Potential Reasons Why Osteoarthritis Preferentially Affects Women

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Researchers from Augusta University have examined exosomes from patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to enhance our molecular understanding of the pathogenesis of OA. (Citation source http://buff.ly/2tuDZ3v)

ACR Says Senate Healthcare Bill Falls Short of Protecting Americans with Rheumatic Disease

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Dr. Sharad Lakhanpal, President of the American College of Rheumatology has responded to the Senate's proposed changes to healthcare coverage in the USA.

Bone Turnover Markers in Practice: A Guide for the Rheumatologist

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Bone turnover markers (BTMs) have been eyed for decades as potential monitoring tools in osteoporosis.

EULAR 2017 – Day 3 Highlights

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Friday was a mega-day in Madrid as this day all the late-breaking abstracts were presented, in addition to the bulk of high-impact podium presentations in several areas.

Here are the major presentations from several clinical areas.

Wearable Technologies Coming of Age

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The first day of EULAR 2017 highlighted a symposium focus on the advances in wearable technologies. Several lectures updated attendees with the state of wearables in society and their implications on public health, fitness, weight loss and clinical trials.

Mixed Results with Combination Therapy in Gout

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Lesinurad, a selective URAT-1 inhibitor has been approved for coadministration with a urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in patients with gout for nearly a year. The CRYSTAL study was one of the studies that lead to FDA approval.

Nurse-Led Patient Care in Rheumatology

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Manpower in rheumatology is about to be a major problem for the next several decades: not enough trainees, a "tsunami of retiring older white rheumatologists", and an aging baby-boomer, arthritis-primed population will strain current resources and manpower.  Moreover, necessary services will not likely be available to those in need and there may be a significant maldistribution of adequate rheumatologic care.

Higher Fracture Risks with Prolonged Bisphosphonate Use in Older Women

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The Journal of the American Geriatric Society has reported that older women receiving bisphosphonate therapy for greater than 10-13 years were more likely to suffer from fractures.

Biologics Before Triple DMARD is Not Cost Effective in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Stepping up to biologic therapy when methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy fails was not shown to be cost effective, compared to first trying triple therapy, in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The RheumNow Week in Review - 26 May 2017

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Dr. Jack Cush Reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:

Anti-IL-5 Success in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

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The NEJM reports success when using mepolizumab (anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody) in a 52 week study of patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).

Educational Intervention Facilitates Treat-to-Target Management in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Treat-to-target education through group-based quality improvement sessions can result in wider use of treat-to-target in practice, according to researchers.

No Arthroscopy Needed for Degenerative Knees and Meniscal Tears

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The British Medical Journal has published a clinical practice guideline for the use of arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee arthritis and meniscal tears, suggesting that many patients will not benefit from such surgery.

Rituximab May Benefit Rheumatoid Lung

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A retrospective study shows that rituximab treatment of RA-related interstitial lung disease may improve or forestall ILD progression.

The RheumNow Week in Review – 12 May 2017

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Dr. Jack Cush highlights the big stories, news and articles from this week at RheumNow.com.

Adalimumab Effective in Pediatric Plaque Psoriasis

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Adalimumab is currently FDA approved for use in adult psoriasis, pediatric Crohn's disease and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis.  The current Lancet trial assesses the efficacy and safety of adalimumab in children and adolescents with severe plaque psoriasis.

NSAIDs Increase Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction

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Using data from Canadian and European healthcare databases, the BMJ has reported that all NSAIDs, including celecoxib and naproxen, increase the risk of acute myocardial infarction.

High Mortality with ANCA Associated Vasculitis

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Mortality remains high in patients with the types of vasculitis that are associated with the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), a meta-analysis in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases determined.

ACP Guideline Recommends Generic Bisphosphonates But Limits DEXA Use

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The American College of Physicians (ACP) has updated its 2008 clincial practice guideline on the treatment of low bone density and osteoporosis to prevent fractures in men and women.  The new guideline is in favor of generic bisphosphonate use and recommends against using menopausal estrogen therapy and against DEXA monitoring during the first 5 years.