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Bariatric Surgery Thwarts Gout and Hyperuricemia
The rising incidence of gout has been directly linked to the obesity epidemic. The influence of obesity on gout was further tested in a cohort study of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery as part of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study.
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ACP Gout Guidelines Reviewed and Critiqued by Rheumatologists
ACP released clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gout. Interestingly, these are not always aligned with the 2012 ACR gout guidelines.
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Decreased CD4 T Cells with Rituximab Infusions
Rituximab (RTX) is a monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen on B cells and when administered causes a marked depletion of CD20+ B cells.
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When Cheap Generics Morph Into Expensive Prescriptions
The Wall Street Journal has reported an alarming trend in generic drug pricing that affects many, especially the elderly and those with arthrtis.
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The RheumNow Week in Review – 28 October 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and journal reports from this week at RheumNow.com
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Simultaneous Versus Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty
This metanalysis from 2013 reports on an important issue for orthopedists and rheumatologists alike. The issue being in those who need bilateral total knee arthroplasty, is it better to do both knees at once or to do one at a time (staged, serial) arthroplasties..
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POSTURE Study: Apremilast Fails in Ankylosing Spondylitis
ClinicalTrials.gov has listed the results of the POSTURE study, a large randomized placebo-controlled trial wherein apremilast was found to yield no benefit (compared to placebo) in treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (32.5% vs. 36.6% ASAS20 at week 16) patients.
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Kawasaki Disease Pathogenesis Hinges on Interleukin-1
Researchers from the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children have published in the Journal of Immunology that a polymorphism in the inositol-triphosphate 3-kinase C (ITPKC) (rs28493229) is associated with the pathogenesis of Kawasaki's disease (KD).
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October-September 2016 Top Social Media News
Following is a list of top tweets in September and October 2016; they were selected based on the number of clicks, retweets and likes by the viewership. More than 40,000 people were reached with the first one on our list.
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Early Intervention with Corticosteroids and IVIG is Crucial in Kawasaki Disease
The current JAMA Pediatrics issue has published a report showing that adjunctive corticosteroid therapy yielded significantly fewer coronary artery complications compared with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy alone, particularly among high-risk patients with Kawasaki disease.
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Nor-Switch Study Shows it's Safe to Switch to a Biosimilar
The results of the Nor-Switch study were presented at the United European Gastroenterology annual congress this week demonstrating no significant difference in effect, adverse effects or antibody formation in patients switched from Remicade to the biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13, Remsima).
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Review of Herpes Zoster with Immunosuppression and Autoimmune Disease
Researchers from the University of British Columbia reported on their systematic review and meta-analysis of risk of herpes zoster (HZ) in patients receiving biologics, DMARDs and/or corticosteroids for autoimmune diseases.
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Low-Molecular Weight Heparin Does Not Reduce Pregnancy Complications
A Lancet meta-analysis has reviewed the preventative effects of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on placenta-mediated pregnancy complications include pre-eclampsia, late pregnancy loss, placental abruption, and birth of a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate.
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Effective Interferon-Free Regimen for HCV-Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis
Rheumatologists have been challenged to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced rheumatic disease since discovery of the virus in 1989.
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My Take on New Ocular Screening Guidelines for Plaquenil
A recent article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented new recommendations for screening of patients being managed with hydroxychloroquine that changed the previous monitoring paradigm. More importantly, it has repositioned hydroxychloroquine from one of the safest medications that rheumatologists use to a drug that can have potentially significant ocular morbidity (if used in doses greater than 5 mg per kilogram and or for prolonged periods of time).
Long-Term Outcomes of Aromatase Inhibitor Arthralgias
Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are often given in the setting of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer therapy.
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RheumNow Week in Review – 7 October 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the journals and news this week on RheumNow.com.
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CDC Says Prevalence of Severe Joint Pain is Rising
The October 7th edition of MMWR reports that severe joint pain (SJP) has significantly risen from 10.5 million in 2012 to 27.2% in 2014, based on recent NHIS surveys.
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Biosimilar Reports – October 2016
RheumNow will periodically review this subject with “Biosimilar Reports” providing updates, news, new publications, overview articles and research results impacting to biosimilar development and use.
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Infection Rates Stable in JIA With Anti-TNF Therapy
Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated with biologic therapies were at no higher risk for hospitalized infections than those treated with methotrexate alone, But, higher rates were seen with anakinra in systemic JIA.
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