Sjögren disease (SD) is the most common of all autoimmune disease, yet little is know of its etiology and there are insufficent interventions for those affected with mucosal or systemic manifestations.
The British Society of Rheumatology has updated its 2017 guidelines, with wider
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A prospective study from the Netherlands analyzed the comparative value of simultaneous labial and parotid salivary gland biopsies performed in patients with sicca complaints and suspected Sjogren's syndrome (SjD).
Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen compared
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com. Is it time to worry about burnout and those who are leaving healthcare?
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Drs. Caroline Siegel and Lisa Sammaritano (from HSS in NYC) have published an impressive overview of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in JAMA. This timely, well-written review covers the many complexities of this multi-organ disorder that affects nearly 3.4 million people worldwide.
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and Journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com - including problems w/ falls, pain and treatment of Dupuytren’s contractures.
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The large vessel vasculitis, Takayasu arteritis (TAK), carries a significant morbid risk and a cohort analysis shows these patients are also at high risk of serious infection with resultant higher risk of death.
A case-controlled study shows environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) may increase the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
The central dogma proposed that genetic information predominantly transfers from DNA to RNA during gene expression to make a functional product protein. This absolute theory has been debunked because of the influence of the environment on how genes are transcribed. According to the human
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These are excerpts and takeaway summaries from several literature reports addressing the diagnosis and outcomes of prosthetic joint infections (PJI).
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A multinational study of adults with Still's disease found that calculating their systemic score at baseline significantly predicted the patients risk for life-threatening outcomes (MAS or death).
Scores on a patient-reported sino-nasal symptom questionnaire were associated with subsequent flares of one type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), researchers said.
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week - including a few contrary reports on infection, seropositivity and plasmapheresis.
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A minority of immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) patients treated with rituximab (RTX) are expected to develop and depressed immunoglobulin (Ig) levels. A recent cohort analysis suggests that RTX-induced Ig deficiency was not associated with an increased risk of severe
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Dr. Jack Cush has advice for Caesar and the superstitious, and covers pregnancy, platelets, dialysis and vaccinations in Lupus.
Dutch study of 586 RA pts on bDMARDs found more nonserious infections (NSIE) (77/100PYs) than serious infx (SIE)(1.3/100Pys). Upper respiratory
A follow-up analysis of a randomized clinical trial found that the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements among postmenopausal women was associated with decreased risk for cancer mortality, but increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The analysis is published in
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A systematic review of pharmacological treatments for adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) supports the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ), anakinra (ANK), and canakinumab (CNK).
Data and results from 44 studies abstracts evaluated treatments, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from the past week.
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While it is believed that autoimmunity follows autoantibody positivity, a Danish study shows the incidence of polyautoimmunity to be similar in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who are either anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA)–positive or ACPA–negative.
Data was
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Are these associations with infection, biomarkers and weather real or imaginary? Linked or luck? Causal or casual? You decide....
No clear link between weather & MSK symptoms
Despite the availability of numerous advanced therapies for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), there remains a substantial burden and unmet need for improved therapies, according to a newly published Canadian study.
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The TARGET (Treatments Against RA and Effect on FDG PET/CT) trial showed that different treatment strategies equally benefited arterial inflammation (by FDG-PET) in rheumatoid arthritis. A subsequent analysis of these patients showed several candidate biomarkers that may correlate with
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past 2 weeks on RheumNow.com; but begins with a discussion of what constitutes "immunosuppression" and how it applies to our patients.
2021 NHIS Survey data suggests the prevalence of immunosuppression in the USA
The NEJM has published the results of CD19 B cell depletion (by CAR-T cell therapy) in autoimmune disease patients, demonstrating it to be feasible, safe, and efficacious.
The rationale to CD19 CAR-T cell transfer is to reset aberrant autoimmunity via deep depletion of B cells with
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Is temporal artery ultrasound equivalent or superior to the reference standard of temporal artery biopsy when diagnosing giant cell arteritis (GCA)?
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Dr. Jack Cush answers audience clinical case questions sent by email or "ask Cush anything". Cases and questions from:
