Repurposing & Pipeline (8.8.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, reports, pipeline and drug repurposing on this week’s podcast.
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COVID Vaccine study in rheum pts on JAKi (n 22) or TNFi (n 16) Showing 50% response in JAKi and 81% w/ TNFi Rx. Pt PBMCs were stim by SAR-CoV2 spike proteins & CD4+ T cells IFNγ production as Pos. response. Do JAKi impair COVID-19 Vax responses? https://t.co/dZAktwrytf https://t.co/mjkBfcGcfD
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
New CDC report confirms a record number of Measles cases in the USA, now at 1,319 (in 39 states), the highest since 1992. National cases are more than 4.5 times higher than the entirety of last year, which had an estimated 285 cases reported. https://t.co/KkqQu9C4cO https://t.co/bND6hPDUNA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Short full read review of the history, safety and use of Corticosteroids in Respiratory Medicine (including use in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), ARDS, septic shock, ILD, COPD/asthma, COVID-19, Cancer, Sarcoid & IPF. https://t.co/aKMAT8IhLm https://t.co/RopoNnYJ6Z
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
FDA adds new warning for "myocarditis" to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines (prev mainly assoc w/ Moderna) - risk is 8 per 1 million people for those on 2023-2024 COVID shots, most common in males ages 12 to 24. Generally good outcomes seen. https://t.co/QZbTRaKGH1 https://t.co/1cAUw73eqF
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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pregnancy outcomes in autoinflammatory disease
To address this, a French multi-centre prospective pregnancy observational cohort was set up, to analyse disease activity, treatment, pregnancy outcomes, delivery, and neonatal health. The work – presented at the 2025 annual https://t.co/oQ7A2bnDmO
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Imagine #Barcelona with an additional 8 degrees in summer 🔥 🔥🔥
Session: Disaster Medicine - Impact of climate change, heat, and global insecurity
#EULAR2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/1TqlBJtoZD
Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
RA-related premature mortality highest in American Indians--> 3.6x odds of death in <65 vs White peers, w/ no improvement over 22 yrs. COVID widened the gap. Need to address structural & social drivers of early death in RA, & wider health disparities.
@RheumNow #EULAR2025 #OP0197
Mrinalini Dey @DrMiniDey( View Tweet )
Metanalysis of 12 trials, 12 902 adults hospitalized w/ COVID betw May, 2020 & March, 2022 (7 Bari, 3 Tofa, 2 Ruxo). Fewer deaths in those on JAKi (11·7% vs 13·2%; aOR 0·67 [95% CI 0·55–0·82]; high-certainty evidence); 39 fewer deaths/1000. JAKs had less mechanical ventilation https://t.co/QSMRo3RcRr
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
FDA approved the chikungunya virus vaccine (Ixchiq) in 11/23, but recently announced caution and pause use while it investigates Postmarketing Safety Reports of 17 SAE (cardiac & neurologic) & 2 deaths. 6 SAE in the USA, elderly w/ chronic med conditions. ~80K doses of Ixchiq https://t.co/RED8Xab0Ir
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Soluble CD13 (sCD13) has pro-inflammatory effects & is elevated in severe COVID-19. sCD13 is chemotactic, angiogenic, & arthritogenic. In COVID-19, sCD13 was assoc w/ sCD13 severity, ethnicity, inflammation markers, NETosis, & vascular injury/thrombosis. https://t.co/2bKY9NtnCD
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
CDC's Committee on Immunization (ACIP) met and recommended:
1. Expand strains for meningococcal vax
2. Lower age for RSV vax > 50y
3. Rec. chikungunya vax for certain travelers
- Flu & Covid Vax to be up next mtg 6/25 https://t.co/jInnR5JSxS https://t.co/PXg0HDLgnL https://t.co/Vro5mbjG9R
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
CDC's Committee on Immunization (ACIP) met and recommended:
1. Expand strains for meningococcal vax
2. Lower age for RSV vax > 50y
3. Rec. chikungunya vax for certain travelers
- Flu & Covid Vax to be up next mtg 6/25 https://t.co/jInnR5JSxS https://t.co/PXg0HDLgnL https://t.co/4pfZSRrEzi
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
