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Maintenance of Remission in ANCA-vasculitis: MAINRITSAN study.
It is well known that ANCA-associated vasculitides can be hard to control and relapses are common. The choice of maintenance therapy is rather limited and therapies are not always effective.
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Two New Biologics for Polyarticular JIA
On Monday, November 13, there were two new presentations at the annual ACR 2016 meeting on new biologics seeking approval for use in polyarticular juvenile arthritis.
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The Long Awaited PRECISION Study
The PRECISION study will be presented on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 by Dr. Elaine Husni from the Cleveland Clinic. This report brings to a climax the controversy ignited by the February 2005 3 day FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee review of the safety of the blockbuster COX-2 inhibitors, celecoxib, rofecoxib, and valdecoxib.
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Agressive Early Treatment Prevents Rapid Bone Loss in Rheumatoid Arthritis
The International Osteoporosis Foundation has established the Chronic Inflammation and Bone Structure (CIBS) Working Group to address bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the role of biologic therapies. They conclude that early and aggressive treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs will help prevent progressive bone loss in patients with RA.
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Do Statins Reduce Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
RA increases CV risk considerably. But whose responsibility is it to manage CV risk in RA patients?
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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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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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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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Seropositivity Increases Mortality Rates in Rheumatoid Arthritis
It has been long known that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased mortality rate, especially in seropositive patients and those with extraarticular manifestations.
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Most Clinicians Do Not Order MRI/CT for Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Low back pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent public health problem. Not surprisingly, imaging of LBP is also an expensive and often overused diagnostic tool.
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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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Higher Lupus Disease Activity in First Year Postpartum
Most women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have no or little disease activity during pregnancy, but experience greater disease activity or overt flares during the first year postpartum, a Norwegian study has found.
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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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Michelle Petri Reviews New Therapies for Lupus
In this video, Michelle Petri, MD, director of the Hopkins Lupus Center at Johns Hopkins University, discusses recent successes and challenges in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, with clinical trials results ranging from "wildly positive" to "completely negative."
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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).
First Degree Relatives and the Risk of Spondyloarthritis
The risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) if you are HLA-B27+ and a first degree relative is often said to be 20%.
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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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Those with Osteoporotic Fractures are Going Untreated
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) reports that nearly 80% of those who have already suffered a broken bone due to osteoporosis remain unprotected against the risk of further disabling fractures.
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