COVID-19 and the Slippery Road of Cytokine Storms
Early reports on the COVID-19 pandemic allude to a cytokine storm or hyper-inflammation, especially in patients who succumbed to the illness.
News
Lower Risk of Diabetes with Abatacept
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with abatacept (Orencia) had a lower risk of developing diabetes mellitus compared with those receiving certain tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, a large cohort study suggested.
A Role for Netosis in COVID-19 Infection?
Journal of Experimental Medicine has published a paper from a consortium of researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) on the potential of neutrophil extracellula
Tuesday Nite Rheumatology Grand Rounds - Febrile Disorders
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the appproach to evaluating fever in adults suspected of having a rheumatic disease, Stills disease or autoinflammatory conditions.
RheumNow Podcast – Drive Them Crazy (4.17.20)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and new ACR COVID-19 guidelines from the past week on RheumNow.com.Physical Therapy Superior to Steroid Injection for Knee OA
Treatment options for painful knee osteoarthritis (OA) are numerous, but comparative outcomes are seldom available. A NEJM report shows that physical therapy is superior to intraarticular glucocorticoids injections assessing the outcomes 12 months after the intervention.
COVID-19 Systemic Involvement
The presentations of the COVID-19 infection have been clearly chronicled with the worrisome onset of sore throat, dry cough, loss of smell and taste with fevers, myalgias, fatigue and the worrisome progression of pulmonary involvement in a minority. Lab findings may include a leukocytosis,
Rituximab in Rheumatoid Vasculitis
The Journal of Rheumatology reports a retrospective, single center, analysis of 17 rheumatoid vasculitis patients who responded well to intravenous rituximab (RTX) therapy.
ACR COVID-19 Guidance for Rheumatic Disease Patients
On April 11th, the ACR Board of Directors approved a COVID-19 guidance document written by an ACR task force charged with updating and clarifying recommendations for rheumatologists and rheumatic disease patient management during the current COVID-19 crisis.
Post 9/11 Autoimmune Disease Risk
The 9/11/01 terrorist attach on the World Trade Center (WTC) resulted in at least 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and caused at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. Arthritis & Rheumatology reports that dust cloud exposure among responders and
Guselkumab a Hit in Phase III for PsA
The monoclonal antibody guselkumab (Tremfya), which binds the interleukin (IL)-23 p19 subunit, was effective for psoriatic arthritis in two large clinical trials, providing comprehensive benefits for this heterogeneous disorder, investigators reported in The Lancet.
