A retrospective follow-up study of 499 lupus nephritis (LN) patients over three successive eras shows that LN has become less severe in recent years and thus, better long-term survival is possible.

Mortality remains high in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), but the causes of death tend to change over time, a researcher reported here. During the first year after diagnosis of GPA, the most common cause of death is active vasculitis, according to Fiona A. Pearce, MBBS, of the University of Nottingham.

The CDC's May 4th MMWR reports that from 2002 to 2014, the prevalence of health care provider counseling for weight loss among adults with arthritis and overweight or obesity increased by 10% (from 35% to 45%).Among the 54.4 million adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis in the United States, 32.7% are overweight and 38.1% are obese. Moreover obesity is more prevalent among persons with arthritis than among those who do not have arthritis.

A report in Endocrine Practice shows that drug holidays from bisphosphonates results in a 15% risk of fractures.  (Citation source: http://bit.ly/2FHbFwp)

Dr. Jack Cush discusses the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Psoriatic arthritis patients with inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors had improvements in their arthritis and psoriasis when treated with the interleukin (IL)-17A blocker ixekizumab (Taltz), according to a phase III study presented here at the annual conference of the British Society for Rheumatology.

Many topical and OTC products are recommended when treating chronic dry eyes, including omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil or n−3 fatty acids) to relieve symptoms; the NEJM reports that the DREAM trial shows no clinical benefit of n−3 fatty acids for 12 months when compared to placebo.

The identification of a genetic susceptibility locus for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) has important implications for treatment of this severe, poorly understood illness, researchers reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a new report showing that from 2004 to 2016, the number of Americans infected by mosquitoes, ticks or fleas tripled from 27,388 in 2004, to 96,075 in 2016. From 2015 to 2016, these infections rose by 73 percent. This included new Zika and chikungunya virus infections, (41,680 in 2016), followed by Lyme disease (36,429 cases). This may be an underestimation as as many infections are not

Analysis of data from the DANBIO registry of psoriatic arthritis patients treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy shows that comorbidities were associated with higher baseline disease activity, shorter TNFi persistence, and reduced clinical response rates to TNFi.

A study from the Veterans Affairs clinics and the National Data Bank of Rheumatic Diseases shows that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who were severely obese had a greater risk of progressive disability compared to overweight patients; that was not explained by their arthritis or inflammation.  (Citation source: 

Three years ago we published our first edition of RheumNow. We have something - and someone - to celebrate. Surprise, Dr. Jack Cush - this one’s for you! Everyone wonders how he does it. Vision. Drive. Determination. Unwavering resolve. Strength of purpose. Commitment - day in, day out. Willing to take risks. Unwilling to settle. All these, yes, but also this: passion, heart and soul.In celebration, we asked a few of his colleagues to

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and FDA proceedings from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Should celecoxib (Celebrex) be officially declared as no riskier for the heart than other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) naproxen and ibuprofen, and do those other NSAIDs interfere with aspirin for cardiovascular prevention?

The introduction of a guest or speaker should be simple, functional and respectful. In the least, it should go something like, “I have the honor of introducing our speaker, Dr. John Brown, who comes to us from Brown University, where he is the Chief of Internal Medicine. Today he’s going to lecture on “the right way to lecture”. However, no one does this. Instead most try to do more, usually with knowledge gaps, and end up delivering