Treating During Pregnancy (11.14.2025)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal articles, news and guidelines from this past week on RheumNow.com

Can EMR Treatment Suggestions Improve Decision Making?

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In a new study involving 402 U.S.-based primary care physicians, researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Sydney identified a “sweet spot” in clinical decision-making. By presenting just the right number of treatment alternatives in the electronic health record (EHR) system, physicians were more likely to choose a high-quality alternative rather than defaulting to the status quo.

Hospital Mortality in Dermatomyositis

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A cohort study shows that hospitalized patients with dermatomyositis have higher in-hospital mortality in the presence of active rash, interstitial lung disease, and elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio at admission.

More on Methotrexate and ILD Risk

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IL-1 Inhibition in CPPD

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Controlled clinical trials in patients with calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease (CPPD) are scant. Now a metanalysis provides evidence that anakinra, an interleukin-1 inhibitor, is a promising alternative for patients with acute CPPD flares.

DAHLIAS study - Nipocalimab in Sjögren's Disease

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Nipocalimab, a neonatal Fc receptor blocker that reduces circulating IgG and autoantibodies, was shown to be effective in a phase 2 trial in patients with severe Sjögren's disease.

Genetic Risks and Severe Cutaneous Reactions to Allopurinol

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A matched cohort study shows that HLA-B*58:01 and HLA-A*34:02 are strongly associated with allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), these alleles were absent in more than one-third of those affected, suggesting these are strong but incomplete indicators of SCAR risk. 

New ACR 2025 Guidelines for Non-Renal Lupus

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Written by Lisa Sammaritano, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and a committee of nearly 50 other experts, the new guideline also stipulates that corticosteroids are OK for gaining symptom control in newly diagnosed patients and when flares erupt, but the duration should be kept as short as possible.

The Interview (11.7.2025)

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I've done thousands of interviews; mostly for medical school admissions or medical and research employment.  They’re all the same. I'm looking for the “right one” and the interviewee is somewhere between apprehension, uncertainty and hope.  From all this experience I’ve developed my own perspective on interviews and interviewing that has been amended in the digital/virtual era.

Ianalumab Shows Phase 3 Success in Sjögren’s: Is It Clinically Meaningful?

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On the final day of ACR25, late-breaking abstract #24 drew particular attention, presenting results from the first positive Phase 3 trials of a potential systemic treatment for a disease that has long lacked one.

Deucravacitinib and Renal Function: Insights from the PAISLEY Trial

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In the phase 2 PAISLEY trial, deucravacitinib met its primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating efficacy across multiple clinical and patient-reported outcomes. However, the impact on renal function has remained unclear. An abstract presented at ACR provides new insights.

PET Uptake in Large Vessel GCA – Does tocilizumab help?

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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of adult vasculitis in the United States and can be subdivided into those with cranial only symptoms, those with large vessel vasculiti/PMR, and those with mixed features.