The Annals of Rheumatic Disease reports that rheumatoid arthritis patients on biologic therapies do not have a greater risk of postoperative infection after hip fracture, abdominopelvic or cardiac surgery compared (compared with those on methotrexate alone) and that glucocorticoids were associated with a dose-dependent increase risk for postoperative infections.

Obesity is a risk factor for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may also an impediment to optimal DMARD and biologic responses.  A new study has shown that after 1 year, obese RA patients undergoing bariatric surgery with weight loss had significantly lower disease activity.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the highlights from the 2020 RWCS meeting in Maui, Hawaii.

Obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and also shown to affect outcomes by impairing responses to many DMARD therapies. A Swiss study of RA patients undergoing bariatric surgery failed to show that bariatric surgery and weight loss had any effect on the incidence of RA.

JAMA Internal Medicine has reported that use of low dose aspirin for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis after total hip and knee replacement is equal in efficacy to other anticoagulants.

UK registry reports that greater than 80% of total knee replacements can last for 25 years.

The outcomes regarding the duration and durability of knee arthroplasties is sketchy, with many orthopedists projecting a 15 to 20 year survivial. Hence the need for an appraisal of the data.

A new study in Scientific Reports suggest that circadian rhythms play an important role in wound healing, and that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be disruptive if taken at night given primary healing that occurs in a body at night. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal reports and news from RheumNow.com.
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We have options that are endless – we have 28 biologics in rheumatology; 19 approved for RA in the last 20 years, but 15 of these are me-too copies or biosimilars. We currently have 2 JAK inhibitors and may have 3 or 4 by year end. But what we really need is the right drug, at the right time, in the right patient – but how will we know.

Analysis of New Zealand hospitalized patients revals nine predictors of inpatient flare for people with comorbid gout.

This retrospective cohort study of hospitalised patients with comorbid gout included 625 hospitalised patients, 87 experienced inpatient gout flare.

Dr. Jack Cush recaps the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Dannish study has shown that one-third of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) will have joint surgery that that PsA patients have twice the rate of joint surgery when compared with the general population.

The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research has developed multistakeholder consensus clinical recommendations for the prevention of secondary fractures for those aged 65 years and older after an initial hip or vertebral fracture.

The NEJM reports on a randomized comparison of hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty in displaced femoral neck fractures and shows no difference in function and quality of life over 24 months.

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

Pregnancy for patients with lupus has long been considered high risk and associated with both medical and obstetric complications, but outcomes have improved over the last 2 decades and continue to improve.

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

JAMA reports on a large Medicare cohort study showing that amongst patients undergoing total joint replacement (TJR), preoperative HbA1c testing was performed in 26% to 43% of patients with diabetes and in only 5% of those without diabetes. Importantly research has shown that an elevated HbA1c level is associated with postoperative complications.

Morbidly obese patients who lost 20 lbs before total knee arthroplasty (TKA) cut their hospital stays by about 1 day, and were 76% less likely to have an extended hospital stay, research showed. 

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