Moral Distress (3.27.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal reports and news from RheumNow.com. This week we discuss moral distress, FM in PsA, Lyme Vax is back & hidden but tangible benefits of the MDHAQ.
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Advanced Practice Rheum: Rheumatoid & Inflammation Testing
In this review, we'll be talking about labs, inflammation, and tests for rheumatoid arthritis.
https://t.co/UlBuUhtB01 https://t.co/09OEk1OLs2
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A retrospective cohort study of 195 renal Bx from 135 Lupus Nephritis pts, Mod-Severe interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) strongly assoc w/non-renal response & ESRD progression (HR 8.9) (also w/ age, SLE duration, prior LN flares, higher chronicity index) https://t.co/773xsk6IHZ
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Predictors of Response in Lupus
A systematic review suggests that traditional measures (serologies and disease activity) are superior to biomarkers in predicting response to biologics in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.
https://t.co/7YuYpoDctR https://t.co/J5VLrkDQ6G
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
A retrospective cohort study of 195 renal Bx from 135 Lupus Nephritis pts, Mod-Severe interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) strongly assoc w/non-renal response & ESRD progression (HR 8.9) (also w/ age, SLE duration, prior LN flares, higher chronicity index) https://t.co/3JGLi5R5Fs
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pitfalls of autoimmune serologic testing
Misuse of laboratory testing may lead to misdiagnoses and mismanagement; this is particulary prevalent when clinicians consider the use of the diagnostic use of serological autoimmune markers.
https://t.co/QDWTRgdlOh https://t.co/3hvM1OBcMC
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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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Prospective multinational cohort of 1180 lupus pts, followed ~2.7 yrs. 37% had renal biopsies (Class III/IV 56%). They achieved mCRR 46%, mPERR 53%, LLDAS 60%, & REMission 46% at least once. renal response highest @ 2 yrs. New organ damage 11% @ 1yr; 33% by 5yr. https://t.co/ugh60M08Xf
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Predictors of Response in Lupus
A systematic review suggests that traditional measures (serologies and disease activity) are superior to biomarkers in predicting response to biologics in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.
Urinary biomarkers improve w/ anifrolumab in TULIP-LN (lupus nephritis) trial; 112 pts, 197 uriniary proteins assessed. Urinary CD163 and MCP-1 signif improved as early as wk 12. Anifrolumab reduced the proteomic inflammatory signature, regardless of responder status https://t.co/n6fIJVDCN1
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pitfalls of autoimmune serologic testing
Misuse of laboratory testing may lead to misdiagnoses and mismanagement; this is particulary prevalent when clinicians consider the use of the diagnostic use of serological autoimmune markers.
https://t.co/VKosO3bVL2 https://t.co/4FTvTcrGJa
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Cross-sectional study of 180 PMR pts compared dz activity by PMR-AS to Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII = Plts × PMNs/Lymphs) using CBC.48% had mod-hi dz (PMR-AS >=7). SII had moderate correlation with PMR-AS (r = 0.47), possibly useful in monitoring PMR https://t.co/vG1alSdVRU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pitfalls of autoimmune serologic testing
Misuse of laboratory testing may lead to misdiagnoses and mismanagement; this is particulary prevalent when clinicians consider the use of the diagnostic use of serological autoimmune markers.
A current review focuses commonly used serologies and autoimmune tests to identify
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Worldwide Trends in Hyperuricemia
A Lancet Rheumatology systematic review shows the prevalence of hyperuricaemia has risen markedly over the past two decades in both men and women, owing to population growth, aging, and increasing age-specific rates
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Metanalysis of calcineurin inhib. in RA - 11 RCTs, 1793 RA pts. Cyclosporin (CSA( (RR 1.6 & Tacrolimus (TAC (RR 2.1) signif improved ACR20 responses. CSA was dose dependent, less so w/ TAC. Both require serum Creat. monitoring consistent increase in s-Cr https://t.co/OxNGYbupnt https://t.co/F08vDCMYtr
Links:
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Rheumatic Immune-related Adverse Effects with Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
A retrospective study of patients who developed rheumatic immune-related adverse events (R-irAEs) after receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) at two oncology centers in Spain suggests that early recognition can lead to effective management that allows continuation of cancer therapy.
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Managing Gout in CKD Patients
A current review article addressed the management of gout patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This full read review addresses the epidemiology, challenges, treatment decisions and outcomes.
The prevalence of gout rises with each stage of CKD; from 4%, 6% to 10%, 11%
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AI model was superior in diagnosing Acromegaly from dorsal hand photographs - w. sensitivity 0.89, specificity 0.91, PPV 0.88, NPV 0.93, F1-score of 0.89, AUC 0.96, outperforming specialists, Study of 716 pts (317 acromegaly; 399 controls) & 11480 images, from 15 Japanese https://t.co/8RM4wf8vGi
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NEJM: Obinutuzumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
A phase 3 trial of obinutuzumab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, showed potent B-cell depletion and clinical efficacy active systemic lupus erythematosus without evidence of nephritis.
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Update on FDA complete response letter to AZ regarding BLA hold for anifrolumab (Saphnelo) for SC use in SLE. CRL originally issued 10/10/25, but announced 2/3/26. FDA CRL cites critical data quality w/ key analyses in SC-TULIP study. A BLA decision expected in 1st half of 2026 https://t.co/zuwtsdL6I9
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US Epidemiologic survey data from NHANES gout prevalence is incr. in RA pts vs controls (10.3% vs. 4.8%, P < 0.001), increasing trend over time. RA is as an independent risk factor for gout (OR: 2.67), strongest in SNRA. Evidence for the converse may not be as strong. https://t.co/hhRT9NCzVG
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UBER Rheumatology Ride (3.6.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this week on RheumNow.com
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Metanalysis of 8 articles, 2655 gout pts shows that ELEVATED neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR; SMD: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.48–1.03) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR; SMD: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.24–0.79) showed significant value in predicting acute gout attacks https://t.co/RaArPdoc2s https://t.co/Qi2WDSPlde
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Open-access Arthralgia Clinics
The early diagnosis in inflammatory arthritis (IA), particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA), hinges on efficient referral and screening of arthralgia patients. Yet most rheumatology practices are ill equipped or don't
Treat-to-Target and Cardiovascular Benefits in Gout
A new user cohort study of 109 504 gout patients, achieving a serum urate level less than 6 mg/dL, was associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events.
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Watch our 11-video series on ILD Treatment and Guidelines including videos on assessing ILD, guidelines caveats and concerns, and more.
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Recent Blogs
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
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Master the dos and don'ts of ordering RF, CCP (ACPA), and inflammatory markers that could transform your diagnostic accuracy.
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Podcasts
EULAR 2021 - Day2d00:23:12
