van Vollenhoven’s Treatment Advances in Lupus

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Professor van Vollenhoven has compiled a state-of-the-art review on lupus treatment advances – current and future. SLE management is entering an unprecedented phase.

EBR Journal Club: Secukinumab in Polymyalgia Rheumatica (REPLENISH)

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This edition: REPLENISH (secukinumab in polymyalgia rheumatica). The EBR Journal Club Companion applies my adapted version of the JAMA approach to critical appraisal to an important RCT in rheumatology. Each review covers four domains: Does this apply to my patients? What is the risk of bias? How great are the benefits and harms? And what didn’t they show me?

Treat-to-Target has Excellent 10-Year Outcomes in RA

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Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whose initial treatment used a stringent treat-to-target strategy in a clinical trial were in remission 10 years later, with only modest radiographic progression over that time, researchers said.

Monogenic Inflammatory Disorders Go Unrecognized

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Lancet Rheumatology has published a large cohort analysis with a genome-first approach using whole exome sequencing to find 1 in 4026 prevalence (159/640092) of monogenic disorders, half with inflammatory features.

Impact of Myositis in Scleroderma Patients

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Systemic sclerosis (SSc) may have overlap features such as myositis. When present, myositis in SSc is associated with an increased risk of cardiac involvement and a shift in mortality away from ILD towards a greater cardiac risk.

Novel Imaging of Skin Disease in Scleroderma

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An emerging technique called spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) proved its mettle for evaluating skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), also called scleroderma, in an early clinical study.

Joint Disease in SLE Reconsidered

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A new Frontiers in Immunology review from Ong, Wincup and colleagues, shows that lupus arthropathy is not a single uniform entity and it is biologically under-studied and clinically mismeasured, Moreover, the biology of lupus arthritis may shed light on choosing the best therapy for MSK manifestations of SLE.

‘Tis the Season for Vaccination

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As the leaves start changing color and spooky decorations populate neighborhood doorsteps, another autumnal tradition begins: vaccination counseling. Fall offers a golden opportunity to protect our patients before respiratory viruses fill our waiting rooms. In patients with rheumatologic diseases, vaccinations can be confusing and worrisome. For clinicians with limited bandwidth, these conversations can feel like added responsibilities in an already overfull schedule.

Troubles with ‘Gut Feelings’ (10.16.2026)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news from RheumNow.com, including: placebo trumps controversial therapies, the dynamics of disease activity, fuse the big toe, and patients don’t appreciate being told “it's all in your head”!

Should You Use Low Dose Naltrexone?

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There's this low grade buzz from some rheumatologists about the potential analgesic benefits of low dose naltrexone. I haven't used it. Should you?

Lancet: A Public Health Policy Call Out for Osteoarthritis

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In honor of World Arthritis Day (Oct. 12th), The Lancet has published a public Health Policy report is to "outline a globally relevant roadmap to address the osteoarthritis identity problem, focusing on health policy responses."

Colchicine & Statins: A significant interaction?

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Aside from diarrhea, colchicine use is generally well tolerated, but its metabolism via the CYP3A4 cytochrome P450 enzyme pathway poses a potential risk of medication interaction. Statins are one of the most widely prescribed medication classes also metabolized by this pathway thus positing question of additive risk when colchicine and a statin are prescribed concurrently.

Surgery for 1st MTP Osteoarthritis

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Hallux rigidus, or osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ), is common, but the treatment options and future outcomes are poorly known.

Are Concerns Over Avacopan Efficacy Overblown?

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Avacopan (Tavneos), the complement pathway inhibitor for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), appeared strongly effective in an Italian registry study -- a step, maybe, toward setting to rest questions about its efficacy, if not its safety.

Treatment Landscape for Dermatomyositis Is Evolving

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After years of inactivity, therapeutic development for dermatomyositis has begun to move forward with several new therapies and therapeutic strategies.