Referral Rules to Live By (2.20.2026) Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow. Highlights include referral rules, combination biologics in psoriasis, and don't use JAK inhibitors in pregnancy. https://t.co/thzetw5jwa https://t.co/HTjWyqFqDZ

Diagnosing and Managing GCA and Takayasu’s Arteritis Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu’s arteritis (TAK) are both large-vessel vasculitides, but each brings its own diagnostic and management challenges. Many of the difficulties overlap because they are rare, https://t.co/ePJqcMjcBA

Peripheral manifestations are inconsistently assessed in axSpA trials. b/tsDMARDs have small-to-mod effects on peripheral Sxs & may be underestimated. Assessments in axSpA RCTs were low for periph arthritis 54%, enthesitis in 64% and dactylitis in only 10% of studies. https://t.co/cCNvU1oZMh

Full read review & update on Rhabdomyolysis. 26K cases/Yr in USA. Muscle damage leading to weakness, myalgias, swelling, myoglobinuria, electrolyte probs, AKI. Causes: 1) exogenous toxins (46%); 2) trauma; 3) myopathies/metabolic muscle dz (10%), infxn. AKI in 46%, & death in https://t.co/E2LcLeMls0

Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA)in systemic sclerosis? Retro study of 165 SSc pts (20% diffuse, 33% ILD, 7% PAH); 51% centromere AB+; 29% topoisomerase I+, 12% RNA polymerase III+)-- 22% AMA-positive: assoc w/ GI vascular dz(OR 13.3), gastric antral vascular ectasia (OR 8) & https://t.co/epMgfbj5uW

Referrals - Orthopedics or Rheumatology? A question, often asked with urgency, posed by those who genuinely don’t know who to see for a musculoskeletal (MSK) complaint. Inquiring patients, family, or other physicians may be one forum for such a request. Another occurs in the https://t.co/aIoSaSvdIk

Paradoxical Reactions, Target Selection & the Future of Imaging in Psoriatic Care At RheumNow Live, Dr. Joseph Merola presented a compelling discussion on paradoxical immune reactions in psoriatic disease. He began with a case of a 60-year-old woman with mild psoriasis who, https://t.co/AVIOO42vfP

GLP-1s are known to improved knee OA. Using a mouse OA model w/ obesity, semaglutide yielded less pain, osteophytes & had strong chondroprotective effects, fia a wt loss-independent way. Changing from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation resulted in cartilage restoration. https://t.co/YySGDHX9KO

Prevention in Lupus and Therapeutic Evolution in Sjögren’s explores the proactive approach in autoimmune diseases, moving from theory to empirical evaluation. Recent discussions on incomplete lupus and the SMILE trial, along with advancements in Sjögren’s treatments, underscore https://t.co/KY9nHnpkxk

What's New in Spondyloarthritis Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh and Dr. Eric Ruderman gave an update on what's new in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) at the 2026 Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium (RWCS) in Maui, Hawaii. https://t.co/X9MfrZLNBq https://t.co/VS04Ra5RZK

J Rheum full read editorial on What HLA-B27 Can—and Cannot—Tell Us!. HLA-B27 also holds prognostic and theragnostic value, given its association with greater structural damage, higher inflammatory burden, and better response to tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 17 inhib. https://t.co/3xNDtePEzn

RT @gibson_rheumPAC Given rising resistance, effective first-line regimens and adequate duration (14 days) are critical. PPI-based quadruple regimens remain highly effective when patients can adhere. #RNL26 https://t.co/bxqMbPFegt