Could Methotrexate Work in Hand Osteoarthritis?
Lancet reports the results of the METHODS study from Australia where hand osteoarthritis (HOA) patients benefitted from 6 months of methotrexate (MTX) - as long as there was MRI synovitis!
News
Sleep Apnea Smart Watches (10.13.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from this past week on RheumNow.com.
TNR - Steroids and PMR
In this Tuesday Night Rheumatology webinar, the panel discussed the use of corticosteroids in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica. Panelists: Drs. Lindsay Lally, Richard Conway and Max Yates. Moderated by Dr. David Liew.
53.2 Million with Diagnosed Arthritis (USA: 2019–2021)
This week the CDC's MMWR reports that during 2019–2021, 21.2% of U.S. adults (53.2 million) reported "diagnosed arthritis".
FDA Approves IV Secukinumab
On Oct. 6, 2023, Novartis announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an intravenous (IV) formulation of secukinumab (Cosentyx) for use in treating adults with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA).
Surprising Link Between Weight Gain and RA Activity
MedPage Today
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with infliximab (Remicade), increases in body mass index (BMI) scores over time were not associated with increased disease activity or faster radiographic progression.
PMR & Popeye's Spinach (10.6.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the big PMR reports from this week along with other journal reports from RheumNow.com.
Sustained Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Psoriatic Arthritis
BE OPTIMAL trial tested the benefits of a dual IL-17 A/F inhibitor, bimekizumab (BKZ), in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and showed superior efficacy over placebo, that was sustained beyond the primary endpoint, from week 16 to 52.
SAPHYR Trial: Sarilumab Wins in Relapsing Polymyalgia Rheumatica
NEJM reported today that polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients who fail to respond to standard doses of prednisone therapy, were significantly better when given the IL-6 inhibitor sarilumab (than placebo).
Predictive FDG-PET in Newly Diagnosed GCA
Annals of Internal Medicine reports that the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET imaging at the time of a giant cell arteritis (GCA) diagnosis may help estimate the risk for aortic aneurysm formation.
TNR: PMR Diagnosis and Monitoring
Panelists Dr. Claire Owen, Stephen Paget, Anisha Dua and Jack Cush discuss diagnosis and monitoring in PMR during this week's Tuesday Night Rheumatology.
Gout Flare Prophylaxis - Colchicine or NSAIDs?
Flare prophylaxis is the standard when initiating urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in patients with gout. A new study suggests that colchicine, more so than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prophylaxis, may increase the odds of adverse events, when initiating allopurinol for gout.
