Good Outcomes with TNF Blocker Use During RA Pregnancies

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A prospective cohort study of treatment and pregnancy outcomes in women with RA shows that TNF inhibitor use during pregnancy did not increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but instead led to more positive outcomes such as fewer low-birth-weight deliveries.

No Special Heart Risk With JAK Inhibitors, Study Finds

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Patients taking Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis experienced similar cardiovascular outcomes as those using the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker adalimumab (Humira), analysis of French national registry data indicated.

Intravenous Immune Globulin in Dermatomyositis

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Few drugs have been studied well in the treatment of dermatomyositis (DM) and only recently has intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) been granted FDA approval for the treatment of DM, based on this pivotal trial.

Tofacitinib shows promise in scleroderma

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Systemic sclerosis is one of the rarest autoimmune diseases, affecting roughly 100,000 people (primarily women) in the U.S. With no licensed treatments available for this subset of scleroderma patients, rheumatology researchers are searching for opportunities to use resources and technology that have proven beneficial in treating other autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.

RheumNow Podcast – “That’s Not My Name” (10.7.2022)

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Dr. Jack Cush goes off on "Untitling" (not using proper names/titles) in the clinic, in addition to reports on rheumatologist salaries, new drugs in phase 1-3 development and the range of COVID-19 MSK symptoms -- all from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Physician Burnout Rising

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The NY Times has reported results of a study showing that nearly two-thirds of doctors are experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, with a marked increase since the onset of the pandemic.  These findings suggest that burnout rates amongst US doctors have risen to alarming levels.

Rheumatology Salaries and Career Choices

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A recent doximity report shows how rheumatology salaries increase by years in practice.  Their salary estimates are based on Doximity acquired data from over 200,000 physicians, along with publicly-available career and salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S.

Women Doctors More Likely to Be Called By First Name in Patient Messages

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Female physicians were more likely to be called by their first names in electronic medical record (EMR) patient portal messaging, researchers found.

Orthopedic surgery patients do fine without opioid painkillers

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Hamilton, ON (Oct. 4, 2022) – Patients can recover from orthopedic surgery just as well without using opioid-based painkillers, says a McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Transitioning JIA to Adult Care is Problematic

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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) may start in adolescence and extend into adulthood.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Need to Quit Smoking ASAP

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While it is known that smoking ups the risk of developing RA, its effect on outcomes in those with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is less known.  A report from an early arthritis registry shows that current smoking increases disease activity and lowers health-related quality of life.

Causes of Death in Lupus

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The California Lupus Surveillance Project has longitudinally followed included systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cases and shown that overall, the leading cause of death was cardiovascular disease (CVD), followed by rheumatic disease and hematologic/oncologic conditions.