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ANA Negative Lupus Nephritis - Does it Exist?
A recent report from the Mayo Clinic describes a 49 year-old patient with lupus nephritis who presented with new-onset hypertension, edema, arthritis, serositis and leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and who later developed glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome.
Read ArticlePML is Very Rare in Lupus
A systematic review of the literature was done to assess the relationship between immunosuppressive therapy, adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the onset of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
Read ArticleOminous Outcomes for Lupus Nephritis
Hanly and coworkers have reported the results of a large lupus cohort study involving 1827 patients. SLE patients were enrolled early in their disease (0.5 years) and were followed for a mean of 4.6 years.
Read ArticleIncreasing Hospitalization Rates for Shingles in Lupus
An administrative claims study of lupus patients drawn from the United States National Inpatient Sample between 2000 to 2011, studied hospitalization rates related to bacteremia, pneumonia, opportunistic fungal infection, herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, or pneumocystis pneumonia (P
Read ArticleThe Nine Lives of Hydroxychloroquine (Best of 2015)
Hydroxychloroquine is one of many medications frequently used in rheumatology practice.
Read ArticlePreventing Hepatitis B Reactivation Due to Immunosuppressive Drug Treatments (Best of 2015)
Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection can have devastating consequences, especially amongst those patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
Read ArticleShould Lupus Patients Receive Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccines? (Best of 2015)
Barry Waters, MD*: I have a 21 yr old lupus nephritis patient on mycophenolate, hydroxychloroquine and prednisone 40 mg per day.
Read ArticleHerpes Zoster Increases the Risk of Stroke and MI
At the 2015 ACR annual meeting in San Francisco, Len Calabrese, DO, of the Cleveland Clinic, gave a plenary session talk linking "shingles" infection to an increased risk of CVA (
Read ArticlePlasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Influences Early, But Not Established Lupus
The Journal of Immunology has published the findings of Virginia Tech researchers who have studied plasmacytoid dendritic cells and their ability to induce type I alpha interferon (IFN-α) in lupus. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/1MceeCl)
Read ArticleCDC Reports Increases in Tularemia
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a sharp rise in tularemia, especially in Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
Read ArticleRA Guidelines, Methotrexate and Mortal Risks in Gout: November 2015 top social media news
Here's what you may have missed: in November 2015, RheumNow published 80 tweets on news, research and teaching points that impact the rheumatology community. We had a reach (impressions) of 79,100, 79 mentions, and over 3399 visits to RheumNow.com to check out what we publish.
Read ArticleSkin Cancer Risk in ANCA+ Vasculitis
Previously, granulomatous polyangitis (GPA or Wegener's) was known to have an increase risk of cancer, especially bladder cancer, presumeably due to cyclophosphamide (CTX) exposure.
Read ArticleAzathioprine Adverse Events Associated with TPMT Polymorphisms
Azathioprine (AZA) is widely used in the treatment of several autoimmune diseases. Its use and optimal dosing may be limited by adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) is an important enzyme involved in AZA metabolism.
Read ArticleJuvenile Dermatomyositis Responds Best to Methotrexate and Prednisone
Lancet reports the results of a randomized controlled trial comparing prednisone alone to prednisone combined with either methotrexate (MTX) or cyclosporine (CyA) in new-onset juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).
Read ArticleChronic Digital Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis Portends More Complications
A prospective, international observational study of systemic sclerosis patients enrolled in the Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry: Patients were required to have ≥3 follow-up visits over at least a 2 year observation period between 2008-2013.
Read ArticleCMS Releases Final Rule on Joint Replacement
MedPage Today reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule governing payment for hip and knee replacements for Medicare patients this week that includes several concessions to stakeholders, such as delaying implementation from early 2016 to later in
Read ArticleAre Guidelines Worth the Cost?
A thoughtful perspective on the purpose, focus and cost of guideline efforts in rheumatology has been published in the journal Rheumatology.
Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis Reviewed
Cacoub et al review the common entity cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CryoVas) in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
This small-vessel vasculitis involves the skin, joints, and potentially other organs, including the peripheral nervous system or the kidneys.
Read ArticleAnifrolumab Improves Lupus Outcomes
Furie and coworkers presented the results of a 52-week phase II trial of anifrolumab (ANIFR), a type I interfernon (IFN) receptor antagonist in patients with lupus (SLE).
Read ArticleMycophenolate in Scleroderma Lung Disease
Clements et al presented the results of their Scleroderma Lung Study II wherein PSS patients with interstitial lung disease were randomized to receive either 3 grams daily of mycopheonolate or 2mg/kg/day of cyclophosphamide.
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