Dr. Jack Cush updates the news and reports from the past week at RheumNow.com:

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from the past week at RheumNow.com.

CNN has published a recent government report from the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group that suggests the US tick population is growing and may bring with it an increase in tick-related illnesses. 

Lancet reports on a new vaccine for Chikungunya fever (MV-CHIK) demonstraing excellent safety, tolerability and good immunogenicity, independent of pre-existing immunity against the vector. MV-CHIK is a promising vaccine for the prevention of chikungunya fever.

Boston researchers have found that in a large cohort study of patients receiving rituximab (RTX), most were not being monitored for hypogammaglobulinemia, despite the observed significant increase in severe infections and increased mortality in RTX treated patients.

RheumNow is in Chicago covering the ACR annual meeting. Here are the highlights from Sunday (day one). Be sure to check our complete coverage, including articles, video reports and tweets, at acr18.rheumnow.com.

The CDC reports that in 2017, influenza killed and hospitalized more people in the United States than any other year in the last few decades.

The efficacy and safety of the new zoster vaccine Shingrix has not been established among patients with autoimmune diseases, researchers reported here.

The current issue of the CDC's MMWR reviews the new seasonal recommendations for vaccination against influenza. This is an update to the previous recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). 

A large Canadian study of the drug use in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) demonstrated no evidence that the risk of serious,  hospitalized infection was influenced by the use of DMARD and/or of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) therapy.

A study of inpatient systemic sclerosis (SSc) hospitalizations using the 2012–13 National Inpatient Sample database finds an inpatient mortality rate of 5%, and that infection was the most common cause of SSc hospitalizations and in-hospital death.

Dr. Cush reviews the articles and news from the last week on RheumNow.com. Information on comorbidities, the downside of steroids, unmet need in psoriatic arthritis, and the top 10 rheumatology programs.

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

A study from the  British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR) has shown that biologic refractory disease is seen in at least 6% of patients who have ever received a biologic DMARD (bDMARDs).

Dr. Jack Cush reviews selected news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Day 3 highlights include Behcet’s responds to apremilast and that biologics do not differentially affect TKR/THR post-operative infection rates. Be sure to check out today's podcast as well. 

A big concern of most is the risk of infection with use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and biologic drugs.  While studied in both trials and in post-marketing studies, it is unknown if infection risk is dose-dependent.

In the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. James Rosenbaum and Gregg Silverstein review the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the viewpoint of a dysbiolsis.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this weeks reports from RheumNow.com, including the risk of autoimmunity with vaccination, early RA outcomes, new FDA approvals for certolizumab and tofacitinib and the risk of death from infection with biologics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a new report showing that from 2004 to 2016, the number of Americans infected by mosquitoes, ticks or fleas tripled from 27,388 in 2004, to 96,075 in 2016. 

From 2015 to 2016, these infections rose by 73 percent. This included new Zika and chikungunya virus infections, (41,680 in 2016), followed by Lyme disease (36,429 cases). This may be an underestimation as as many infections are not reported.