Cannabis Use is Common, But is it Safe?
Two current JAMA reports suggest that cannabis use is not only common, but that if heavily used may increase mortality rates.
News
Molecular Profile for Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A new study led by the University of Córdoba, the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research and the Rheumatology Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Córdoba has managed to establish, for the first time, the molecular profile of those patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have a higher risk of suffering cardiovascular events.
JAK or TNF Inhibitor as First Drug for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Medpage Today
A Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor outperformed tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers for substantially reducing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms in patients for whom conventional anti-rheumatic drugs had failed, a pragmatic head-to-head trial found.
2023 EULAR classification criteria for hand osteoarthritis
A EULAR consensus group has established classification criteria for overall hand osteoarthritis (OA) and its subtypes (interphalangeal OA and thumb base OA).
The criteria require two mandatory criteria to be met:
ACR Calls on CMS for Enhanced Transparency & Reporting
The American College of Rheumatology has submitted its response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) request for information and feedback from stakeholders on how best to enhance Medicare Advantage data capabilities and increase public transparency.
Role of Diet in Gout Risk
Diet has long been influential in gout care and risks. A large cohort study has shown that plant-based diets may reduce the risk of developing gout. This prospective study assessed the risk of developing incident gout based on consumption of healthy and unhealthy plant-based diets.
ACR’s Run at Goliath (PCPs) (5.31.2024)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal reports and articles from this past week on RheumNow.com. The ACR (and Cush) address their new website designed to educate PCPs and APPs - what do you think?
Metformin Lowers Gout Risk in Pre-Diabetes
A large, propensity score-matched cohort study shows that metformin use in patients with pre-diabetes significantly lowers the risk of future gout.
Biologic-treated Psoriasis has Less Progression to Psoriatic Arthritis
A single center study demonstrates that biologic treatment of psoriasis (PsO) significantly reduces the likelihood of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) development; suggesting a role for more aggressive treatment of PsO.
ACR Website to Support Primary Care Practitioners
ACR
The American College of Rheumatology recently launched Rheumatology for Primary Care, a new resource for primary care physicians (PCP) and advanced practice providers (APP) offering them expanded support and guid
Hypertension not associated with High NSAID Doses in AxSpA
Medscape
No Great Options for Treating VEXAS
MedPage Today
For patients with the auto-inflammatory disease VEXAS, treatment decisions are unfortunately fraught with tradeoffs between effectiveness and risk of adverse effects, a French registry study showed.
