Top 10 MMWR CDC Reports from 2017

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Here are the 10 most talked about MMWR Reports of 2017. 

The RheumNow Week in Review - 2 February 2018

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes rising epidemiologic numbers, vaccine updates for H.

Poor Prognosis of the MDA-5 Antibody in Dermatomyositis

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Researchers from Hong Kong assessed the clinical associations seen with the anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody (anti-MDA5 Ab) assay in consecutive patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM).

ACR Urges Reforms by HHS

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Dr. David Daikh, president of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has written a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to their Request for Information on Promoting Health Care Choice and Competition Across the United States.  

Less Cardiovascular Risk with Abatacept in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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A claims data analysis shows that abatacept use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients yielded a modestly reduced cardiovascular risk when compared to patients receiving TNF inhibitors (TNFi).

Higher Fracture Risk with PMR and GCA

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Corticosteroid therapy is integral to the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) and a new retrospective cohort study from the UK shows that PMR and GCA have similar, increased risk of fractures.

The RheumNow Week in Review - 26 January 2018

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The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report covers the price of biologics treatment in psoriasis, comorbidities in myositis, bronchiectasis with MPO antibodies, and the risk of secondary TNF failure with anti-drug antibodies.

Obesity Outweighs Psoriasis in Comorbidity Risk with Children

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Like their adult counterparts, psoriasis in children is an independent risk factor for comorbidity, but not as much as  obesity.

PRESERVE Study: HAQ, BMI and Age Predict Responses to Combo Therapy

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Rheumatoid arthritis patients who were younger and who had lower body mass index, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores, and less disease activity at baseline were most likely to achieve remission after combination etanercept (Enbrel) and methotrexate induction therapy, a post hoc analysis of the PRESERVE trial found.

Teriparatide Superior to Risedronate in the VERO Trial

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Lancet reports that in a study teriparatide with risedronate, post-menopausal women with severe osteoporosis had significantly fewer new vertebral and clinical fractures on teriparatide comared to those receiving risedronate.

Apremilast’s Rapid Onset in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Monotherapy with apremilast (Otezla) among patients with psoriatic arthritis who were biologic-naive was significantly more effective than placebo as early as week 2 in a phase IIIb study. 

Prevention of HBV Infection: How Are We Doing?

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In 2016 the WHO set out to eliminate HBV infection as a public health threat by 2030. So far, we are far from this goal as vaccine implementation has been suboptimal in a number of important patient populations, including patients with rheumatologic diseases, as well as other immunocompromising diseases like HIV.

IL-1 and IL-6 Inhibition Preferred in Systemic JIA

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Since 2000, the German Biologics register (BiKeR) has prospectively enrolled children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis to assess outcomes with biologic therapies.  A new report evaluates the efficacy and safety of etanercept (ETA), tocilizumab (TOC) and the interleukin-1 inhibitors (anakin

Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve Compared to Bypass Bariatric Surgery

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JAMA reports the results of a 5 year Finnish study comparing the results of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy vs Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and shows that gastric bypass yielded greater weight loss at 5 years, the difference was not statistically significant, in patients with morbid obesity. 

New Rise in Hip Fractures Amongst Women

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Reuters reports that the incidence of hip fractures in older women in the U.S. is rising after more than a decade of decline, according to a large new study of Medicare recipients.

Stroke Risk Confirmed in SLE

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The most common cerebrovascular events (CVEs) seen among a large cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were stroke and transient ischemia, and the majority of these events were attributable to the disease itself, a multinational study determined.

The RheumNow Week in Review - 12 January 2018

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews a dozen highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com.

B Cell Changes Predict Autoimmunity with Checkpoint Inhibitors

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The Journal of Clinical Investigation reports results of a study showing that increases in CD21lo B cells and plasmablasts following that combination checkpoint blockade preceded the onset of immune-related adverse events.

While some have postulated that IRAEs are thought to be T cell mediated, B cells have also been implicated. Investigators studied 39 melanoma patients undergoing treatment with either anti-CTLA4 or anti-PD1, or combination CCB therapy. They analyzed changes in circulating B cells before and after the first cycle of therapy of immune checkpoint blockade (23 received combination therapy, 8 received anti-CTLA4, and 8 received anti-PD1).

Ibuprofen’s Anti-androgenic Effect May Result in Hypogonadism in Males

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PNAS reports use of ibuprofen by males may result in antiandrogen effects that may contribute to adult male reproductive problems.