All News
Incidence, Microbiological Studies, and Factors Associated With Prosthetic Joint Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty
A study of nearly 80,000 US veterans who underwent primary knee joint arthroplasty (TKA) showed the incidence of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) was highest in the first 3 months and remained elevated through 12 months compared with 12 months or more after surgery.
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ACR Reacts to 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) expressed concern that the conversion factor included in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) CY 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program final rule is insufficient to address rising inflation.
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Late Should Not Be Less (11.3.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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H. Zoster Subunit Vaccine Efficacy with JAK Inhibitor Therapy
JAK inhibitors are known to increase the risk of herpes zoster infections between between 3-5 fold. Two recent reports suggest variable efficacy when JAK inhibitor (JAKi) treated patients are vaccinated with the recombinant herpes zoster subunit vaccine (RZV).
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Oral Surveillance Study Alters Practice at VA
Safety risks found in a postmarketing trial with the Janus-associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib (Xeljanz) appear to have influenced prescribing patterns across the class for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system, researchers found.
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Cardiovascular and Venous Thromboembolic Risk With JAK Inhibitor Treatment of Skin Disorders
A JAMA systematic review and meta-analysis has showed the use of JAK inhibitors (JAKi) in immune-mediated inflammatory skin diseases was not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), or venous thromboembolism (VTE) (compared to the placebo
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Optimal Management of de Quervain Tenosynovitis
The treatment of de Quervain tenosynovitis (DQT) was examined by systematic review in JAMA, suggesting that local (US-guided) corticosteroid injection plus a thumb spica immobilization was associated with significant pain-relieving and functional benefits.
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Fast track clinics -the future of PMR care?
Over the past year we have implemented a fast track clinic for PMR at our institution in Dublin. Patients are referred predominantly from primary care, and we aim to see patients within a one to two week window. Without a doubt, patient outcomes are far superior with the instigation of the fast track clinic as part of our service.
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FDA Approves Infliximab Biosimilar for Subcutaneous Use
Another infliximab biosimilar has been FDA approved, but this new version of Inflectra can be given subcutaneously for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
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Subcutaneous Biosimilars? (10.27.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews RheumNow's top entries the PMR Campaign, news, journal reports and regulatory actions.
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Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies - Infrequent in Certain Groups
Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), high titers of anti-phospholipid (aPL) antibodies were most prevalent in whites and Latinos and less so for Black and Asian individuals, researchers found.
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PMR and Telemedicine: do we really need an office visit?
When we are considering a diagnosis of PMR, it is key to evaluate the patient accurately and efficiently. Can we use a synchronous audiovisual visit or a rheumatology eConsult to evaluate the patient's symptoms quickly? Does it allow us to make an accurate diagnosis? I would argue that for most of these cases we indeed can.
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Methotrexate in OA (10.20.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush discusses the news, journal articles and regulatory actions. This week we discuss JAKne, DLE and SLE and more.
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FDA Approves Bimekizumab for Plaque Psoriasis
UCB announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved bimekizumab-bkzx (Bimzelx)) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who needing systemic therapy or phototherapy.
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2023 EULAR Lupus Management Recommendations
EULAR has published updated recommendations for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) based on new evidence and expert opinion - formulationg five overarching principles and 13 recommendations.
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Could Methotrexate Work in Hand Osteoarthritis?
Lancet reports the results of the METHODS study from Australia where hand osteoarthritis (HOA) patients benefitted from 6 months of methotrexate (MTX) - as long as there was MRI synovitis!
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Sleep Apnea Smart Watches (10.13.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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