Two recent reports offer good news to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) women who are planning to become pregnant.  The first studies, RA women experiencing fertility issues who turn to assisted reproductive technology (ART) shows that live births were significantly lower in women with rheumatoid arthritis receiving ART treatment compared to usual rates in women without rheumatoid arthritis.

Research from the NEJM shows that oral antibiotic therapy was noninferior to intravenous antibiotic therapy when used during the first six weeks for complex orthopedic infections.There is considerable discussion whether complex bone and joint infections must be managed with prolonged intravenous antibiotics or if oral antibiotic therapy may suffice. 

The interleukin-23 (IL-23)/IL-17 axis plays an important role in inflammation and infection. Some of these chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorders include PsO, PsA, AS, and IBD. Patients with PsO, PsA, and AS have up to a four-fold risk of developing IBD versus the general population. One study also supported the role for gut inflammation in spondyloarthropathy.

IL-17 inhibitors have proven to be effective in psoriatic arthritis. Analyses of ixekizumab-treated PsA patients with enthesitis or dactylitis shows this approach to yield significant improvements in enthesitis and dactylitis.