Tramadol not effective at chronic pain

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The strong opioid painkiller, tramadol, is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it’s widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published online in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

Osteoporosis Screening in High-Risk Men

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A Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Systems study of older male veterans found benefits of a remote model of screening that significantly improved osteoporosis screening, treatment, and adherence compared with usual care, with high patient and clinician acceptance.

Optimizing DMARD Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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A phase IV trial from Spain demonstrates that optimization of therapy by lessening biological DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be feasible, with a low risk of flare.

Not all difficult-to-treat RA will have rapid radiographic progression

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Sequencing DNA to find new lupus treatments

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Medical University of South Carolina geneticist Betty Tsao, Ph.D., will lead a five-year project to identify rare mutations associated with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, with more than $3.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Tsao holds the Richard M. Silver Endowed Chair for Inflammation Research in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at MUSC.

Associations in Rheumatology (10.3.2025)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and important associations in rheumatology from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Activity Trackers Can Predict RA Flares

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People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who experienced disease flares often showed changes in heart rate and physical activity captured by popular wearable devices 4 weeks before they became clinically apparent, a small study indicated.

ILD in Juvenile Dermatomyositis: Moving Toward Better Outcomes

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Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is typically recognized for its striking skin rashes, vasculopathy, and muscle inflammation. Less visible, but equally significant, is lung involvement.

Hip Osteoarthritis Treated with Exercise plus Weight Loss Diet

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An exercise and diet intervention study showed that while exercise improved hip pain, adding a weight loss diet to exercise did not change hip pain but improve most secondary outcomes.

Guselkumab FDA Approved for Pediatric Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

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FDA announced yesterday that guselkumab (Tremfya) is approved for use in pediatric patients moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO) or active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in children six years and older (weighing at least 40 kg).  

Challenges diagnosing lung disease and ILD in pediatric patients

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Children with juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myositis (JIIM) are at risk of developing lung disease, notably interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Lung Involvement in Pre-RA

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When I see patients with RA-associated ILD, I’m often asked: “Are the lungs and joints really connected?” The answer is yes, and the connection extends further back than some may realize. While RA is defined by inflammation of the joints, extra-articular complications of the lung are well recognized. ILD has often been viewed as a complication of longstanding RA, but it can also appear before joint disease in a subset of patients.