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Severe Obesity Worsens Disability in Rheumatoid Arthritis

A study from the Veterans Affairs clinics and the National Data Bank of Rheumatic Diseases shows that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who were severely obese had a greater risk of progressive disability compared to overweight patients; that was not explained by their arthritis or inflammation.

The RheumNow Week in Review – FDA Showdown for Baricitinib (4.27.18)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and FDA proceedings from the past week on RheumNow.com.

FDA Advisors Weigh COX-2 Inhibitor Safety

Should celecoxib (Celebrex) be officially declared as no riskier for the heart than other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) naproxen and ibuprofen, and do those other NSAIDs interfere with aspirin for cardiovascular prevention?

Fixed and Tailored Rituximab Regimens Equal in ANCA Associated Vasculitis

The French Vasculitis Study Group has published the results of the MAINRITSAN2 trial designed to  compare individually tailored versus fixed-schedule rituximab (RTX) reinfusion for remission maintenance in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAVs).

FDA Arthritis Panel Split on the Efficacy and Safety of Baricitinib in RA

On Monday, April 23rd the FDA convened the Arthritis Advisory Committee (AAC) to evaluate Lilly’s resubmitted NDA for the approval of the JAK inhibitor baricitinib for use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Lupus Subgroup Responds to Anti-CD22

The monoclonal antibody epratuzumab showed promise as a B-cell depleting agent in patients with concomitant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren's syndrome, a post-hoc analysis of two phase III trials found.

FDA Review: Take Two for Baricitinib

FDA staff remain worried about the safety of baricitinib, an oral JAK inhibitor intended for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, according to briefing documents prepared for an advisory committee meeting on Monday.

Will Aspirin Cotherapy Undermine Celecoxib’s Safety Effects?

The PRECISION study took 11 years and 24,081 patients (90% OA; 10% RA).

Wear Your Pajamas to Work for Lupus

I suspect that everyone in rheumatology has a special place in their hearts for lupus patients. Their disease is so cruel, and we have so little to offer them, but the young women (and some men) that I treat keep battling on. The longer I have cared for them, the more I wanted to do for them.

The RheumNow Week in Review – Vitamin D Snark Report (4.20.18)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.  A second life for Syk kinase, Vitamin D talk, VTE, regulatory hearings and the Lupus clinic edge.

Tobacco Associated Deaths in the USA

JAMA Internal Medicine reports that in the USA, those who smoke cigar, pipe, or cigarette have a significant overall  mortality risk, and a much highers cancer mortality risk compared to nonsmokers.

Shared Epitope - Smoking Pathogenic Link Clarified

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has published new research on the mechanistic link between the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) "shared epitope" (SE) risk alleles and environmental triggers such as cigarette smoke that leads to joint inflammation and bony destruction. 

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