Osteoarthritis Risky Business (4.18.2025) Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and Journal reports from this week on RheumNow. Osteoarthritis patients have unique risks and synovial fluid WBC numbers can tell you when to worry about septic arthritis in gout and pseudogout patients. https://t.co/T9KGoOBANN

2001–2015 Danish national health registry study of 1.8 million adults, including 290,781 w/ knee or hip #OA & 1.5 million age-, sex-, education-matched controls. Women w/ knee or hip OA had 44% higher risk of CV Dz (HR 1.44), while men w/ HOA/KOA lesser incr (HR 1.24) CV risk https://t.co/C3ZHZiM38T

Enzyme Porcupine inhibition of Wnt signaling is a promising treatment forsclerosteosis - rare Dz caused by SOST mutations & loss of functional sclerostin. Results in high bone mass & skeletal overgrowth (Sxs of facial paralysis, hearing loss, incr intracranial pressure https://t.co/Bgr5zoHyMG

Ultrasound lesions of dactylitis associ w/short-term development of PsA. Study of 64 PsO +arthralgia pts. IUS PD synovitis & B mode enthesitis predicted PsA Dx (p < .001) w/ an accuracy of 89.1 %, a sensitivity of 86.7 % and a specificity of 89.8 %. https://t.co/KoXMmoxXhP https://t.co/tj2NxKDkqh

Retrospective EGPA study of mepolizumab Rx 45 pts Rx initially w/ 300 mg/4 weeks, 27% switched to 100 mg/4 wks after 26 mos & 50% maintained complete remission without GC. Other half had sinonasal Sxs Rx w/ increased MEP dose orlocal therapy. https://t.co/M4Gp52QdwQ https://t.co/zb13fuKhpH

The Increasing Cost of First-Line Biologics for Plaque Psoriasis A national commercial claims analysis of first-line use of biologics in biologic−naive plaque psoriasis patients found a near doubling of net treatment costs from 2007 to 2021 ($21 236 to $47 125). Despite the https://t.co/mWXz2o0mwz

Obesity is a risk factor for not achieving remission in early #RA (ERA), independent of comorbidity. 1285 ERA RA pts; remission failure @6 mos = 64% w/ obese, 52% if overWt & 48% if NL wt. RR 1.33 w/ no change after adjusting for RF/CCP, education, EtOH, smoking, phys activity, https://t.co/341ba1rCSk

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan https://t.co/VQTvdtm9cw

Distinguishing Septic and Gouty Arthritis A single center, retrospective review of patients undergoing knee joint fluid aspirations for presumed crystalline arthritis (CA) showed that synovial WBC may provide a useful diagnostic marker for SA with an optimal threshold of 50,000 https://t.co/ye69mRooSh

Predictors of Developing RA A prospective cohort study of seropositive arthralgia patients demonstrated that baseline characteristics and labs can be used to predict which arthralgia patients are at highest risk of developing RA. These studies underscore the influence of https://t.co/wpSHDfwCL7