EPIC EHR data assessed pre- & post-COVID. Pt messaging increased w/ pandemic & remained elevated, w/ no change in pt phone calls. MD EHR time/wk increased for all MDs, post COVID-19: (PCP +6.5%), subspecialists (+9.9%), surgeons (+5.2%). https://t.co/nJZw0Ftjqi https://t.co/ty942TGblu
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
EPIC EHR data assessed pre- & post-COVID. Pt messaging increased w/ pandemic & remained elevated, w/ no change in pt phone calls. MD EHR time/wk increased for all MDs, post COVID-19: (PCP +6.5%), subspecialists (+9.9%), surgeons (+5.2%). https://t.co/j8zwPkdmp9 https://t.co/SyYpZwnMfN
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
If COVID was responsible for causing autoimmune Dz (AD), it is possible that Molecular mimicry was in play. Study shows 10nsequence homology between SARS-CoV-2 & AD epitopes; 2) similar MHC binding; 3) of high empirical immunogenicity. https://t.co/WO3gjxhVBw https://t.co/QdqtQMHcpL
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
With GLP-1 agonists, is there a risk of aspiration during gen. anesthesia. Most advise against elective surgery/anesthesia unless the GLP-1 is held for 1-2 weeks. Based on MOA of delayed gastric emptying - 7/8 studies show Incr residual gastric contents in GLP-1, but none… https://t.co/U690OmeqJm https://t.co/Q6kyv9fyVJ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
13% of the ~22 million people with traditional coverage received a telehealth betw 10-12/2023. Expansion of Medicare telehealth coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire on March 31 , 2025. Most telehealth will expire if Congress does not act. https://t.co/mVy7s664OX https://t.co/BVH6Hv5553
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Diagnoses via Immune ‘Fingerprints’
Science and researchers at Stanford Medicine have reported the use of Mal-ID (machine learning for immunological diagnosis) to analyze B and T cell receptors sequences from human blood, showing the ability to predict health status (healthy vs diseased) and discriminate between distinct
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At RWCS 2025, Dr. Susan Shenoi aptly noted the prevalence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has declined significantly. Does this indicated herd immunity or the decline of community SARS-CoV-2 (or both)? @ShenoiSusan https://t.co/vY01VDkNVl… https://t.co/c8Qu4OqBSh https://t.co/yZAoRcG6LN
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
TheDaoIndex @KDAO2011
@drcharitydean on emerging public health threats including H5N1 & communicable dz. We need to be monitoring for human to human disease transmissions. There is a high level of concern by large business as they recognize this will affect the supply chain.… https://t.co/T3TZ7LtHQi https://t.co/Ar85A0EcW4
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
"Treat for the most likely, mitigate for the catastrophic" @drcharitydean (my hero!). Read her story in "Premonition" by Michael Lewis. She served an impt role in the COVID19 pandemic as a public health officer for CA. Her lecture is on re-inventing yourself.
@rheumnow #RNL2025 https://t.co/3ZWgClzez1
TheDaoIndex @KDAO2011( View Tweet )
Outcomes of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
A nationwide cohort study of patients with MIS-C, a life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection, showed that many had severe disease during the acute phase, but most recovered quickly and had a reassuring… https://t.co/qbV4Z8SX0x https://t.co/VUD5KHeXZH
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
CDC/ACIP 2025 new Immunization recommendations w/ new vaccine recs for COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal serogroup B, pneumococcal, & RSV. Influenza vaccines have been changed from the quadrivalent to trivalent formulations. https://t.co/Kh1NXMuhVU https://t.co/CRq87PZ31j
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pan American Health Org announces that in 2024 saw largest dengue epidemic in the Americas, >12.6 million cases reported (3x record in 2023); 21,000 severe w/ 7,700 deaths; 90% from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico. Most USA cases (FL, HI, TX, AZ, CA) seen in travelers… https://t.co/nhuJIP9Y8v https://t.co/QLju8uRKZ8
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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