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Mortality and Hospitalization with Pulmonary Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis
PHAROS is a prospective cohort studying the natural history of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). They have shown that risk factors for poor outcomes in this cohort included male sex, DLCO < 50%, exercise oxygen desaturation, and pericardial effusions.
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No Added Benefit to MRI-Guided Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A treat-to-target (T2T) strategy to manage rheumatoid arthritis hinges on clinical metrics to optimize therapy. But investigators from Denmark have shown that using magnetic resonance imaging–guided T2T failed to improve disease activity remission rates or reduce radiographic progression.
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Differing Effects of Smoking and HLA-DRB1 in Seropositive Rheumatoids
Analyses from the Swedish EIRA incident rheumatoid arthritis cohort study shows that smoking and HLA-DRB1 exert differential effects on serologically defined RA subsets - but that the strongest influence was seen in double positive (CCP+, RF+) individuals.
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SEAM-PsA Study - Does Monotherapy MTX Win Despite Losing to Etanercept in Psoriatic Arthritis?
The SEAM-PsA study examined the efficacy of methotrexate monotherapy, etanercept monotherapy or the combination of MTX and ETN in psoriatic arthritis patients, and found that ETN monotherapy was equivalent to combination therapy - and that both were superior to MTX alone in clinical (ACR and MDA) and radiographic responses.
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Ten Contemporary Challenges Facing Lupus Treatment
A group of French researchers have pooled their interests to identify the challenges ahead in the management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
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Biologics in Psoriasis Tied to Better Heart Health
Biologic therapy for severe psoriasis was associated with better plaque morphology and less non-calcified coronary plaque, according to a prospective, observational study.
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Opioid Use in Osteoarthritis Varies by State
A study in Arthritis & Rheumatology shows that there is substantial statewide variation in rates of treatment with long‐term opioid therapy in osteoarthritis - not fully explained by differences in access to healthcare providers, varying case‐mix, or state‐level policies.
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Elevated Fracture Risk in Lupus
A Medicaid study of lupus (SLE) patients finds that fracture risks are elevated in low‐income SLE and lupus nephritis patients compared to those without SLE.
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Ixekizumab and Complete Resolution of Enthesitis and Dactylitis
IL-17 inhibitors have proven to be effective in psoriatic arthritis. Analyses of ixekizumab-treated PsA patients with enthesitis or dactylitis shows this approach to yield significant improvements in enthesitis and dactylitis.
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Improved Survival with Renal Transplant in SLE
The Annals of Internal Medicine has published a cohort study of lupus nephritis patients with end-stage renal disease showing that renal transplantation is associated with improved survival benefit, and a reduction in death from cardiovascular disease and infection.
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Does Seropositivity Change with Therapy?
A subanalysis of the early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) "IMPROVED" study has shown that changes in RA-autoantibody levels are not associated with disease activity or or long-term drug response, but instead reflect intensity of immunosuppression.
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Major Challenges for Lupus in 2019
Despite striking improvements in survival among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in recent decades -- from 1-year survival of less than 50% before the introduction of prednisone to 90% today in most specialized treatment centers -- many challenges remain in this perplexing, multis
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U.S. Gout Rates Remain Steady, but Substantial
Using data from 5,467 adults in the US in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2007-2016, researchers found that the prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia has remained at 3.9%, having doubled from the 1960s to the 1990s, corresponding to an estimated 9.2 mill
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Anakinra for Acute Crystal-Induced Arthritis
A retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients who also had a gout and pseudogout attack shows that injections of anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) were highly effective and safe in nearly three-quarters of patients.
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Febuxostat Gets Reprieve from FDA Advisory Panel
On January 11, 2019 the FDA convened two advisory panels (the Arthritis Advisory Committee [AAC] and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee [DSaRM]) to consider the cardiovascular safety of febuxostat (Uloric) based on the 2018 “Cardiovascular Safety of Febuxostat and Allopurinol
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Assessing the Performance of Aging Physicians
A JAMA Viewpoint article examines the performance of aging surgeons and notes that the effects of aging affects physicians variably and that physician competency should be based on functional age (and abilities) rather than chronologic age. This argues against a mandatory retirement age for surgeons.
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Diet and Weight Loss Improves Psoriatic Arthritis
Short-term intervention with the very low energy diet (VLED) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with obesity (body mass index BMI ≥ 33 kg/m2) showed that weight loss was associated with significant positive benefits on weight and disease activity in joints, entheses and skin.
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Only One-Third of Gout Patients Receive Urate-Lowering Drugs
The most recent analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 2007-2016) data shows the prevalence of gout to be 9.3 million in the USA.
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Heberden’s Nodes Predict Knee OA Progression
Hand and knee osteoarthritis are considered to be clinically and pathogenically different and distinct, but a new study suggests that Heberden's nodes (HNs) can predict MRI‐based knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression.
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Combo RA Treatment May Boost Risk for Serious Adverse Events
A current meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of combination bDMARD treatment in RA patients shows that combination treatments increase serious advese event (SAE) risks, and the risk for serious infections in particular.
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