JAMA reports that the SPACE trial demonstrates patients with chronic back or arthritis pain respond equally to 12 months of either opioids or non-opioid (acetaminophen or NSAIDs) analgesics. 

Subcutaneous abatacept (Orencia) showed efficacy among children with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in an open-label phase III trial.

An animal model study in the Journal of Endocrinololgy reports the potential use of leflunomide in the control of hyperglycemia in male mice. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Pregnant women (n=254) with rheumatoid arthritis who enrolled in the MotherToBaby Autoimmune Diseases in Pregnancy Study  and who were taking oral glucocorticoids were studied. 

Data from Swedish hip replacement registry finds that total hip arthroplasty not only improves quality of life, it is also associated with increased life expectancy that lasts for 10 years after surgery, especially in primary osteoarthritis patients.

Capelli and colleagues have studied patients treated with ICIs and found two variants of inflammatory arthritis (IA) - a reactive arthritis like large joint arthritis with combination ICI therapy or a small joint IA with ICI monotherapy.

Dr Jack Cush reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week’s video is in two parts; for part Ii, go to https://buff.ly/2BM9MjL

Many protocols call for anticoagulation after total hip or total knee arthroplasty to prevent venous thromboembolism (proximal deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism), and some reports have suggested a role for aspiring or direct oral anticoagulants as preventative therapy. The NEJM has reported that oral anticoagulation with rivaroxaban (Xarelto) followed by aspirin to be effective prophylaxis.

A Taiwanese study of 55,629 hypertensive patients shows no increased risk of  major cardiovascular events comparing outcomes of patients started on COX-2 selective NSAIDs compared with nonselective NSAIDs (including ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen).

New guidelines have been developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) on how to assess and manage of immune checkpoint inhibitor side effects that are often autoimmune in nature.

An analysis of 43,706 adults from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) demonstrated temporal trends in the prevalence of arthritis, including a rise in osteoarthritis (OA) from 6.6% to 14.3%, while the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) decreased from 5.9%

UK researchers have analyzed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from the UK Clinical Practice Research Database and shown that chronic conventional DMARD (cDMARD) use was associated with 40% lower risk of dementia (nearly 50% with methotrexate use).

Listen in on the proceedings from the 2018 RWCS meeting in Maui, with excerpts from leading teachers in rheumatology. This podcast features presentations from Drs.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes news and education from the RWCS meeting in Maui.

Listen in on the proceedings from the 2018 RWCS meeting in Maui with excerpts from leading teachers in rheumatology. This podcast features Drs. Martin Bergman, Jack Cush, Rachel Tate, Phil Aleksiejuk, Shubha Kollampare, Orrin Troum, and Alvin Wells. Listen here or on Stitcher, iTune, iPhone, Soundcloud or Google play.

The 11th annual meeting of the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium (RWCS) begins today (2/7) and runs through Saturday (2/10) and features a premiere faculty delivering state-of-the-art lectures.

Abatacept (Orencia) may be a useful treatment option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who develop interstitial lung disease (ILD), a Spanish study suggested.

Biosimilars command a great deal of research, development and attention given the promise of significant cost savings and potentially wider use for those in need.  The global biosimilar market is expected to reach $36 billion USD by 2022. Here is this month's roundup of clinical trials and journal articles, overviews/reviews, practice and physician attitudes, and regulatory and pharma news - all on the subject of biosimilars.

Methotrexate may provide benefits in treatment of the chronic arthritis that can persist following acute chikungunya virus infection, but definitive evidence remains lacking, researchers reported.