German investigators studied 100 RA patients with a uric acid > 6 mg/dl and assessed them for MSU crystal deposit with dual energy computed tomography (DECT) of both feet and hands.

(Reuters Health) - Water- or land-based exercise should provide some short-term benefit in pain management for hip osteoarthritis, though there are few well-designed trials testing it, according to a new review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Here's what you may have missed: in November 2015, RheumNow published 80 tweets on news, research and teaching points that impact the rheumatology community. We had a reach (impressions) of 79,100, 79 mentions, and over 3399 visits to RheumNow.com to check out what we publish.

Despite the potential contributory role of TNF in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, several trials have shown that TNF inhibitor (TNFi) use may lead to worsening of MS, optic neuritis and other demyelinating disorders.

Desai and coworkers analyzed public and private insurance claims data (2001-2012) to assess patterns of drug use in pregnant woment with RA, SLE, PsA and AS. Specifically, they looked at immunosuppressive drug use in the 3 months preceding and during pregnancy.

The management of psoriatic disease, including psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has evolved significantly in the last decade.  Nevertheless, there are still some uncertainties - such as what the role of methotrexate should be, and when to use newer and novel therapies.

Burnout among U.S. doctors affects more than half of practicing physicians, according to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1RpV8Q0)

Weight loss is one of several nonpharmaceutical interventions to reduce serum urate (SUA) levels and control gout. French researchers examined the role of xanthine oxidase (XO), low-grade inflammation, and weight loss on SUA levels in obese patients.

The 2015 ACR meeting in San Francisco highlighted several studies wherein dietary patterns predicted a reduced risk of both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gout.

Reuters reports doctors who entered data into electronic health records (EHR) during patients' appointments tend to communicate less and receive lower ratings from their patients.

Lancet reports the results of a randomized controlled trial comparing prednisone alone to prednisone combined with either methotrexate (MTX) or cyclosporine (CyA) in new-onset juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco have shown that >10% weight loss may impact the rate of cartilage loss as determined by MRI scanning.  They presented their findings yesterday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). 

The following is a collection of cases presented to me by my colleagues in Canada during a day of workshop case discussions among clinical consultants. Each case is presented because of a challenging therapeutic issue.

A recent report from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib to be effective in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) says that prescribing generic medications whenever possible can improve adherence to therapy, improve outcomes, and reduce costs for patients and the health care system. ACP’s best practice advice paper is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Extraarticular manifestations affect more then half of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and interstitial lung disease or "RA lung" is one of the more prevalent. The frequency of ILD in patients with RA varies from 5% to 58%.

The American Medical Association has called for a ban on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs and medical devices, noting these forms of advertising drive up health care costs and often mislead the public.

What are your rules on methotrexate and alcohol use? How about casual, social or occasional alcohol use? If one alcoholic beverage is ok, what about 2, 3 or six while taking MTX?

A thoughtful perspective on the purpose, focus and cost of guideline efforts in rheumatology has been published in the journal Rheumatology.

Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have reported that the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) of private prescription drug benefits have cut off at least eight pharmacies that work closely with drugmakers, intensifying scrutiny of a system that helps inflate drug prices.