On 14 November 2019 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that Xeljanz (tofacitinib) could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins in patients who are already at high risk. These recommendations have been formally published and are intended for EU nations utilizing tofacitinib.
Rheumatology reports on a study of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) showing worse outcomes and higher costs when hospitalized with GPA.GPA patients were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and were compared to those without GPA with regard to demographics, procedures, length of stay, mortality, morbidity and total hospitalization charges (between 2005–2014).
Among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), pain was greater for those with coexisting diabetes mellitus (DM), and this association was independent of obesity and radiographic severity, European researchers found.
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
A full-read, novel Viewpoint article published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease (Huizinga TWJ, et al) spotlights a recent international meeting of big thinkers, scientific collaborators and industry dedicated to innovation in rheumatology.
Science Translational Medicine features a report from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showing that a scopion venom peptide, coupled to steroid, can significantly reduce joint inflammation in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
I think 2018 was the year that belonged to psoriatic arthritis (although some may argue in favor of immune conditions induced by Checkpoint inhibitors). Many years ago the late Professor Verna Wright in Leeds (UK) was a lone voice for many years describing the clinical subtypes of Psoriatic arthritis as something distinctive from rheumatoid arthritis. For a long time we thought that the treatments for PsA were just the same as RA since we were
Cannbinoids are widely available and used for a variety of indications, but little is known about their safety and their potential for drug interactions. The Canadian Medical Journal has published a review of drug interactions with cannabinoids, many of which are mediated by cytochrome-P450 metabolism.
A cohort analysis of the Nurses' Health Study suggests that asthma and COPD are associated with increased risk for incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA), independent of smoking- thus airway inflammation may be an important factor in the evolution of pre-cllnical RA.
Seasonal variations in symptoms -- commonly reported by patients with rheumatic diseases -- were not observed in a large cohort of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome, French investigators found.
In a study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, JAMA reports that serum folate level of greater than 4.3 ng/mL was associated with lower CV mortality risk.
A cohort study from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) and 2011 compared assess the risk of CV mortality in 683 RA patients based on their serum folate levels.
The Annals of Rheumatic Disease reports that interleukin- 27 (IL-37) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of gout, paving the way for future therapy with recombinant IL-37 in gouty arthritis.
Activation of the inflammasome by monosodium urate crystals is thought to be paramount to the innate immune response that drives IL-1-mediated joint inflammation in gout.
Dr Jack Cush Reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
Fatigue is an important component of the disease experience in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and can have a profound impact on patients' perception of well-being, Italian researchers reported.
RheumNow Live kicks off its second annual meeting - a little, big meeting in Fort Worth - in just 2 weeks and I think you should be there.This 17.25 CME credit hour meeting runs from Friday afternoon (3/13) until Sunday morning (3/15), meaning you can drop in over a short weekend and see some of the best lectures and interactive educational sessions you've ever attended.
