Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Safety with Pre-existing Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Lancet Rheumatology has published a retrospective analysis showing patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for cancer have the same outcomes (mortality and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs)) even when they have pre-existing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Gender equity in academic rheumatology

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Although almost half of our specialist rheumatology physician workforce is now women, gender inequity in career progression within academic rheumatology is a persistent problem. A recent analysis of the US rheumatology workforce showed that although women were well represented in rheumatology program director and division director leadership roles, women academics were less likely to be full or associate professors, had fewer publications, and received fewer NIH grants.

The Match Game (4.14.2023)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com, including Rheumatology success in the NRMP MATCH, Cocaine vasculitis and worrisome safety risks with Biologics and tsDMARDs.

Doctor’s Contracts: Pitfalls and Traps

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I have signed a few employment contracts in my career. Signing a legal document always makes me nervous. Did I forget to add something, was there something in the fine print I missed, should I have clarified a clause, what happens if I break a clause or cannot fulfill the contract obligations? I spoke with Andrea Liberatore, JD, to navigate these questions and explain what to look for in a contract. 

Pain and Opioid Updates

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Today, the CDC and FDA provided new updates on the scope of pain in the USA and guidance on the use of opioids.

MMWR April 14, 2023

RA Patients on Biologics and tsDMARDs are still High Risk

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A new Swedish ARTIS registry study of key safety outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving either targeted synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts DMARDs, including Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKi)), has been updated and affirms previously held risks.

Best Treatments for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-associated Arthritis

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A retrospective study of cancer patients who developed immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated inflammatory arthritis (ICI-IA) shows that biologic DMARDs were more effective than conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) in rapid control of arthritis.

Clinical Profile of RA-associated Interstitial Lung Disease

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A prospective, cross-sectional analysis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) shows those with interstitial lung disease (ILD) tend to be older, obese and have a smoking history.

Female Force

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In medicine, a field where burnout is becoming the norm, there is much promotion of the idea of work-life balance. In reality, the scales between work and life aren’t really balanced. Is the potential for change on the horizon?

Industry Payments to Rheumatologists Dropped During COVID

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Having their clinics shut down and patients staying away during the COVID-19 pandemic was bad enough for physicians' finances, but now a new study finds that, at least for rheumatologists, payments from industry dried up as well.

Rheumatology Workforce: Is it a Women’s Issue?

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I recently sat down with Dr. Daniel Battafarano, chair of the ACR’s Workforce Solutions Committee, to discuss workforce study findings, their impact on the next few years, and proposed interventions to address these issues.

Rheumatologist - Work-Life Survey Results

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During the week of April 3, 2023, registered Rheumatologists responded to an email survey regarding work-life balance. The following are the results from 190 respondents - 53% were male (47% female) and 94% were from the USA.