All News

smartwatch wearable

Wearable Technology to Measure Arthritis Outcomes

d Jack Cush, MD

In this lockdown, virtual medicine, post-COVID world, wouldn't it be ideal to have an reliable digital readout on patient activity as a measure of health?

Read Article
statin

Lovastatin Fails to Lower CRP and Activity in RA

d Jack Cush, MD

Ridker and colleagues have shown that statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A (HMG Co-A) reductase inhibitors) are effective at treating hyperlipidaemia and lowering C-reactive protein levels; Aranaow and colleagues have shown that lovastatin, when given to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with elevated CRP levels failed to significantly lower disease activity. 

Read Article
Plaquenil.HCQ_.pills_.jpg (keep)

Fighting Hydroxychloroquine Misinformation

d Jack Cush, MD

JAMA Internal Medicine has posted an Editor's note on the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19; noting the sequence of dysfunction since the president promoted its use on March 21, 2020, when he said “What do you have to lose? I’ll say it again: What do you have to lose? Take it.”.

Read Article
light bulb idea

More Rheumatology Fellow Advice from the Mentors

d Jack Cush, MD

If you’re looking for some great advice to consider or rebuke, here is the generous guidance of nearly two dozen leaders in rheumatology who sincerely offer you their wisdom and best wishes.

Read Article
gout target T2T

Uric Acid Targeting in Gout Management

d Jack Cush, MD

A study from 2 gout clinics implementing different treatment strategies has shown that a treatment strategy that aims to strictly achieve low uric acid (UA) results in a higher a rate of targetd serum UA lowering and less gout flares.

Read Article
EU has approved Secukinumab (Cosentyx) for use in pediatric plaque psoriasis - moderate-to-severe psoriasis affects more than 350,000 children worldwide. Approval is based on 2 phase 2 wo international in children 6 to <18 years. https://t.co/Y05ElRr6xn

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #5: The worst/most ineffective Virtual visits done with the Patient (or MD) driving in their CAR for the virtual visit!! Amazingly I have had a half dozen of these & requested the patient pull over so I could deliver a rheum Citation.

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #5: Its easier to see gouty Tophi and rheumatoid nodules than nail changes of PsA or subtle rashes. For Rashes and oral lesions its BEST to have the patient take multiple pix with the cell phone and send them in by EMR or Email.

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #4: Professor Paul Emery was right! THe MCP squeeze (done by the patient) and MTP squeeze is fairly predictive of RA/inflammatory arthritis AND outperforms the "Finger" (distal hand) squeeze. Hence the MCP/MTP is my main squeeze!

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #3: Despite cam setups designed to do upper extremity exams, patients can easily move cams and limbs to examine spinal movt, gait, knee, ankle and foot problems with great accuracy.

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #2 : Despite being in my video on the Virtual joint exam; asking the patient to show you their fist (AKA fist bump the camera) to see potential MCP swelling has thus far been a largely useless maneuver...but it looks good on cam...

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Virtual Video Joint Exam Pearl #1: pain elicited by cervical lateral bending (in someone w/ otherwise normal Cx ROM) is highly correlated with Tender trigger points in the neck region (hence #FM)

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

After a career of doing over 90,000 joint exams, Iv now done about 140 VIRTUAL Video joint exams and while I think Im pretty good at it....Im really a burgeoning amateur. Never the less here are my Virtual Joint Exam Pearls (thus far....)

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Retrospective study of 20 RA pts w/ resolved hepatitis B (HBcAb+; HBsAg neg). 16/20 were Rx w/ tocilizumab & 8/20 w/ tofacitinib (nearly all HBsAb+). 25% recv antiviral Rx w/in 2 yrs of TCZ or Tofa; 6 had mild LFT elevations & No one had HBV reactivation https://t.co/EeFXo7mLhQ

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

A large Latin American SLE cohort was studied; 66 (5.6%) had familial SLE & 1110 (94.4%) sporadic SLE: Familial SLE was more often associated with discoid LE (OR 1.97) & CNS dz (OR 1.65), more MSK Dz. No group difference in Disease activity https://t.co/4Lak2q4QJn

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Systematic literature finds a connection between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and dementia (RR 1.19 [95% CI 1.01‐1.41]). From a total of 6562 articles reviewed, only 4 met criteria - analysis included 156418 pts. Cause? inflammation, inactivity?

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

The RheumNow Podcast is up - Top 13 Rheumatology Centers in the US; anakinra & colchicine in COVID, unload the loading dose, CB2 in Scleroderma. Watch it here>> https://t.co/5LIIi7Pwg1 or listen to the podcast here>> https://t.co/5LIIi7Pwg1

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Spanish registry of 3679 SLE pts finds 13.6% had polyautoimmunity (SLE plus another autoimmune Dz), Dx as thyroiditis (8%), Sjogrens (14%) secondary APS (14%). Incr odds in female, w/ ILD, Raynauds, SSA/SSB/RNP but LESS w/ antimalarial drugs [0.50] https://t.co/duTqepvmLR

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Based on a small number of studies (n = 5), there is little evidence to support the superiority (efficacy & safety) of Loading dose regimens when starting biologic (abatacept, certolizumab and secukinumab) therapy. https://t.co/0lNUzTFIOK

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Sandoz rituximab biosimilar(SDZ-RTX; Rixathon) compared with reference rituximab (Ref-RTX) and shown to have same efficacy outcomes (DAS28 Remission, ACR20/50/70, CDAi/SDAI, HAQ), B cell depletion levels, adverse events & low level antidrug Abs https://t.co/0XWQs23Xcv

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Do you get our email newsletter?

Looking for the latest rheumatology news & trends? Sign up for the RheumNow weekday newsletter:

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Rheumnow.com is a news source dedicated to the field of Rheumatology. It is written by experts in the field, and written for rheumatologists and individuals working in related fields. Rheumnow.com provides daily updates on the site and in your inbox when you are signed up for our newsletter.

Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved.

×