The Week in Review - 4 March 2016 Save

Highlights from this week on RheumNow:

1. Urinary biomarkers effective in RA monitoring- gelsolin, ORM1, ORM2 soluble CD14 predict Xrays
2. Prior hx of Cancer in IBD patients does not preclude the use of TNF inhibitors.
3. POOR SLEEP: the under-recognized cause of 1) fatigue; 2) poor memory;  3) widespread pain; 4) frequent headaches; 5) numbness & dysesthesias
4. Temporal arteritis predictive factors in 228 Temp Art Bx study: Headache, high ESR, jaw claudication, thrombocytosis 
5. Post. reversible encephalopathy (PRES) is rare in #SLE. ^Risk w/ HTN, CRI, Dz activity, lymphopenia, ^Lipids, youth 
6. Limited experience w/ Actemra exposed 61 pregnancies- no congenital anomaly, 36 births, 18% Spont Ab, 5 low birth Wt 
7. Monarticular brucellosis: SI in young, shoulder in old; Knee, ankle, wrist benign. SI, hip, shoulder more severe dz 
8. Diabolical Negativism & the negative narrator in your head - How to manage patients who worry, wont do what's Rx 
9. CDC reports current flu vaccine is 59% effective & should still be promoted. Flu season began late this year. 
10. Pfizer reveals approval & availability of once daily Xeljanz 11mg qd (=5mg bid) w/ same indications, use & monitor 
11. Canadian study of 56K RA pts found 37 TB & 211 NTM infxns. Risk increased w/ TNFi, Arava, Pred, CTX, AZA, CyA, MMF. 
12. FDA has launch a CME course on biosimilars - reviews law, terminology, FDA approach to biosimilars – see the Feb 22nd tweet to find this link   
13. Intraarticular Steroids Before Joint Surgery Increase Infection Risk  
14. Methotrexate Safety with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
15. TNF Inhibition and Heart Failure  
16. Early Aggressive Treatment of Elderly RA Results in Less Joint Surgery 
17. Tools, Brains & Organizers for Your Phone 
18. Zika Virus May Cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome