ILD Begins (8.29.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com. This week news on vaccines, safety of acetaminophen and more.
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Hyperferritinemia is common in Hyperinflammatory syndromes but is a hallmark of Macrophage activation syndrome and Sepsis; and is a poor prognostic sign too. MAS is excessive activation of T-lymphocytes & macrophages leading to cytokine storm & multi-organ damage. https://t.co/MUKXC0Tw3M
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
A new player in AIRD
ThA age associated T helper cells
Displaying both Cytotoxic & APC functions
Correlation with disease activity in RA and SLE
More research is needed to better characterize function but could be a promising therapeutic target
@RheumNow #APLAR25 https://t.co/4SnY65tXpJ
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo( View Tweet )
Controversies in ILD
Join leading experts as they tackle complex topics: IPAF, MTX, SARD vs. CTD, and anti-fibrotic therapy.
📅 Sep 16, 2025 | ⏰ 7 PM ET
Jeffrey Sparks, MD | Janet Pope, MD | Elena Joerns, MD
Moderator: Jack Cush, MD
👉 Register: https://t.co/O4FQNyGeTr https://t.co/jIfjuWWNvp
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
🆕 Intro to ILD (Part I): the essentials
🫁 Definition & basics
🔬 Key pathology patterns
🧑⚕️ Clinical approach
📋 What rheums need to know
⬇️ Download & learn more: https://t.co/Fn76PiGsPl
Created by @MithuRheum | via @RheumNow for our Rheum to Breathe: ILD Campaign https://t.co/MalDKUjonR
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Elevated serum levels of interleukin-18 discriminate Still's disease from other autoinflammatory conditions. Sera from 53 mSAID, 220 guSAID, 49 controls show IL-18 signif increased in Still's Dz; free IL-18 levels were selectively higher in Still's disease. https://t.co/8IWXWZmWgE
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Elevated serum levels of interleukin-18 discriminate Still's disease from other autoinflammatory conditions. Sera from 53 mSAID, 220 guSAID, 49 controls show IL-18 signif increased in Still's Dz; free IL-18 levels were selectively higher in Still's disease. https://t.co/oAd3JwDR5D
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Review of cancer-associated myositis (CAM) & assoc myositis-specific or myositis-associated autoantibodies. 2017 meta-analysis 5 studies & 4538 pts w/ DM or PM, the cancer risk (SIR) for DM = 4.66, but PM = 1.75. Cancer risk ^^ w/ Low serum KL-6, TIF1γ, NXP2, HMGCR Abs https://t.co/xsOt4wPIXB
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Might systemic autoimmune Dz related anti-protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5). ELISA study of 33 SSc, 87 RA, & 31 controls. Vs controls, anti-PRMT5 Abs seen in SSc (48% vs 0; AUC 0.9) & RA (15% vs 0; AUC 0.768). PRMT5 Abs signif assoc w/ ILD & ANA positivity. https://t.co/svjjtQQsIY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Lupus Core Dataset for Research
SLE is a complex and potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Part of the complexity stems from how it can differ from person to person – giving rise to marked heterogeneity in not only manifestations, but also in disease course and https://t.co/jHD9L3Bc2Y
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Lupus Core Dataset for Research
EurekAlert!
SLE is a complex and potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Part of the complexity stems from how it can differ from person to person – giving rise to marked heterogeneity in not only manifestations, but also in disease course and treatment response. To support better understanding
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Sjögren's Graduates (8.22.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports, FDA approvals, drug safety, and more from this week.
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Rheums Speak: Future of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The third survey in this series addressed clinician views on future trends (AI), future therapies and lessons learned.
This survey captured 233 responses from rheumatologists (91), most (61%) from the USA. US respondents were from the Southeast (17.5%), Southwest (11.4%), Mid-Atlantic (
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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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Dermatomyositis Reviewed
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have published an open-access review of dermatomyositis (DM) - its manifestations, hallmark cutaneous features, etiopathogenesis and treatment options.
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Inefficiencies of ANA Testing
The Journal of Rheumatology has published an analysis of antinuclear antibody (ANA) multiplex testing showing its nonspecific utility and poor rate of return in identifying ANA-associated autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARDs).
RA leads to ILD: but ILD does not lead to RA
Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease, and approximately 30%-40% of patients develop pulmonary complications such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but the causal relationship between the two has long been unclear.
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Full read overview of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and their downside - immune related Adverse Events https://t.co/h1AzFaGVMz https://t.co/s75UdhE1HK
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Potentially novel RA vaccine of recombinant HLA-DRB1 04:01 bound to type II collagen (COL2) peptide COL2259-273 that was chemically modified at glycine position 265 & shows to suppress collagen induced arthritis in human DRB1 04:01-expressing mice https://t.co/TtBt49DQDa https://t.co/qMXzmvNc1b
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Review of macrophage phenotypes (M1, M2, etc) in rheumatic diseases. In RA synovial Tiss macrophages - are MerTK+CD206+ w/ remission and MerTK−CD206− w/ active inflammation. Tissue fibrosis in PSS driven by Profibrotic CD206+ and CD163+ cell subsets https://t.co/vIG7SYsaWq https://t.co/OKnzOFIlKr
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis - NEJM Review
Sandborg et al. has published an overview of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) - its classification, biology, genetics, , clinical presentations and treatment advances in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
JIA is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in the pediatric
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Evaluating lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels in blood samples from 53 patients with systemic JIA revealed significant differences across sJIA clinical phenotypes, with dynamic changes linked to treatment response over time
ACR Open Rheumatology
https://t.co/GU5y70EXiI https://t.co/oCiKd0INuT
Links:
ACR_Journals @ACR_Journals( View Tweet )
Aging Quiets Lupus
EurekAlert!
UCSF researchers have found that epigentic changes in interferon genes over time may lead to lupus being less active as they age. Lupus is a “classic” autoimmune disease. It causes the immune system’s first-line viral defenses — known as interferons — to attack the body. Nearly every organ is at
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Fibrosis in IgG4-related disease due to the overexpression of early growth response-1 (EGR-1) by Epithelial cells that facilitates tissue fibrosis https://t.co/AEaoucfT13 https://t.co/7UVQpkj3cn https://t.co/PuCjh5LQc5
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Practical management of rheumatic immune-related adverse events with immune checkpoint inhibitors
Joint Bone Spine has published a full read review of the management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients receiving Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for cancer.
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