Myeloablative autologous stem cell transplantation was significantly more effective than 12 months of cyclophosphamide among patients with severe scleroderma, an open-label multicenter study found.

Malcolm Gladwell (along with coauthor David Epstein) is well known for his national bestsellers The Tipping Point, Blink, and Out¬liers; all addressing the psychosociologic side of human behaviors and trends. In this issue of Ophthalmology, he describes the "Termin Effect" and how to make better doctors, by sending medical students art school.

An editorial and systematic review of complications seen when checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapies are given to patients with immune mediated inflammatory disorders (IMIDs) and cancer shows that nearly 75% manifest autoimmune and inflammatory immune-related adverse events (irAEs).

A UK Study published in Lancet shows that community-based screening programme for fracture risk in older women is feasible, and may reduce hip fractures.  Older women, age 70-85 yrs, were identified and participated in the trial and were assessed using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) with usual management. 12 483 were enrolled and 6233 women randomly assigned to the screening group.

The Journal of Rheumatology has published a nationwide survey of US rheumatologists and shown that despite trends for increasing metric assessments, nearly half of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are not routinely assessed with a disease activity metric and the evidence they use these in a treat-to-target (T2T) practice is lacking.

Rheumatology has published a study demonstrating that bone marrow edema as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be found in healthy people, but that such changes do not change with intense physical activity.

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have shown rapid and sustained responses to secukinumab (Cosentyx) in a third phase III trial that includes a higher dose of this anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, researchers reported.

“It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.” - Mickey Mantle.What I know and learned is often the subject of blogs on RheumNow. Yet, I’ve always been challenged and irked by what I don’t know.

The British Society for Rheumatology/British Health Professionals in Rheumatology first published a guideline for the management of gout in 2007. They have just updated and published their new guideline, largely because of new therapies, an increasing incidence of gout, low penetrance of urate lowering therapies, and the inability to achieve a target serum uric acid level.

Angie is my last patient before lunch. I've known her since her RA diagnosis at age 17 years. And for the last 7 years, she’s matured into a fabulous young woman who has adeptly grown her professional life, her dating life and developed her independence, despite her severely active rheumatoid arthritis. But today I see she has a troubled and anxious look as I greet her. 

In this Therapeutic Update, Drs. Mease, Gibofsky and Cush answer five questions regarding the August 3rd FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee meeting that reviewed the potential approval of tofacitinib (Xeljanz) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The panel was nearly unanimous (10-1) in favor of the efficacy and safety profile of of tofacitinib, and similarly voted 10-1 to approve this drug for use in PsA. Final decisions on these

Almost everyone gets their education about drug-related infection risk from television ads. Rheumatologists should know what the real risks are and educate their patients that they have a higher than normal rate of nonserious infections. But the infection risk is way more related to inflammation than any specific drug risk.

Arkema et al has published in Annals of Rheumatic Disease a study showing that ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke (CVA) is elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with the general population, especially in the first year. 

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a common disorder affecting patients with and without autoimmune disease. Despite wider recognition of APS among physicians as well as the expanding research collaborations, many clinical questions are still encountered in clinical practice, which require further evidence-based studies. In this “Across the Table” edition, Drs. Cush and Erkan discuss some of these APS-related questions. Our guest expert, Dr

The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that despite improving trends in mortality, death rates from systematic lupus erythematosus (lupus) remain high compared to those in the general population, and disparities persist between subpopulations and geographic regions. Underreporting of lupus on death certificates may have resulted in underestimates of mortality rates.