Genetics

Dan.Kastner

A Tribute to Daniel L. Kastner, MD, PhD (1951–2026)

Jack Cush, MD

The rheumatology, genetics and NIH communities mourn for Dr. Daniel L. Kastner, who died on July 28, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 74. The following are declarations, tributes, and memories dedicated to this mensch of a man, titan of science, memorable mentor and humble physician.

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Cerebral atrophy is common in SLE - assoc w/ age (OR 1.1), higher education (0.22), NPSLE (OR 4.6), cognitive impairment & lower dsDNA titers. 70 pts (mean age 40, Dz dur 12yrs). Cerebral atrophy 53% (mostly 76% mild). https://t.co/ewRmNj8zNA https://t.co/yT8TCXZREA

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
dna

Genetic Risk Loci in Fibromyalgia

Jack Cush, MD

Researchers examined genetic data drawn from 11 different worldwide cohorts, that included from more than 2.5 million adults, of which 55,000 had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They identified DNA sequence variants in 26 regions of the genome that affect the risk of developing fibromyalgia.

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"Leeuwenhoek (invented the microscope) examined uric acid (C5H4N4O3) crystals from gout patients and found them to resemble needles. He expounded on his observations in an 11 July 1679 letter responding to an earlier query from Mr. Lambert van Velthuysen (1622–1685), a physician, https://t.co/mY2wqYlRda
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Genetic study of 16 pts w/ Allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse Rxn (SJS/TEN) shows 2 class I alleles to be associated: HLA-B*58:01 (OR, 28.0 [95% CI, 8.6-100.6]) and HLA-A*34:02 (OR, 20.6 [95% CI, 3.3-131.1]). Both explain 80% risk in US pts https://t.co/OxDXuWCbup https://t.co/oky61JImQV

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Gout in Minority Populations Recent research has revealed substantial racial and ethnic disparities in both who develops gout and the care patients receive. These differences reflect not only genetic susceptibility but also the substantial influence of social determinants of https://t.co/SKEsQVZPw6
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Vexas

ICYMI: VEXAS Syndrome - A Review

Jack Cush, MD

Beck et al has published a review of the VEXAS syndrome in The Lancet, focusing on the pathogenesis, spectrum, and treatment strategies.

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2026 Guidelines for the Treatment of Axial Spondyloarthritis

ACR

New and updated clinical guidelines released today provide comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) for both adults and children. The effort includes an update to the 2019 ACR/SAA/SPARTAN treatment guidelines focusing on adults,

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Biomarker,genes

Where are we with Biomarkers in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Jack Cush, MD

Biomarker interest has grown considerably in the last 2 decades, owing to advances in genetics, imaging, protein, and multiomics. Despite these advances, biomarkers as the predictive holy grail of RA therapeutics and prognostication have not yet advanced beyond rheumatoid serologies and C-

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Redefining axial spondyloarthritis

Jack Cush, MD

An editorial in Lancet Rheumatology calls for "..reframing axSpA as a systemic, autoimmune inflammatory disease with multiorgan involvement and substantial unmet need."

The pathogenesis relies on not only HLA-B27, but also on environmental triggers, immune dysregulation, and

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What’s New in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Whirlwind Tour At #EULAR2026, Prof. Dennis McGonagle highlighted three key PsA trends: the rise of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, progress toward personalized care (though not yet fully realized), and the next frontier of defining https://t.co/zN4K92UnW9
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
RA-ILD: Screening risk and genetic susceptibility Two abstracts presented at EULAR 2026 add important insights into identifying patients at risk for RA-ILD and understanding the genetic mechanisms that may underpin disease development. https://t.co/IABp8NhUtS https://t.co/j8UHK2GRd7

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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EULAR 2026 Rheumatology RoundUp

Jack Cush, MD

It’s time for Rheumatology RoundUp from EULAR 2026 from London, UK. Drs. Artie Kavanaugh and Jack Cush review their choice presentations from the meeting, offering their perspectives on impact and applicability.

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Interesting poster #POS0939 from @SteZhao #EULAR2026 Long-term or recurrent antibiotic use in childhood associated w doubled risk of axSpA in HLA-B27+ individuals 11,611 HLA-B27+ UK biobank Recall bias? Yes but self-reported exposure validated with primary care data @RheumNow https://t.co/VmxI3BW6FE

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Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
🔮 Can polygenic risk scores predict PsA timing in psoriasis? Another GWAS study (n=703) says YES! 70-SNP model achieves AUC 0.843 for predicting PsA onset <10 vs >10 years #POS0088 #EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/wI4Jy8Yu2A

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Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
🧪 Can genetics predict TNFi response in PsA? OUTPASS GWAS (n=329): High BMI, comorbidities & novel XKR4 locus linked to non-response at 6 months #POS0087 #EULAR2026 @rheumnow

Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )

CyTOF reveals significant sexual dimorphism in monocyte populations in active #axSpA Women show reduced classical and non-classical monocytes vs healthy controls. Men do not show the same pattern. Sex is not just a demographic variable in AxSpA it is also an immunological one.

Antoni Chan MD (Prof) @synovialjoints( View Tweet )

ACPA and the Transition from Arthralgia to Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA), a common prequel to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), showed different patterns of symptoms and progression depending on whether they tested positive for https://t.co/pCaYdEg1gZ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
♂♀ Does sex matter in #axSpA long-term? GESPIC (n=525,10y): Yes! ♂ less symptoms but 2x more spinal progression #OP0101 #EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/znFXWyrfZl

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Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
HLA-Cw6: a marker of more severe and difficult to manage psoriatic arthritis? POS0484 #EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/MIYZxuYT4v

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Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
A Practical Approach to Myositis-Specific Antibodies https://t.co/14qow6zhsD

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Rheumatology update @aabdogafar( View Tweet )
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Infectious Rheumatology (5.15.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush discusses his favorite journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

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PTPN22 1858C>T allele, seen in 5-15% NAmerica, often assoc. w/ autoimmune dz risk. BUT...PNAS shows Ptpn22 augments innate immunity and enhances NK activity against coronavirus infection https://t.co/1AMTuOXtoT https://t.co/9f3JdimJsG

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
True or False: HLA-B27 positivity in psoriatic arthritis is associated with earlier disease onset and a higher prevalence of axial involvement. Put your knowledge to the test in this week's RheumIQ quiz at https://t.co/KVK8J2iaFQ https://t.co/SZZqaNvO2Z

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Review of Toll-like Receptor Research A new review on TLRs systematically summarizes 40 years of discoveries in the TLR field, from the initial identification of Toll in Drosophila embryonic development to the current understanding of multilayered regulatory mechanisms that https://t.co/Rvy24nmuTj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Recent Blogs

Sexist Rheumatology

Kathryn H. Dao, M.D.
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Cush and Dao are at it again. This time it's whether men or women are better patients. Cush says men are better patients; Dao says Er, not so fast bub!  This is their light-hearted, gender biased debate on the best patients: Men vs. Women.

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