been published in the journal Rheumatology.

Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis Reviewed

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Cacoub et al review the common entity cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CryoVas) in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

This small-vessel vasculitis involves the skin, joints, and potentially other organs, including the peripheral nervous system or the kidneys.

Anifrolumab Improves Lupus Outcomes

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Furie and coworkers presented the results of a 52-week phase II trial of anifrolumab (ANIFR), a type I interfernon (IFN) receptor antagonist in patients with lupus (SLE).

Mycophenolate in Scleroderma Lung Disease

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Clements et al presented the results of their Scleroderma Lung Study II wherein PSS patients with interstitial lung disease were randomized to receive either 3 grams daily of mycopheonolate or 2mg/kg/day of cyclophosphamide.

Features Predict Chronicity in Myositis

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Certain serologic and clinical features can help predict a chronic disease course among children with juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (JIIM), a large registry study showed.

Biosimilars and the FDA

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Biosimilars are in the news and will be prominently on parade at next week's ACR meeting in San Francisco. Biosimilars are similar to, but not the same as, innovator biologics.

Economic Burden of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis in the USA

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To assess the prevalence and magnitude of healthcare costs associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) in the USA, researchers analyzed adminstrative data from Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases.

ANCA Levels Predict Relapse in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

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A team of Japanese investigators examine 126 patients with ANCA-associated renal vasculitis to see if ANCA levels would predict disease relapse.

IV Cyclophosphamide Equal to Mycophenolate in Lupus Nephritis

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A comparison of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and low-dose cyclophosphamide IV (CYC) in the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) was examined in 173 patients with class III, IV, or V LN.

Plaquenil Benefits Pregnant Women with Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome

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Healio.com reports that pregnant women with APL antibodies and who took Plaquenil (HCQ or hydroxychloroquine) had better pregnancy outcomes than those who did not.

Antibody Predicts Lung Disease in Myositis

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Patients in the U.S. with myositis who are positive for the anti-MDA5 autoantibody are at high risk for developing interstitial lung disease (ILD), a retrospective study found.

Increased Risk of Shingles with Inflammatory Myositis

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A study from the Taiwan National Health Insurance examined 2023 patients with new diagnoses of dermatomyositis or polymyositis and population controls and examined the frequency of Herpes zoster.

Lupus Foundation of America Announces 2015 Award Recipients

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Healio reported the newly announced grant recipients from the Lupus Foundation of America.

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in Lupus Reviewed

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Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare but catastrophic complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Presentations are usually acute and the potential for significant morbidity and mortality risk mandates early diagnosis and aggressive interventions.

Angiogenic Biomarkers Predict Adverse Outcomes Pregnancies in Lupus

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The PROMISSE (Predictors of Pregnancy Outcome: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) study has revealed several important lessons in lupus care.

Only 1 in 5 Seek Treatment for Raynaud's

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October is Raynaud's Awareness Month according to the Raynaud's Association (http://www.raynauds.org), and a whopping 80 percent of sufferers are not aware they have the disorder and do not seek treatment.

New Drugs, New Hope for Pulmonary Fibrosis

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The Wall Street Journal reports that new drug development offers hope for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare, progressive fibrosing lung disorder that affects nearly 200,000 Americans, mostly middle-aged and older adults. 

VEGF121-Fibrin as a Potential Therapy for Skin Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis

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The etiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unclear, but appears to involve complex pathogenic interactions between the immune system, the vasculature and fibrotic processes.

Antibodies to 14-3-3η Found in Large Vessel Vasculitis

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14-3-3η (eta) is a new test that may be useful in diagnosing patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. The test is 77% sensitive and 93% specific for RA and developers have found that antibodies against 14-3-3η may correlate with drug responsiveness.

High False Negative Rate with PFTs in Scleroderma

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Researchers in Zurich studed 102 systemic sclerosis with serial PFTs and high-resolution computed tomography of the chest (HRCT). They found significant interstitial lung disease (ILD) by HRCT in 63 percent.