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

Reuters reports that a U.S. appeals court on Friday revived more than 500 lawsuits alleging that Merck failed to warn that patients taking alendronate for osteoporosis may be at increased the risk of atypical femoral fractures.

A University of Mississippi-led comprehensive study of a disorder that affects 4.27 million Americans nationwide is revealing just how significant its burdens are on patients' financial well-being and quality of life. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis pay an average of $3,383 more per year on health care expenditures than those without the disorder, according to the study published in ACR Open Rheumatology, the American College of Rheumatology’s journal. 

Men and women experience pain relief differently; a new study may help explain why women have more chronic pain and are less responsive to opioid treatments.

A UK study shows biological and targeted synthetic DMARD use in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis varies markedly by ethnicity, age and setting - "one-size-fits-all approach" does not apply.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today commended the 233 bipartisan representatives who signed a letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to support legislative action to address “damaging” payment cuts to physicians in

A VA study of shows that recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) vaccination in immunocompromised patients or those receiving immunosuppressive medications is insufficient, given these are high risk individuals.

Adults younger than age 45 with chronic, nonspecific lower back pain saw significant pain relief with a structured run-walk program in a randomized trial.

Real Chinese acupuncture was more effective than a sham version for treating sciatica stemming from herniated spinal disks in a randomized trial conducted in China.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. Today’s reports suggest where to look for help, especially with regard to pain.

A population based screening program of patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) demonstrates that systematic screening IRD patients for multimorbidity increased preventive interventions and reduced hospital admissions. 

Waiting more than 4 hours in emergency care for treatment is linked to heightened risks of death and a longer hospital stay for hip fracture patients, reveals a single centre study, published online in Eme

JAMA reports that outpatient resource mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) delivered via telehealth are effective in managing chronic pain amongst veterans.

The challenge of mindfulness interventions is often the access, availability and dedicated space for trained instructors.

A so-called deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for analyzing MRI scans showed "acceptable" agreement with expert human readers for detecting sacroiliac joint (SIJ) inflammation in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), researchers said.

Many have suggested that microbiome and mucosal disruptions are contributors to autoimmunity, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is partly represented in what is known as the "mucosal hypothesis" to RA. A current review article by Hollers, et al. addresses how distinct mucosal endotypes can serve as drivers or initiators of RA.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.This week’s rants include the microbiome, PsA treatment choices and fishing for P-values in research.