RheumNow Podcast – BandAids for Rheumatologists (5.14.2021)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com - a website for rheumatologists, by rheumatologists.

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RheumNow Live 2021 Now Available for All

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RheumNow Live (RNL) for 2021 was held March 20 - 21 in Fort Worth, TX, and now all can partake in the meeting - by video, podcast or by signing up for Tuesday Nite Rheumatology (TNR).

Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease

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Sparks and colleagues have published a matched cohort analysis demonstrating risk factors that may augment the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD), especially the combination of obesity, high CRP, high MD-HAQ and >30 pack-year smoking h

NSAID Safety with COVID-19 Infection

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NSAIDs do not affect COVID outcomes; here we are nearly 16 months into the pandemic, and this is the common sense conclusion of a recent trial published in Lancet Rheumatology.

Insurers Bet Big on Bribing Patients

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Last month, psoriasis patients covered by Cigna received a curious letter from the insurance giant's pharmacy management division.

AURORA-1: Voclosporin Efficacy in Lupus Nephritis

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Lancet has published the results of the AURORA-1 trial, wherein the calcineurin inhibitor, voclosporin, was tested in a placebo controlled trial of lupus nephritis and shown to be effective at inducing a complete renal response.

FDA Advisors Split on Avacopan for Vasculitis

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Members of an FDA advisory panel were sharply divided as to whether avacopan, an oral small molecule inhibitor of the C5a receptor, was sufficiently safe and effective for treating antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis.

Higher Hydroxychloroquine Blood Levels Reduces Thrombosis Risk in Lupus

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Petri and colleagues have published that measuring hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) blood levels can be useful in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as low levels are associated with an increased thrombotic risk in SLE.

Avacopan for ANCA Vasculitis Goes in Front of the FDA

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An FDA advisory panel will consider whether to recommend approval of an oral C5a inhibitor for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, with agency staff raising questions over the "clinical meaningfulness" of key study data.

RheumNow Podcast – Falling or Falling in Love?

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

ARTIC REWIND - Don't Half DMARD Therapy

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The ARTIC-REWIND study examined rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in remission on conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) to see if they could "step-down" their csDMARDs theray; but  the study showed that 25% those who went on half-dose experienced disease fl

Drug Monitoring Ineffective with Infliximab Treatment

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The predictive value of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) while on biologics is debateable; gastroenterology routinely relies on TDM, while rheumatologists do not.

Childhood Lupus May Hamper Adult Careers

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Long-term outcomes of kids with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) are uncommon, but this cSLE cohort analysis suggests that SLE significantly impacts their future education, vocation, and employment as they reach adulthood.

Results Disappoint for Fecal Transplant in Arthritis

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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) showed disappointing results among patients with active psoriatic arthritis, a small randomized trial found.

Higher Cardiovascular Risks with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has published the results of a study showing that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of heart failure (HF) and other long-term cardiovascular outcomes. 

Uric Acid: A Major Player in the Metabolic Syndrome

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An open source, free read from the European Journal of Internal Medicine discusses how uric acid has evolved from the toxic cause of gout and nephrolithiasis and evolved, by way of science, into a pleiotropic recidivist in the evolution of obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, renal disease, hypertension, fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease.

RheumNow Podcast – Uppers and Downers

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

ACR Updates COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance- April 2021

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The ACR COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance was originally published on February 8, 2021 and updated on March 4, 2021. On April 28, 2021, new recommendations were added regarding mycophenolate, methotrexate, acetaminophen, and NSAID timing considerations,  

Predictors of Methotrexate Toxicity

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A metanalysis showed that while adverse events (AEs) are common when methotrexate is used in rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis patients, serious AEs ranged from 2.1 to 9.5% and drug discontinuations ranged from 6.7% to 15.5%, mostly due to gastrointestinal events.