All News
2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine Goes to the Discovery of Hepatitis C
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus. These three scientists made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis C, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world.
Read Article
RheumNow Podcast – Function Follows Form (10.2.20)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. Regulatory approvals, update on global rheumatology alliance, smoking and psoriasis, gabapentin let down and defining difficult RA.
Low Risk of Latent TB with Secukinumab
TB reactivation and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are warned against with biologic agents, especially TNF inhibitors; yet clinical trial data now shows that the risk of LTBI with IL-17 inhibition via secukinumab is uncommon.
Read Article
Hydroxychloroquine Fails as Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19
Numerous previous studies have questioned the efficacy or protection afforded by hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for COVID-19 and studies have show that HCQ has failed when given as post-exposure prophylaxis to health care workers (HCWs). A new randomized controlled trial has shown that HCQ failed when given as 8 weeks of pre-exposure prophylaxis in hospital-based HCWs exposed to patients with COVID-19 patients.
Read Article
RheumNow Podcast – Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriatic Disease (9.25.20)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and Journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
Read Article
Young Adults are Driving Up COVID-19 Rates
CDC reports that since June 2020 individuals infected with COVID-19 have largely been young adults in the 20-29 year age bracket. Moreover, younger adults appeared to be driving community transmission of COVID-19.
Read Article
Livedo, Purpura and Coagulopathy in Severe COVID-19
JAMA Dermatology expands the spectrum of complications seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection describing cutaneous purpura and livedo lesions in patients with severe COVID-19.
Read Article
CDC Reverses Guidance for Asymptomatic COVID Contacts
Asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID-19 should be tested, the CDC said on Friday, in a reversal of controversial guidance the agency introduced in late August.
Read Article
RheumNow Podcast – Lupus Delights (9.18.20)
Dr Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com:
Read Article
COVID-19 Risks in Pregnant Women
There has been little science or evidence regarding the effects of COVID-19 infection on pregnancy and vice versa; and now the recent MMWR addresses the subject with two new reports
Read Article
Links:
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
RheumNow Podcast – To Celiac Test or Not? (9.4.20)
Dr Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and takes a few Back Talk questions this week:
Read Article
COVID and the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
Lancet Infectious Disease has reviewed the epidemiology, causes, clinical features, and current treatment for the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and adolescents associated with COVID-19, noting severe organ damage can occur pediatric COVID-19 patients who are severely ill.&
Read Article
CDC: COVID Seroprevalence in Health Care Workers
CDC reports that gmong 3,248 healthcare personnel (HCP) observed, 6% had antibody evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection; 29% of personnel with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were asymptomatic in the preceding months, and 69% had not previously received a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Read Article
Hepatitis C Anti-Viral Drug-Induced Arthritis
Curative direct-acting antiviral therapy (DAAT) for hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection has been revolutionary, but a novel report shows that nearly one quarter of DAAT treated patients developed new onset or significant worsening of MSK symptoms, despite being negative for hepa
Read Article
RheumNow Podcast – The Bad News That’s Fit to Print (8.21.20)
Dr Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow: filgotinib rejection, delays in diagnosis, metformin benefits COVID, Abx and IBD, and UPA beats MTX.
Read Article
Increased Lupus Anticoagulant Activity in COVID-19 Infection
JAMA Network Open reports that after adjusting for inflammation, lupus anticoagulant (LA) is significantly increased (positive) in COVID-19 patients and that LA positivity was associated with incidence risk of thrombotic events.
Read Article
RheumNow Podcast - The SARS-CoV-2 Update (8-14-20)
Dr. Jack Cush updates the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com, with information on enthesitis, nr-Ax-SpA, UAB, Blockbuster Rheum Drugs and use of ACE inhibitors.
Read Article
Rheumatic Diseases, Drugs and COVID-19 Guidelines
Several recent publications have focused on the risk and outcomes of rheumatic disease (RDD) and autoimmune patients who become infected with SARs-CoV-2.
Read Article
Latest COVID-19 Numbers from CDC
Following are the latest CDC numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S., including total cases and deaths; the states with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths; and COVID-19 healthcare case numbers.
Read Article