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Golimumab Effective in non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis
The GO-AHEAD study was designed to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of golimumab (GLM) in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA). After the 16-week, placebo [PBO]-controlled double-blind phase, 189/198 (95.5%) entered the long-term extension (OLE) for 36 weeks wherein G
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Lupus Activity Affects Mortality
Each one-unit increase on a disease activity score during the first year after enrollment into a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort was associated with a significant increased risk for death and organ damage during subsequent follow-up, researchers reported.
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RheumNow Podcast – Coconspirators: RA and Lung Disease
Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses more than a dozen news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Diagnostic Delay in Spondyloarthritis
Literature review and metanalysis of many studies suggests that significant delay to diagnosis in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) exist, are longer than other rheumatic diseases and have not changed over time.
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Increased Methotrexate Liver Disease in Psoriasis
A Danish cohort study examined the risk of methotrexate related liver disease risk in patients with psoriasis (PsO)and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and found that compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic patients had up to a 3 fold higher risk of liver disease.
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BSRBR: Demyelinating Disease Following Anti-TNFα Therapy
Analysis of patients receiving anti–tumor necrosis factor α (TNFi) therapy in the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR) shows that the risk of demyelination is rare but is marginally increased by taking TNFi therapy.
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Increased Risk of COPD in ACPA+ Pre-RA Patients
The lung and its pathology is uniquely tied to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its pathogenesis. A new study shows that elevation of anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) before diagnosis of RA increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD
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New Side Effect From mRNA COVID Vaccines?
Herpes zoster reactivation -- a.k.a. shingles -- following COVID-19 vaccination in six patients with comorbid autoimmune/inflammatory diseases may be a new adverse event associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine, suggested a new report.
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Broadalumab Efficacy in Axial Spondyloarthritis
Broadalumab (Siliq), an anti-interleukin-17 receptor A monoclonal antibody, is currently FDA- approved for use in adults with plaque psoriasis; but a recent trial shows it to be effective in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
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Autoimmune Risk of Death Up during COVID
A population-based study in the UK shows that patients with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RAIRD) were 44% more likely to die during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic (March - April) compared to either the general population or their pre-COVID risk.
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NICE Guidelines on Chronic Pain Management
In the United Kingdom, where it is estimated that chronic pain affects one‑third to one‑half of the population, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has recently released an updated guideline on the management of chronic pain for people aged 16 years and over.
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IL-23 Targeting for Enthesitis in Psoriatic Arthritis
Treatment with guselkumab (Tremfya) was effective in resolving enthesitis among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a post-hoc analysis of two phase III trials found.
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DMARD Dropouts During COVID-19
A full year from the onset of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, rheumatologists are still seeing the consequences of COVID, with many patients avoiding usual care, follow-up visits, routine lab testing and with many self-stopping their antirheumatic meds, because it seemed like the right thing to do.
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Anti-inflammatory Diet Control of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The TOMORROW study assessed the relationship between diet and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and has shown that RA patients are more likely to have higher inflammatory diets, but that a change to an anti-inflammatory diet resulted in lower disease activity s
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GLP-1 Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis is best managed by weight loss, as the effects of most analgesic therapies have been marginal and debatable. The use of anti-diabetic glucagon-like peptide-1 therapies have demonstrated significant weight loss benefits; hence this trial evaluated the potential weight loss and pain relieving effects of liraglutide in obese patients with KOA.
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Can Targeting RANKL in RA Heal Erosions?
Treatment with denosumab (Prolia) helped heal bone erosions over 2 years among patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose disease activity was well controlled, researchers reported.
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Implementing Smoking Cessation Programs
Rheumatologists are keen to the effects of smoking (increased arthritis risk, worse outcomes, blunted DMARD responses, added cardiopulmonary risks), but often do not have the resources or plan to encourage or implement smoking cessation from the rheumatology clinic. A new study details the success of a rheumatology staff‐driven protocol, Quit Connect, to increase the rate of electronic referrals to free, state‐run tobacco quit lines.
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Rheumatology Care Derailed by COVID-19
A survey study from the ArthritisPower PPRN or CreakyJoints database shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic patient care was substantially affected in unforeseen ways.
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Reactogenicity Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
JAMA has published the real-world reporting of mRNA vaccine side effects (reactogenicity) gathered from CDC V-safe Surveillance system and shows that local and systemic reactions were often mild and transient and most commonly seen during the first day following their second dose.
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Cost Efficacy of Knee Replacement in Obese Osteoarthritis
Total knee replacement (TKR) in obese patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis appears to be a beneficial and cost-effective strategy for treating. The only potential limitation is a greater risk for adverse events in those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 or greater.
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