A current review in the Journal of Thoracic Disease on relapsing polychondritis (RP), suggests that while this rare disorder may have an uncertain pathogenesis, its diagnosis and therapeutical management has improved.

People with Crohn’s disease and related joint inflammation linked to immune system dysfunction have distinct gut bacteria or microbiota, with the bacterium Mediterraneibacter gnavus being a potential biomarker, according to new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

Lancet Rheumatology has published a population study of the rare suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 (SOCS1) insufficiency - an inborn error of immunity affecting the negative regulation of cytokine and growth factor signalling.

A prospective study of patients with limited cutaneous lupus erythematosus shows that early introduction of hydroxychloroquine may prevent progression to systemic lupus erythematosus.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.  Opioid deaths are down, IL-33 levels are up and Weight loss is in the news again this week!

A US study shows that nearly two-thirds of the population had suboptimal 5-year sleep duration trajectories with a resultant 29% increase in risk of all-cause mortality.

A study from the Lupus Hopkins Cohort shows that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with pericarditis are at risk for recurrence, and likely to be younger patients, with uncontrolled disease, and linkage to higher doses of oral prednisone.

JAMA Dermatology reports a retrospective cohort study from Johns Hopkins reviewing mimic of dermatomyositis (DM), suggesting that DM and especially clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) are commonly and initially misdiagnosed as inflammatory skin disease (ISD).

A study from the FDA's adverse event reporting system (FAERS or Medwatch) database identified cases of drug induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients receiving tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors - a paradoxical reaction to common antiinflammatory biologic agents.

In a large study of British patients needing surgical treatment for advanced arthritis in the ankle, fusion appeared to be a better option than total ankle replacement.

Science and researchers at Stanford Medicine have reported the use of Mal-ID (machine learning for immunological diagnosis) to analyze B and T cell receptors sequences from human blood, showing the ability to predict health status (healthy vs diseased) and discriminate between distinct autoimmune diseases or viral infections, and those who had received an influenza vaccine.

A cohort study of shows that postoperative weight loss with antiobesity medications significantly reduced the risk of 5-year and 10-year revision among patients with obesity undergoing hip or knee replacement.

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

A novel machine learning framework – Mal-ID – can decipher an individual’s immune system’s record of past infections and diseases, according to a new study, providing a powerful tool with the potential for diagnosing autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and vaccine responses with precision.

A post hoc analysis of 2 phase 3 randomized clinical trials (PIONEER I and II)  of adalimumab vs Placebo in patients with active Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) demonstrated more severe HS that was associated with elevated CRP had a higher BMI.