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Axial Involvement in Psoriatic Arthritis

Jack Cush, MD

Analysis of a Greek Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) cohort shows that nearly one quarter of patients have axial involvement, and among them, ∼30% have isolated spinal axPsA and nr-axSpA, respectively.

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Mizoribine Effective in Lupus Nephritis

Jack Cush, MD

A randomized clinical trial has shown that oral mizoribine, a common immunosuppressant in Japan, was noninferior to intravenous cyclophosphamide (CTX) as induction therapy in patients with active lupus nephritis. 

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World Changers (3.14.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr Jack Cush and his podcast friends are out to change the world. Here is his weekly review of the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.

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Channeling Bias and Cancer Risk with Biologic or Targeted Synthetic DMARDs

Jack Cush, MD

A retrospective US administrative claims cohort study of RA patients on tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis), non-TNFi biologics, or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) found a statistically significantly higher risk of incident cancer in patients receiving rituximab, abatacept, or JAKis (compared with TNFis).

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Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. John Stone has led the effort to develop the GTI - glucocorticoid toxicity index. In this review article he acknowledges the need and benefit of steroids, but details a novel means to identify and limit the untoward effects of glucorticoids (GC).

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2024 Rheumatology Year in Review

Jack Cush, MD

2024 was a year of surprising new growth in technology, with the expansion of new therapeutic options for many patients and clinicians.  While these many advances offer new hope, they are countered by disappointments and gapping unmet needs in rheumatology. Below is my top 10 list (in no particular order) of 2024 developments and desires that may change rheumatologic practices.

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Cardiovascular and Fracture Risk with Denosumab Versus Bisphosphonates in Dialysis Patients

Jack Cush, MD

Annals of Internal Medicine has published a  Japanese administrative claims database study showing that, compared with oral bisphosphonates (BIS), denosumab (DEN) lowered fracture risk by 45%, but increased the risk for major adverse cardia

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Increased Mortality In Arthritis Patients with COPD

EurekAlert!

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and arthritis have a higher risk of death than people with arthritis who do not have COPD, according to a new study.

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Are Combination Biologics Safe?

Jack Cush, MD

Although package inserts commonly warn against combining the use of biologic or targeted therapies, there is growing interest in such combination therapy for patients with problematic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).

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Long-Term Use of NSAIDs Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

MedPage Today

Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was tied to a decreased risk of dementia, data from the prospective Rotterdam Study showed.

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Hydroxychloro-King (3.7.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

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

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Cardiovascular and Fracture Risk with Denosumab Versus Bisphosphonates in Dialysis Patients Annals of Internal Medicine has published a Japanese administrative claims database study showing that, compared with oral bisphosphonates (BIS), denosumab (DEN) lowered fracture risk… https://t.co/kNqGNTrsAF https://t.co/xgCeaMDT1N
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Increased Mortality In Arthritis Patients with COPD A new study published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, finds that people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease… https://t.co/6WCtfcrSaq https://t.co/ydVtBxqy37
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Retrospective review of 781#RA pts; 78 Dx w/ILD (77 subclinical, most UIP on HRCT). w/ mean 10 yrs F/U, death rate was 1.5 vs. 7.1 per 100PY (without v with ILD) SMR equal betw RA & gen pop. but 2x higher in RA w/ ILD. Mortality higher w/ ILD (HR~3), age and low BMI… https://t.co/Vj0acewmK8 https://t.co/N1wHTjMfTr
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Still's Dz Afro-Caribbean study of 58 pts (57% AOSD). Sex differed betw kids F 36% vs F71% in adults. Kids had signif more typical skin rashes (100 vs 29%), coronary artery dilation (16 vs 0%), & MAS (52 vs 9%). Adults signif more polyarthalgia (91 vs 32%) & lung dz (51 vs 4%).… https://t.co/AYKNazgio5 https://t.co/1yQgeMiwku
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Study of sarcopenia in 138 young adults with inflammatory arthritis (IA) found sarcopenia in ~47% of IA- Signif different between JIA, SpA, & RA. W/ multivariable analysis, predictors of sarcopenia included BMI (OR 0.84), BMD (OR 0.01), vit D (OR 0.96) & HAQ (OR 14.5)… https://t.co/JHKwF8icj1 https://t.co/ph3pVIYuXx
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A Veterans study of 27,540 #RA pts shows the risk of multiple myeloma (MM) did not differ b/tsDMARD & csDMARD users. 30% took b/tsDMARD during follow-up (192,000 PYs). MM incidence rate: b/tsDMARD-naïve 0.37/1000PYs vs csDMARDs 0.42/1000PYs (HR 1.32; 0.78, 2.26)… https://t.co/Xp4v4eIQnd https://t.co/5MVdz5UQSb
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Global burden of #OA among postmenopausal women continues to escalate. From1990 to 2021, was > 1.3-fold increases in OA incidence, prevalence, DALYs. Knee OA has heaviest burden; hip OA least. Higher BMI signif influences the burden of OA https://t.co/L6qd7ISFF8 https://t.co/1SkNJWxm54

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Polypharmacy (>=5Rx) studied in 81 RA & 30 SLE pts. Polypharmacy incr at 2 yrs ~44% to ~73%. Med adherence >85%. Polypharmacy NOT assoc w/ Dz activity in SLE, but in RA did correlate w/ better DAS28CRP score at one year https://t.co/Jw05DIrBym https://t.co/pLIoDvPj8i

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Early Hydroxychloroquine Slows Cutaneous Lupus Progression A prospective study of patients with limited cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) shows that early introduction of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) may prevent progression to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).… https://t.co/evsvf2GQiL https://t.co/J0Zl35FEHz
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