Lupus Patients Genomically Stratified to Explain Treatment Responses

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Systemic lupus is a clinically heterogeneous disorder, unified by requisite clinical features and exuberant humoral response to unknown triggers.  While the diagnosis is easy, the disease course and management can be complicated and challenging.  

Population-Based TB Risk and Prevention with RA and Biologics

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In a retrospective cohort comparison study, 42,180 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were compared 1:4 with 168,000 normal controls to examine the incidence of new tuberculosis in Taiwan. The RA population included those receiving csDMARDs (36,162), etanercept (3,577), adalimumab (1,67

Methotrexate Toxicity Quantified

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Methotrexate (MTX) is a highly favored drug in rheumatology.  Yet it has numerous nuisance side effects that may limit its use or patient acceptance.

March 2016 Top Social Media News

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In March 2016, RheumNow published 82 social media “tweets” regarding news, research and teaching points that impact the rheumatology community. These feeds had a reach (impressions) of 86,400 with, 76 mentions, and over 2700 visits to learn on RheumNow.com.

RheumNow Week in Review - 8 April 2016

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the rheumatology highlights from the news, media, and journals from this past week:

Altering the Microbiome May Benefit Lupus Patients

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Lopez and colleagues from Spain have studied the gut microbiome of l

Statin Side Effects Are For Real

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The GAUSS-3 trial, recently published in JAMA, examined cholesterol-lowering interventions in patients with a high LDL (>120 mg/dl) and a history of statin intolerance to 2 or more statins. 

Intraarticular Wnt Inhibitor Therapy Effective in Knee Osteoarthritis

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At the 2016 World Congress on Osteoarthritis (OARSI) meeting last week, first line results of a novel intraarticular inhibitor of the Wnt pathway (SM04690) in knee osteoarthritis were presented. 

Tofacitinib Efficacy Revealed in OPAL Study

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Pfizer has issued a press release of its preliminary results from the OPAL study that examined the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib 5 mg and 10 mg twice daily (BID) in adults active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

FDA Biosimilar Approval of Inflectra Viewed as a Milestone Advance

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On February 9th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 21-3 in favor of approving the infliximab biosimilar, CT-P13/Inflectra, for use in all of infliximab's indications.

Cardiology Anti-inflammatory Trial Fails to Improve CV Outcomes

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Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston evaluated the efficacy and safety of the anti-inflammatory drug losmapimod on cardiovascular outcomes given to patients with a history of myocardial infarction and CV risk factors.

ACC Publishes Guidelines for Non-Statin Therapies

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The American College of Cardiology has released its expert consensus guidance regarding the use of non-statin therapies to lower cholesterol in high-risk patients.

Treating OA Knee Effusions with Low-Dose Spironolactone

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Knee effusions in osteoarthritis are estimated to occur in 44% of patients, and more than half of these are painful.  Management of knee OA with effusions can be problematic given the treatment options and the high recurrence rate.

The Week in Review - 1 April 2016

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Highlights from this week on RheumNow.com

Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Opioid use and abuse is at an all time high. Epidemiologic and public health analyses have led to greater stringency and attempts to limit use have adversely effected those with arthritis.

Baricitinib Benefits Refractory RA

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The small molecule oral JAK inhibitor baricitinib was effective for patients with highly refractory rheumatoid arthritis, a phase III study found.

Antibiotics Fail to Treat Chronic Symptoms of Lyme Disease

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(Reuters Health) - Twelve weeks of antibiotic therapy proved ineffective at combating the long-term symptoms seen in some people who have had Lyme disease, a new test of 280 sufferers found. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1Rs21R5)

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Hip Fracture Risk

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Eating a Mediterranean diet full of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, legumes and whole grains appears to be associated with a lower risk of hip fracture in women, although the actual risk reduction was small, according to a new study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Week in Review - 25 March 2016

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1. phase 3, BRIDGE study shows romosozumab (anti-sclerostin MAb) significantly increases lumbar BMD in men with osteoporosis


2. Statin use is associated with a 21% increased risk of skin cancer (NMSC) - data

DMARDs Combo Cuts Time to First Remission in RA

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A three-therapy protocol did not prove superior for achieving remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after 1 year, but the regimen did lead to a shorter time until first remission versus a step-up approach, according to an analysis of the DREAM registry.