Follow the Money (4.23.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush follows the money and all the news that fits the Rheumatology Gab for this past week.
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Prescribing Lessons (4.17.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Asia-Pacific Lupus study of Mucocutaneous activity (MC-A) in 4102 SLE pts. 36% had MC-A (rash 1055; alopecia 731; m ulcers 352); 15% persistently. MC-A assoc w/ W, smoking, +serologies, vasculitis, myositis, serositis, nephritis, NP-SLE https://t.co/XeBc4DJon9 https://t.co/n2wAq2OIGt
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Top Four and More (4.10.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com this week - including his top four favorite subjects.
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Hopkins Myositis study of 637 dermatomyositis pts - FLARES were assoc w/ DM Dz activity; manifest as rash (76%), motor weakness (58%), Pulm (19%), arthritis (12%). O
nly 2–5% of Flare pts had cancer Dx w/in 6–24-mos https://t.co/AKC9oIKAS7 https://t.co/26q8FfkUfl
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Among neuro-ophthalmic complications of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, myasthenia gravis (often with concomitant myositis) is most common irAE, followed by optic neuropathy (often as optic neuritis) https://t.co/7pxqSKY3M1 https://t.co/bisbShFHIc
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Predictors of Calcinosis Cutis in Systemic Sclerosis
Calcinosis cutis (CaC) is a common and disabling non-lethal manifestations in systemic sclerosis (SSc). This study used SSc patients from the EUSTAR database to clinically characterize patients and identify risk factors for CaC development.
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5 Retrospective cohorts of PM/DM pts showed IIM (myositis) had signif higher risks of IIM patients HTN w/ pregnancy (OR 2.73), & C-section (OR 2.03). Also more preterm birth (3.7), SGA/IUGR (1.9) https://t.co/w6qymR0I2w https://t.co/ovtwdleRfE
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What’s New PsA? (4.3.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and major articles from this week, including FDA safety warnings, reports from AAD, PsA trials.
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Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis
The NEJM reports that brepocitinib, an oral TYK2–JAK1 inhibitor, was studied in a phase 3 trial of refractory dermatomyositis (DM) patients and shown to have significant benefits at the higher dose.
https://t.co/YNxrVTIubb https://t.co/uFY3kMOvui
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Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis
The NEJM reports that brepocitinib, an oral TYK2–JAK1 inhibitor, was studied in a phase 3 trial of refractory dermatomyositis (DM) patients and shown to have significant benefits at the higher dose.
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Rheumatology Pitfalls (3.20.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the regulatory actions, news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Pilot phase I open-label trial of the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone (ACTOS; 45 mg/d) in 13 pts w/ inclusion body myositis (IBM) showed promise. After 32 weeks, no clinical improvement but proteomic muscle metabalomics & PPARGC1A expression improved. https://t.co/MtiTnwRfaE https://t.co/jUthouMSnP
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SATISFACTION (2.27.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Referral Rules to Live By (2.20.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com. Highlights include referral rules, combination biiologics in psoriasis and don't use JAK inhibitors in pregnancy.
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Early: BITE compassionate use CD19×CD3 T cell engager blinatumomab in 5 antisynthetase myositis & BCMA×CD3 teclistamab in 5 scleroderma pts, all Tx refractory. Both showed rapid clinical, serologic, histologic benefits, with cytokine release syndr as AE of concern https://t.co/CTppiWim0a
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Dermatomyositis outcomes w/ 2475 pts (claims) & 1196 pts (EHR). Half had myositis panels & 35% had + MSAbs. Steroid use common in 69% & 74%. HCQ, MTX, MMF. Outocmes (per 1000PYs) wereL all-cause hospitalisation 92, malignancy 15.3, ILD 6.4, and myocarditis 2.1 https://t.co/DJqKGNGX76
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ANA Pollution (2.06.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and regulatory news from this past week on RheumNow.com
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Evaluation of pts w/ muscle weakness and elevated muscle enzymes https://t.co/faTWMscUzz https://t.co/Dcx8m4Ny7Y
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Drugs that may cause toxic myopathy, presenting as muscle dysfunction w/ weakness and elevated muscle enzymes and possibly confused w/ idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) - full read review of mimickers of myositis. https://t.co/1Yn3OXXEH6 https://t.co/HmQiYFSQMU
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Emergencies, Independence & Hemorrhage (1.23.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and reports from the past two weeks on RheumNow.Com
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Evaluation of pts w/ muscle weakness and elevated muscle enzymes https://t.co/1Yn3OXXEH6 https://t.co/qsTr4U1xV7
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Drugs that may cause toxic myopathy, presenting as muscle dysfunction w/ weakness and elevated muscle enzymes and possibly confused w/ idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) - full read review of mimickers of myositis. https://t.co/3wdLvkxcAX https://t.co/OqLjv45HXH
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The 2025 Rheumatology Year in Review
The year 2025 presented numerous advances in rheumatology and related inflammatory and autoimmune disorders ranging from several new groundbreaking FDA approvals/indications, drug developments, game-changing guidelines and practices that will impact patient care for rheumatic diseases.
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Anti-mitochondrial M2 Ab (AMA-M2) in 987 IIM pts-- 55 (6%) were AMA-M2 positive. AMA-M2+ had signif. higher rates of polymyositis (56% vs 23.5%), GGT, alk phos levels, & 3 fold more cardiac involvement (60 vs 13%) (arrhythmias, CHF, pulm HTN (31-56%), but no effect on survival https://t.co/8fQzgRfHr4
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