All News
First Line IL-1 Inhibition in Systemic JIA
First-line treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with anakinra (Kineret) was highly effective as monotherapy, minimizing the need for glucocorticoids, a single-center prospective study found.
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RheumNow Podcast – Scleroderma and the Lung (3.1.19)
Dr. Jack Cush Reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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RheumNow Podcast - Death and Surgery (2-22-19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com:
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Impressive Survival of Interleukin-1 Inhibitors in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
The drug retention rate of interleukin-1 inhibitors (IL-1) used to treat systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) appears to be quite high according to a new study.
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Stopping Biologics Before Joint Surgery: Is Earlier Better?
Withholding intravenous abatacept (Orencia) for longer than a month before hip or knee arthroplasty among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) did not lower the risk for postoperative infection, a retrospective claims-based analysis found.
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Mortality and Hospitalization with Pulmonary Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis
PHAROS is a prospective cohort studying the natural history of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). They have shown that risk factors for poor outcomes in this cohort included male sex, DLCO < 50%, exercise oxygen desaturation, and pericardial effusions.
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Noninfectious Proximal Aortitis Needs Serial Follow-ups
A Cleveland Clinic review of patients undergoing thoracic aortic surgery (1996‐2012) identified 196 patients with histopathology‐proven non‐infectious aortitis.
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RheumNow Podcast - Scurvy and Mechanics (2-1-19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews new journal articles, news reports, and more from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Major Challenges for Lupus in 2019
Despite striking improvements in survival among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in recent decades -- from 1-year survival of less than 50% before the introduction of prednisone to 90% today in most specialized treatment centers -- many challenges remain in this perplexing, multis
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Does Methotrexate Work in Giant Cell Arteritis?
There seems to be both hope and uncertainty regarding the use of weekly methotrexate (MTX) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients whom need to limit their glucocorticoid use.
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IL-6 Blocker Succeeds in Real-World Vasculitis
Tocilizumab (Actemra) was effective for refractory giant cell arteritis (GCA) in real-world practice, although serious infections occurred relatively frequently, Spanish investigators reported.
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Early Predictive Factors for Scleroderma Renal Crisis
It has been historically said that risk factors for scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) includes include cold exposure, steroid use, dehydration, rapid progression of skin disease, tendon friction rubs, anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies and pregnancy. A new study examines risk factor for S
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RheumNow Podcast – Gout Spot Light (1.11.19)
Dr. Jack Cush discusses the highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
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RheumNow Podcast – A Grand New Year (1.4.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journals for the beginning of 2019. All from RheumNow.com.
Best wishes for a charmed 2019! My advice: 1. Just show up. 2. If you can, then you must do. 3. Live each day as if it twas your 1st day/last day/make or break day. 4. Teach.
RheumNow Podcast – Rheumatologist Salaries (12.21.18)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from RheumNow for the week ending 12/21/18.
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Nailfold Videocapillaroscopy in Dermatomyositis
A study of nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) finds abnormalities in more than half of patients suggesting this could be a useful clinical tool in diagnosing and managing patients with IIM.
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Genetic Diagnosis for Previously Undiagnosed Disorders
The NEJM has reported the NIH's Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) study results of genetically identifying new diseases from prospectively followed persons with undiagnosed disorders.
The UDN was formed in 2014 as a network of seven clinical sites, two sequencing cores, a coordinating center, central biorepository, a metabolomics core, and a model organisms screening center. It was established to apply a multidisciplinary model in the evaluation of the most challenging cases and to identify the biologic characteristics of newly discovered diseases.
RheumNow Podcast – Can RA Be Prevented (12.7.18)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and new journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com:
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FDA Approves Biosimilar Rituximab for NHL, not RA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Celltrion biosimilar of rituximab called Truxima; previously called CT-P10, now generically labeled as rituximab-abbs. This is the first biosimilar to the Rituxan currently approved to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Truxima is not approved for use in rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, pemphigus vulgaris or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
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Diagnosing Early Lupus from Mimics
A multicenter study of early systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients examined manifestations at disease onset and found that certain clinical features can help to distinguish early SLE from other SLE‐mimicking conditions.
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