Early and aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has become the mantra for most who manage the disease and hope to achieve optimal outcomes - including remission. But what is the chance of drug-free remission and how is it best achieved? This issue was studied by Ajeganova and coworkers as the look back at the outcomes of the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic.
A nationwide, cross-sectional study of men aged 30–50 years (n=1385) examined the relationship between weight and back pain over time.
Using a nationwide survey and military records they assessed the height and weight of men at the ages of 20, 30, 40 and 50 years and examined the clinically defined outcome measures of chronic low-back syndrome and sciatica.
Two longtime collaborators studying HIV/AIDS at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University have received an $18.5 million grant from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation.
A routine visit, followed by a few post-visit comments from the familly, is all it takes to remind me how great it is to be a rheumatologist.
Is off-label drug use an example of "free speech"? Do off-label use guidelines affect every day practice or the way Pharma promotes its product outside of the indications for which it was approved?
A meta-analysis of 30 placebo-controlled trials evaluated epidural corticosteroid injections for radiculopathy, and 8 trials were done for spinal stenosis. Corticosteroid injections offer limited or no relief from radiculopathy and spinal stenosis, two leadin causes of back pain that are often treated with steroid injections.
A population-based study from Northern Denmark studied the effects of aspirin and NSAIDs on colorectal cancer rates (Citation source http://buff.ly/1KJQ6H3).
The CLEAR study was a one-year, randomized, double-blind trial compared subcutaneous standard doses of secukinumab (anti-IL17) and ustekinumab (anti-IL12/23) in patients with moderate-severe plaque psoriasis.
Most Americans value the prescription products the drug industry produces, but they sure don't like the prices and want the federal government to take action, according to a new survey.
Based on potentiallly off-label promotion of blockbuster drugs Aranesp and Enbrel, Amgen has agreed to a $71 million settlement with 48 states and the District of Columbia.
Tektonidou and coworkers have analyzed hospitalized serious infections (SIE) involving lupus patients over a 15 year period and show that SIE in SLE have increased substantially between 1996 and 2011, and in 2011 are 12 times higher than seen in patients without SLE.
Feldman and coworkers have analyzed US Medicaid claims data from 9,600 hydroxychloroquine and 3,829 new immunosuppressive new users with a diagnosis of SLE. The mean adherence rate (measured as MPR) for HCQ was 47.8% and for 42.7% for immunosuppressives; 79% of HCQ users and 83% of IS users were nonadherent (MPR<80%).
Regeneration of cartilage is the holy grail of osteoarthritis research. Currently, there are both research and commercial efforts to use bone marrow stem cells intraarticularly as "regenerative therapy" to generate cartilage repair and improve functional outcomes. Thus far, there is little data and little science to either judge or endorse its utility.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects women in their child-bearing years and many will face the issue of pregnancy and RA management at some point. Here are11 considerations for those managing RA patients who wish to become pregnant.
Musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) was recently used in a longitudinal study Achilles enthesis of 146 patients with early spondyloarthritis (SpA). Usual measures of SpA activity included BASFI, BASRI-spine, BASDAI and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS).
