Early RA Referral Clinics Work (9.18.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com
Read Article
4,197 pts from the UK Biobank met fibromyalgia criteria, yet 72.6% had NOT received a diagnosis. Non-Dx assoc w/ male, older age, milder sxs or other pain Dx (OA, CRPS, CFS), lower polysymptomatic distress scores, and less frequent fatigue. https://t.co/Y9m9jR5wbR https://t.co/fitm675kyK
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
EBR Journal Club: Obexelimab in IgG4-Related Disease (INDIGO)
The EBR Journal Club Companion applies my adapted version of the JAMA approach to critical appraisal to an important RCT in rheumatology. Each review covers four domains: Does this apply to my patients? What is the risk of bias? How great are the benefits and harms? And what didn’t they show me
Read Article
QD Clinic: Bariatric Surgery "Curing" Arthritis?
Dr. Richard Conway, Dublin, presents this QD Clinic as part of RheumNow's "The Obesity Imperative" campaign, presented in September 2026.
https://t.co/M6nKr9EShU https://t.co/6JX5bCYzfo
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Obesity Journal Club: Tuesday Nite Rheumatology
The Obesity Journal Club explores the TOGETHER PsA and STEP 9 trials and what emerging evidence tells us about the relationship between obesity, weight loss, and rheumatic disease. Panelists discussed the results of these trials, https://t.co/3C1RLyRj0b
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ACR Updates Osteoarthritis Guidance
ACR
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released updated clinical guidance for the treatment and management of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, hip, and hand. The evidence-based recommendations update the 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline and are designed to support individualized,
Read Article
Discussing Weight Loss: 3 Minute Script
Dr. Jack Cush's 3 Minute Script as discussed in his Introducing Weight Loss video.
https://t.co/JRWAPc5if5 https://t.co/NUpxPT4bdo
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Added IVIG is Effective in Myositis
A small randomized controlled trial demonstrates that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) added to cortocosteroids lead to greater and faster improvements in patients with newly
Congratulations to Professor Christopher Goodnow, BVSc, MBBS, PhD (from UNSW Sydney) as he is the recipient of the German Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for 2027 base on his work in autoimmunity! https://t.co/uvfYfXTrh3 https://t.co/FgyOzTI8lb
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Early RA Referral Clinics Work!
An outcomes study from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic (EAC) has shown substantially less diagnostic delay and better long-term outcomes when patients are referred to EAC compared to usual referrals.
Read Article
Waist size matters! Using NHANES data (1999-2018) the weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) calculated on 5582 CKD pts. WWI was signif assoc w/ all-cause mortality (adj HR 1.17) & CV (1.24); these assoc partially mediated by NLR (inflammation) ~6.6%, showing both central adiposity https://t.co/kNf4nqiD2a
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Bariatric Surgery in the Era of GLP-1RA
Weight loss with lifestyle changes alone is difficult to sustain for most people. One reason for this is the weight loss associated endocrine milieu, which can decrease energy expenditure and increase the drive to eat. Therefore, we frequently use medications and/or bariatric surgery.
Read Article
Sobi Receives US FDA Fast Track Designation for pacritinib in VEXAS Syndrome. Pacritinib (Vonjo) is a kinase inhibitor (JAK2, FLT3) that is approved to treat adults with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis https://t.co/V7duJPyJpG https://t.co/Dn5DgeaX7N
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Music and Pain Relief
A new scoping review in Pain Reports by Bradt et al., examines the effect of MBIs on pain management. While its efficacy is well established, how or why music relieves pain has never been fully explained. This systematic review is based on 663 records and https://t.co/0FJgzWSoOB
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
AI Diagnosing Rheumatic Disease?
Prof. Valmed, a large language model (LLM) cleared by European regulators for medical diagnosis, outperformed human physicians for diagnosing rheumatologic conditions in terms of speed but not accuracy, a randomized trial showed. https://t.co/WVKlRGHFL1
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Dr John Stone grand rounds Kroc lecture #wustlRheum.
Pearls:
-IgG4RD can manifest as a variable vasculitis
-Men have worse disease
-Histology will not show necrosis or neutrophils
-IgG4 levels will rise as the disease progress (>5X)
-Rx with B cell therapy
@alhkim @RheumNow https://t.co/GUw348OrrA
TheDaoIndex @KDAO2011( View Tweet )
A Day of Infamy (9.11.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on Rheumnow.com - including obesity, disappointing durability with GLP-1 drugs, AI diagnoses and worries about CV risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis. And take this week's RheumIQ quiz
Read Article
JAMA: Review of Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis
Smolen, Kerschbaumer, Aletaha, and Robinson have published a comprehensive review article of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in JAMA, noting significant changes to our understanding and treatment guidelines.
Read Article
QD Clinic: Obesity: Escalate or Reassess?
Dr. Mrinalini Dey, London, presents this QD Clinic as part of RheumNow's "The Obesity Imperative" presented in September 2026.
https://t.co/wt5N6RZmg6 https://t.co/3EyRa1WC9U
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Obesity in Axial Spondyloarthritis: what are we missing beyond the scale?
Obesity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is not a minor comorbidity. Beyond the scale, there are several factors that need to be considered with obesity in axSpA.
Read Article
Physician SURVEY> When prescribing a generic, where do you refer the Patient?
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ACP Position Statements on the Ethics of AI in Medical Practice
Recently JAMA updated its guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical publications. Now, the ACP has published a position paper regarding the use and ethical considerations for the use of AI in medical https://t.co/J6qgfI2Sgt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Treating Obesity is Disease-Modifying (9.4.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow. New drugs approved, new drugs halted and some drugs out of control.
https://t.co/ojBOosSWMX https://t.co/K4DvUK24Pb
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
AI Diagnosing Rheumatic Disease?
MedPage Today
Prof. Valmed, a large language model (LLM) cleared by European regulators for medical diagnosis, outperformed human physicians for diagnosing rheumatologic conditions in terms of speed but not accuracy, a randomized trial showed.
Read Article
Denzel Washingtons plan for self improvement - great advice to anyone starting out, looking for direction. https://t.co/0HcLyDAfNP https://t.co/DaqObRNgLW
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Therapeutic Updates
5-Year Results of an IL-23 Inhibitor in Patients With PsA
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Dr. Alvin Wells and Dr. Shikha Singla share their clinical perspectives on using an IL–23 inhibitor to manage patients with PsA throughout their treatment journey in the context of 5-year data from the KEEPsAKE trial program.
Read Post
Sjögren’s Disease – What Are You Missing?
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
What could you be missing in Sjögren's disease? Explore hypothetical patient cases with atypical presentations, systemic manifestations, and overlooked symptoms. Gain expert insights and practical tips for clinical assessment from Dr Shereen Mahmood and learn how the ESSDAI can help you measure disease activity.
Read Post
Recent Blogs
A few years ago, when I would see a patient with rheumatic disease and increased BMI, I would often document it as obesity as a comorbidity, recommend weight loss and exercise, and then move on. My approach has changed.
Read Article
Dr. Al Kim, St. Louis, discusses the effects of obesity on lupus activity, organ damage, complement levels and mTor activation.
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
Read Post
Podcasts
Obesity & Inflammation: Understanding the Impact on Rheumatic Disease
Systemic Burden of Gout Part 1
Gout Lessons from the Clinic Part 2
