Opioid Deaths are Down (2.28.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Opioid deaths are down, IL-33 levels are up and Weight loss is in the news again this week!
News
Loss of Good Sleep Linked to All-Cause Mortality
A US study shows that nearly two-thirds of the population had suboptimal 5-year sleep duration trajectories with a resultant 29% increase in risk of all-cause mortality.
Recurrent Pericarditis in Lupus
A study from the Lupus Hopkins Cohort shows that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with pericarditis are at risk for recurrence, and likely to be younger patients, with uncontrolled disease, and linkage to higher doses of oral prednisone.
Misdiagnosis of Dermatomyositis
JAMA Dermatology reports a retrospective cohort study from Johns Hopkins reviewing mimic of dermatomyositis (DM), suggesting that DM and especially clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) are commonly and initially misdiagnosed as inflammatory skin disease (ISD).
TNF Inhibitor Drug-Induced Lupus
A study from the FDA's adverse event reporting system (FAERS or Medwatch) database identified cases of drug induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients receiving tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors - a paradoxical reaction to common antiinflammatory biologic agents.
Ankle Fusion or Total Replacement?
In a large study of British patients needing surgical treatment for advanced arthritis in the ankle, fusion appeared to be a better option than total ankle replacement.
Diagnoses via Immune ‘Fingerprints’
Science and researchers at Stanford Medicine have reported the use of Mal-ID (machine learning for immunological diagnosis) to analyze B and T cell receptors sequences from human blood, showing the ability to predict health status (healthy vs diseased) and discriminate between distinct autoimmune diseases or viral infections, and those who had received an influenza vaccine.
Postoperative Weight Loss Improves Joint Replacement Survival
A cohort study of shows that postoperative weight loss with antiobesity medications significantly reduced the risk of 5-year and 10-year revision among patients with obesity undergoing hip or knee replacement.
B Cell Depleters (2.21.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
AI-assisted diagnosis for immunological disease
EurekAlert!
A novel machine learning framework – Mal-ID – can decipher an individual’s immune system’s record of past infections and diseases, according to a new study, providing a powerful tool with the potential for diagnosing autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and vaccine responses with precision.
CRP and Hidradenitis Supprativa
A post hoc analysis of 2 phase 3 randomized clinical trials (PIONEER I and II) of adalimumab vs Placebo in patients with active Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) demonstrated more severe HS that was associated with elevated CRP had a higher BMI.
Deucravacitinib in Psoriasis - 5 Year Outcomes
BMS released new five-year results from the POETYK PSO long-term extension (LTE) trial of deucravacitinib in treating patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The data was presented by Dr.
Risk Prediction Modeling in MDA5 Dermatomyositis
Patients with Melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) positive dermatomyositis (DM) are complicated and prone to interstitial lung disease, poor prognosis, and a high mortality.
Targeting PD-1 in Rheumatoid Arthritis
The results of the large Phase 2b RENOIR trial showed that rosnilimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting PD-1, was effective in moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Growing Physician Enthusiasm for AI in Healthcare
The AMA has just published the results of a U.S. Physician survey and shown MD attitudes have positively shifted regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
