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Hmmm Really? (7.11.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week - some obvious, other new thoughts and some - hmmm, reallly?
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ICYMI: ACP: Best Practice Advice on Cannabis or Cannabinoids Use for Chronic Noncancer Pain
The American College of Physicians published a best practice advisory on cannabis or cannabinoids in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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PCR: Prevalence, Cost, & Risk (6.27.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from last week on RheumNow.com
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Simple Measures are Effective in Knee Osteoarthritis
EurekAlert!
Knee braces, water therapy and exercise are the most promising non-drug therapies for treating knee osteoarthritis, according to a new meta-analysis publishing June 18, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Yuan Luo of the First People’s Hospital of Neijiang, China.
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Intraarticular IL-1Ra Gene Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis
De la Vega et al. have published in Science Translational Medicine the efficacy of an IL-1Ra gene therapy in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
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Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)is a structural cause of dysphagia due to anterior cervical osteophytes. Retrospective study 208 dysphagia pts w/ head/neck CT. DISH was Dx in 39%; predicted by low serum albumin, COPD, & chronic pain https://t.co/zrn4dnCtLc https://t.co/svE6khmUEm
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Genicular nerve block (GNB) is effective intervention for Knee OA. Metanalysis of 6 RCTs & 420 KOA pts. GNB significantly reduced pain & improved function (p<0.003), w/ significant relief as early as 2wks and function by 12 weeks. https://t.co/NMtiQPICpw https://t.co/gVJ0TyuY01
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Global burden of dz study - UN statistics show post-Menopausal women (PMW) are 20% of all women in 2021 (vs 13.7% 1990). From 1990 to 2021, the prevalence of MSK Dz in PMW significantly risen, especially for RA, OA, and gout. https://t.co/HdkopkxLdv https://t.co/wsGhg0P1tL
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Reviewing Three Osteoarthritis Studies
Dr. Janet Pope discusses abstracts POS0492, abstract POS0565, and abstract POS0612 presented at the EULAR 2025 meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
https://t.co/0qub4ITnxa https://t.co/uguzPSnvCR
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Intraarticular IL-1Ra Gene Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis
In a dose-escalation trial in nine participants, they observed that a single intra-articular injection of the gene product led to an increase in IL-1Ra in the synovial fluid that remained elevated for up to a year. There https://t.co/YDuUg44ebu
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Presenteeism and absenteeism in RA aren’t just about joints. In this UK study, comorbid anxiety, depression, and OA drove lost productivity.
Treating RA is not enough —holistic management matters.
POS0403 @RheumNow #EULAR2025
Jiha Lee JihaRheum ( View Tweet)
The relation between RA, comorbidities and presenteism
NRAS survey 891 RA pts
75% had at least one comorbidity
Absenteeism more likely if
One OR = 1.68 or Two OR = 2.26 comorbid conditions
In particular
Anxiety OR = 2.39
Depression OR = 1.75
Osteoarthritis OR = 1.85
Back
Aurelie Najm AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
What do we do when we see Rx signed of CPPD in RA pts? Do these pts have different trajectory?
Rx Retro study 388 patients RA
18% at least one sign CPPD
ns diff between seeonegative and seropositive pts
RA+CPPD group was
-older
-higher comorbidity score
-more likely to be https://t.co/DaW5DZoDzF
Aurelie Najm AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Targets for OA pain pharmacotherapies
some by the wayside:
- NGF
- TrkA
but some very much in play and exciting:
- neurotrophin-3
- TRPV1
- Nav1.7, 1.8
Fiona Watt #EULAR2025 @RheumNow https://t.co/DXDKNnVRRo
David Liew drdavidliew ( View Tweet)
LEVI-04 (neutrophin-3 inhibitor presented as #ACR24 late-breaker in knee OA)
more good efficacy data, no rapidly progressive OA safety signal.
For us clinicians: impressive impact size, esp relative to alternatives.
Finally, something that works??
#EULAR2025 OP0374 @RheumNow https://t.co/iVdlwyaqrv
David Liew drdavidliew ( View Tweet)
Intraarticular IL-1Ra Gene Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis
In a dose-escalation trial in nine participants, they observed that a single intra-articular injection of the gene product led to an increase in IL-1Ra in the synovial fluid that remained elevated for up to a year. There https://t.co/qi0qHPd06j
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
🦵🏼💉LOSEIT study: liraglutide led to slight↑ in medial joint space width in knee OA vs placebo (0.22 vs 0.07 mm), but difference not statistically significant (p=0.17). More potent GLP-1RAs may be needed for greater improvement in structural knee OA
@RheumNow #EULAR2025 #OP0223
Mrinalini Dey DrMiniDey ( View Tweet)
▶️Erosive hand OA
🔺Gull-wing erosion @ DIPJs ✅
🔺Saw-tooth erosions @ PIPJs ✅
#OA #Osteoarthritis #EULAR2025 https://t.co/5Hh4Ki9P8V
Dr Gurdeep S Dulay gurdeep_dulay ( View Tweet)
Pain & age predict outcomes in #osteoarthritis
In a #cohort of 92 pts with #knee #OA
Factors were studied for response
Better
✅#NSAIDs or #acetaminophen v #opiates
✅Older
✅Lower #WOMAC PAIN & no sensitization
🤔help RCT inclusion
#EULAR2025 @RheumNow POS0612 @eular_org https://t.co/9I2JN9sgUe
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Repurposing drugs to #osteoarthritis
No jewel in the rough!
Most drugs - MTX, colchicine, TNFi, IL1i, etc are NEGATIVE or yield mixed results from diff #RCTs
Not sure this is the way forward for #OA drug discovery 💡
#EULAR2025 @RheumNow @eular_org
Abst#POS565 https://t.co/A6SdXtOo7v
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
