News
Methotrexate Safety Tips (7.31.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from this past week on RheumNow.com.
Four Decades of Gout Management
During this month-long campaign on Gout, we have documented many significant changes in our approach to gout, as well as many unmet needs and deficiencies that merit our continued, primary attention. We are all familiar with the famous 1905 quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are
Treatment goals in gout: aim for remission!
Rheumatologists are used to the concept of disease remission as this is a treatment goal we use for many chronic rheumatic diseases in our clinical practice.
New Avacopan Analysis Sent to FDA
MedPage Today
After data manipulation allegations, the FDA has been calling for the vasculitis drug to be pulled from the market since January.
Tips for safe use of allopurinol
These are tips and hopefully the patients are abstaining from moderate alcohol and are not tipsy! Here are 5 tips that may not be totally obvious.
$2 Million in Research Grants for Juvenile Arthritis
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, and while many people think of arthritis as a disease of aging, nearly 300,000 children in the U.S. are living with a rheumatic disease.
Genetic Risk Loci in Fibromyalgia
Researchers examined genetic data drawn from 11 different worldwide cohorts, that included from more than 2.5 million adults, of which 55,000 had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They identified DNA sequence variants in 26 regions of the genome that affect the risk of developing fibromyalgia. Many of the genes implicated in these regions are involved in brain and nerve function. This is the largest fibromyalgia GWAS to date.
Uricase-Targeted Therapies in Gout
In most mammals, uricase catalyzes the oxidation of uric acid to allantoin, a highly soluble compound easily excreted by the kidneys. But humans lack functional uricase, leaving xanthine oxidase inhibitors (allopurinol/febuxostat) as first-line urate-lowering therapy (ULT). Uricase-based biologics are reserved for uncontrolled/refractory gout patients with gouty flares, active synovitis, and/or non-resolving tophi despite optimized oral ULT.
The Wider Implications of Dactylitis
Dactylitis, AKA the "sausage digit", is a hallmark of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but as Possemato and colleagues point out, it is fundamentally a clinical sign, and not a diagnosis. This review article discusses the wider implications of dactylitis in rheumatology and medicine underscores the diagnostic and prognostic significance of this manifestation.
When Gout Flares, So Does the Cardiovascular System
We have spent decades teaching that a gout flare is a joint problem: a hot, swollen, painful joint that we treat with anti-inflammatory drugs and move on from (i.e., the treat to avoid symptoms strategy). The campaign title says it well — gout is more than flares.
Chikungunya Club Meeting (7.24.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
Swimming Reduces Disability from Low Back Pain
EurekAlert!
Swimming is commonly recommended for patients with chronic low back pain. Yet, there is little trial data investigating swimming. An Australian study has shown for the first time that a program of swimming can be clinically effective in reducing disability from chronic low back pain.
Evidence-Based Dietary Recommendations for Gout
Gout, historically referred to as the “disease of kings,” was once associated with a lifestyle of excess, including ready access to alcohol and rich meats once reserved for society’s highest ranks.
