DMARD Success in Myositis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease

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It is estimated that up to 50% of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy will be complicated by interstitial lung disease, and having ILD may impart a poor prognosis. A recent review of the Johns Hopkins myositis-related ILD cohort has shown that azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil use is associated improved lung function and less prednisone use.

Study Looks at Opioid Use After Knee Surgery

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A small study looked at whether reducing the number of opioid tablets prescribed after knee surgery would reduce postoperative use and if preoperative opioid-use education would reduce it even more

Allopurinol Fails to Curtail Hypertension

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A novel trial presented at EULAR 2019 last week assessed whether the use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) would control hypertension in those at risk; however, results of this trial were largely negative.

Hypertension is one of the many comorbidities that plagues gout patients.

Is Methotrexate Necessary with Tofacitinib?

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Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking tofacitinib (Xeljanz) plus methotrexate who achieved low disease activity (LDA) may be able to withdraw from the latter agent without significant worsening of disease activity, a researcher reported at EULAR 2019 in Madrid.

EULAR 2019- Day 4 Report

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Saturday June 15th was the last half-day at EULAR 2019 but was highlighted by the “late-breaking” (LB) presentations that were presented from the podium and by poster.

Below are the top “LB” presentations from EULAR this year:

Understanding Non-arthritic Rheumatic iRAEs

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A better understanding of rheumatic immune-related adverse event phenotypes beyond inflammatory arthritis has been furthered by work from three abstracts presented at EULAR 2019 in Madrid.

Blinded by the Use of Antimalarials in Lupus?

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Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) will decrease SLE flares improve lipids, decrease clots, improve survival, augment the response to mycophenolate and are the cornerstone of treatment as per the SLE EULAR guidelines presented at EULAR 2019 in Madrid and also published in ARD.

RheumNow Podcast – EULAR 2019 Streamin' - (6.14.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reports from Madrid on several novel presentations from EULAR 2019.

1. Genovese Vagal nerve stimulator in RA

EULAR 2019 Report – Day 2

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It was a full and lively 2nd day in Madrid with sessions dedicated to Lupus, RA, Sjogren’s, imaging, rare diseases, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis. Here are a few of the highlights from day 2 EULAR in Madrid 

Be ‘on point’: Guidelines for rheumatic complications of immunotherapy

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Preview of EULAR 2019 Abstracts

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EULAR 2019 begins today in Madrid and features over 2000 presentations.  After an initial review of titles and abstracts, I’ve compiled a hit list of presentations of interest to me and hopefully other practicing rheumatologists.  

RheumNow Podcast – Drug Ad Transparency (6.7.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles of note from this past week on RheumNow.com.

More Trouble for Mallinckrodt’s Acthar Gel

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Reuters has reported that Mallinckrodt Plc has tentatively agreed to pay $15.4 million to resolve a US Justice Department investigation into company promotional practices for Acthar gel.

FDA Public Review of CBD Oil

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The US Food and Drug Administration convened a public hearing and specialty panel on May 31st to review the potential use, safety and effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) products that do not contain THC.

Proinflammatory Diets May Increase CRP and RA Onset

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Despite the lack of good evidence, there has been great speculation about the role of diet in causing or alleviating inflammation. Now there's new research suggesting that proinflammatory diets can increase serum C-reactive protein levels and also the risk of rheumatoid arthritis onset.

Might IL-17 Inhibition Be Effective in RA?

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Interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitors are highly effective and FDA approved for use in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. However, many of the initial trials were done in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where it was projected to be effective, but was not. A recent metanalysis examines how effective IL-17 inhibition was in two RA populations: biologic-naïve or tumor necrosis factor inhibitor inadequate responders (TNF-IR).

Despite Gout Numbers and Flares, Allopurinol is Underutilized

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A population-based survey from South Australia shows that gout flares are common in the community and have a significant effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), yet there is significant undertreatment of gout, even in those on current allopurinol.

RheumNow Podcast – Rituximab Monitoring (5.31.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush presents the news and best of rheumatology and medicine from the past week on RheumNow.com

Lupus Disease Control with Rituximab

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Rituximab (Rituxan) may be an option for maintenance therapy in patients with difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), European researchers reported.

Upadacitinib Monotherapy in MTX-IR Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Upadacitinib (UPA) is an oral, selective JAK1-selective inhibitor being developed for use in rheumatoid arthritis patients; Lancet has reported the SELECT-MONOTHERAPY trial showing that UPA is safe and effective in RA patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX).