The TNF inhibitor drug development trials have indirectly taught us that monoclonal antibody based TNFi was capable of retarding the recurrence of anterior uveitis (AU) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Chronic inflammation is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

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

Multiple patient- and disease-related factors -- including medication use -- were associated with the development of severe infections among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, a Spanish study found.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and information from the 2017 RWCS meeting in Maui.

Articular manifestations of Crohn's disease affects a significant number of patients with either oligoarticular or RA-like polyarthritis or spondyloarthritis.

Since its US approval in 2012, tofacitinib has become a widely used treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Whether you're impressed with its efficacy, or distressed with its side effects, its track record is voluminous and has been recently reviewed.

Oligoarticular-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis accounts for nearly half of all JIA patients. While many of these children will require DMARD therapy, many others are treated with antiinflammatory meds or intra-articular corticosteroids. But the evidence for this latter approach is scant.

Up to 30% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will eventually undergo joint reconstructive surgery, yet we have limited data to guide the perioperative management of DMARDs and biologics.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's highlights from RheumNow.

Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in RA patients and thus vaccinating against preventable infections is a top priority for rheumatologists.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the first week of 2017 on RheumNow.com.

Happy New Year!

Research from Johns Hopkins reports that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with periodontitis exhibited patterns of autoantigen hypercitrullination similar to that seen in RA. Results published in Science Translational Medicine showed that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans can produce hypercitrullination of patient neutrophils, indicating its possible role in triggering RA. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/2hZTBG8)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from this week on RheumNow.com

In November I reported on an abstract presented at ACR by Muratore, et al. who looked for evidence of VZV infection in temporal artery biopsies of GCA patients and found none.

Dr. Cush highlights reports from this week on RheumNow.com.

The potential association of herpes zoster with giant cell arteritis (GCA) has been a debated topic and certainly has gotten some attention at ACR 2016 this year.

It is well known that ANCA-associated vasculitides can be hard to control and relapses are common. The choice of maintenance therapy is rather limited and therapies are not always effective.

Tocilizumab is in the spotlight at this year’s ACR 2016 meeting but there is still much to learn, including more about its safety profile. In an abstract presented at today’s poster session (Abstract 2618), Morel, et al.