All News
Less Organ Damage with Remission in SLE
A cohort study of SLE patients shows that remission and low disease activity (LDA) are associated with less damage accrual over time.
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Utility of Repeat ENA Antibody Testing
Repeat serologic testing is not uncommon, but is it warranted? A retrospective study shows that repeated testing for autoantibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) rarely changes the result or adds a new diagnosis.
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The Great Unknowns (8.5.2022)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, FDA approvals, journal articles from the past week on RheumNow; plus viewer questions. This week great hopes for vitamin D, the great unknows of CSA and the great big mess that is the gout.
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The Approach to Difficult to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
Tan and Buch have reviewed the approach to difficult to treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2T-RA), with a new EULAR definiation of D2T-RA to foster an approach rationale and concideration of treatment options.
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Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Inhibitor in Cutaneous Lupus
Litifilimab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against BDCA2, targets the BDCA2 receptor on plasmacytoid dendritic cells. When administered to patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) was shown reducing disease activity in CLE patients.
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Not Still’s – Now What?
Your patient doesn't meet criteria for Still’s disease (AOSD or sJIA), now what should you do or consider?
What you do or consider next can be addressed according to the stage of current disease: A) Hospitalized Febrile Disease, or B) Outpatient “Still’s” Disease.
Rheumatic Causes for Fever of Unknown Origin
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) represents a diagnostic challenge to many physicians and while cancer and infectious causes need to be excluded, rheumatic disorders are amongst the most common causes of FUO.
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Best Labs for Still’s Disease
There is no “test” (blood or other) that is solely diagnostic of Still’s disease, but labs can help make a diagnosis or manage disease, and affirm the safety of drugs in use.
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TREAT EARLIER Study - Is MTX Intevention in Pre-Clinical RA Warranted?
Management of arthralgias before a certified rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis is challenging - should one use DMARD therapy before clinically evident synovitis in a preemptive effort to avoid or forestall the diagnosis or damage of RA?
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Nintedinib’s Durable Efficacy in Systemic Sclerosis
Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to systemic sclerosis continued to see less progression when treated with nintedanib (Ofev) in the pivotal 100-week SENSCIS trial, researchers said.
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Early, Aggressive and Seropositive (7.22.2022)
Dr. Jack Cush covers the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week we have Insights NAFLD, overdose deaths, septic arthritis, refractory stills, & when MTX doesn’t work.
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Abatacept Most Effective Early and in Seropositive RA
An open-label, 2 year study evaluated the efficacy and safey (drug retention) of subcutaneous (SC) abatacept (ABA) in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and showed superior responses when ABA was given to biologic-naive and seropositive RA patients.
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Still’s Disease FAQs
What is the classic 'triad' of Still's disease? Does it affect males and females equally? What are typical lab findings? Which drugs are effective at treating Still's, and as importantly, which ones are not? What about complications? Read on for these and other FAQs regarding Still's disease.
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MRP8/14 as a Biomarker in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
A large cohort study of children with febrile disorders has demonstrated the diagnostic utility of Myeloid-related protein 8/14 (MRP8/14) in diagnosing systemic JIA patients (SJIA) in clinical practice.
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MTX + Pegloticase Combo FDA Approved
Horizon has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the expanded labeling of pegloticase (Krystexxa) injection to be co-administered with methotrexate (MTX), to improve response rates in patients with uncontrolled gout.
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Rheumatic Associated Macrophage Activation Syndrome
Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) is a hyperinflammatory condition that has a significant mortality risk and may arise in patients with rheumatic disease.
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ICYMI: Allopurinol Safety in CKD Patients
A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients can be safely treated with allopurinol without an increased risk of mortality.
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CC Genotype and Thiopurine Toxicity
Annals of Internal Medicine reports that thiopurine toxcicity risk is associated with the "CC" genotype and that azathioprine discontinuation was associated with hematopoietic toxicity and lower thiopurine doses.
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Two Week Twitter (6.17.2022)
Dr. Jack Cush does a 2-week review of RheumNow Tweets on news and journal citations worth noting, along with some opinions on Telehealth, manpower, monkeypox and the price of drugs.
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Improved Pregnancy Outcomes in SLE (2010–2020)
A retrospective cohort study has shown that outcomes in pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has significantly improved in the last decade, but there still is a high risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO).
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