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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Muscular strength is a resilience marker relevant to function. A prospective cohort study of 5472 women (mean 79 yrs), showed that greater muscular strength (grip strength, chair stand time) was assoc w/ lower mortality (HR 0.85- 0.67) https://t.co/HEO4r2cdmS https://t.co/Ada3Bnrt0Z
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Diacerin, an IL-1β blocker, compared to placebo in a 262 pt RCT of knee pain, Knee #OA w/ inflammation. After 24 wks, 88% completed the trial & (vs PBO) diacerein did not improve knee pain (−19.9 vs −18.6 mm). 42% had AE/ GI Sxs were more w/ diacerein (42% vs 25% PBO https://t.co/P2d6IhFw2I
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Diacerin, an IL-1β blocker, compared to placebo in a 262 pt RCT of knee pain, Knee #OA w/ inflammation. After 24 wks, 88% completed the trial & (vs PBO) diacerein did not improve knee pain (−19.9 vs −18.6 mm). 42% had AE/ GI Sxs were more w/ diacerein (42% vs 25% PBO https://t.co/QabS3xLN85
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Cross-sectional study of Joint hypermobility (JH) in 256 young adults (75% female) found JH in 42%, females w/ signif. higher Beighton scores. 88% had chronic MSK pain; 38% had acute MSK pain. MSK pain was signif higher in students with mild JH (BS 4–6/9 pts; P < 0.009) https://t.co/QZwJ9zHfEj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
GLP-1s are known to improved knee OA. Using a mouse OA model w/ obesity, semaglutide yielded less pain, osteophytes & had strong chondroprotective effects, fia a wt loss-independent way. Changing from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation resulted in cartilage restoration. https://t.co/8zs34ys9o9
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Supportive vs Flexible Footwear in Hip Osteoarthritis
Do shoes make a difference in osteoarthritis (OA)? Common advice often suggests that stable supportive shoes can improve arthritis symptoms in the knee, but does this apply to hip osteoarthritis?
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GLP-1s are known to improved knee OA. Using a mouse OA model w/ obesity, semaglutide yielded less pain, osteophytes & had strong chondroprotective effects, fia a wt loss-independent way. Changing from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation resulted in cartilage restoration. https://t.co/YySGDHX9KO
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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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Rotator cuff abnormalities are nearly universal after age 40, & incr w/ age; routine imaging should not guide Dz or Tx of atraumatic shoulder pain. Study of 602 having MRI (58yrs) RC abnormalities in 98.7%;; 25% tendinopathy, 62% Partial & 11% Full thickness tears https://t.co/Jw9rMUQBLs
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
RT @ericdeinMD
#RNL26
GLP on Knee OA
STEP 9 Trial - 68 wk
Mean WOMAC improved by 41.7 pts, compared to 27.5 in PBO, improved SF-36
7% stopped due to side effects https://t.co/LJzGzzlgq6 https://t.co/5ybyUdfNjZ
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
RT @ericdeinMD
#RNL26
Dx Modification of OA
@Tuhina_Neogi
Challenge in drug develop:
Models in young animal, not like human OA
Trial enrollment in pts w late, establ OA- not early interv tx
Many paths to OA - target mechanism to correct pt
Slow progress of dx, $$
Endpt? Sx or
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Obesity, Surgery, and Optimizing Patient Care
Rheumatologic care involves multidisciplinary approaches and collaboration with specialties to treat complex, systemic diseases. While many Pods at RheumNow Live are disease specific, the Pod II focused on Advancing Practice on important and emerging areas affecting rheumatologic patients. This
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RT @gibson_RheumPAC
Osteoarthritis affects 600 million people worldwide—yet we still have no approved disease-modifying therapies.
A powerful opening to this talk on why OA drug development keeps missing the mark. https://t.co/wBUN3lux6X
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Semaglutide ameliorates osteoarthritis via wt loss-independent mechanism. GLP-1R agonist exhibits OA chondroprotective effects in a mouse model of obesity by changing chondrocyte metabolism from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation via the “GLP-1R-AMPK-PFKFB3” axis.
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Canada's 2025 Top 10 Funded Rheumatology Projects
Arthritis Society
Arthritis Society Canada (ASC) is Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research, investing more than $240 million in research projects since its founding, and over $7 million invested in 2024-2025. Below are the investigators and projects that were funded in 2025.
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NEJM - Baker’s Cyst
A 63-year-old woman with psoriatic arthritis presented with a 9-month history of pain in the left knee. A nontender, palpable mass was present in the left popliteal fossa, which had a “speech bubble” shape on ultrasonography. https://t.co/7wBnkDoUaX https://t.co/m0AhRnDc4c
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
TOPKAT Trial: Partial vs Total Knee Replacement
MedPage Today
Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) primarily affecting only one knee joint compartment did just as well with partial knee replacement (PKR) as with total arthroplasty after 10 years in a randomized trial -- and maybe a little bit better.
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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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BIOBADASER III Registry shows No Cancer Risk with b/tsDMARDs
A large, real-world cohort study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) finds patients treated with biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs) do not have an increased risk of cancer.
Researchers used 2000–2023 data for RA patients from the BIOBADASER III registry,
2025 Lancet review https://t.co/Qbwup6QxZK of Osteoarthritis did not mention/endorse Rx w/ platelet rich plasma (PRP) prompting several letters of protest. Read the authors response: Despite the popularity of PRP, there are few PBO controlled high quality studies to prove its https://t.co/RCaQVXvvfK
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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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Join us for STEP Talks at RheumNow Live! Big Ideas. Real Impact. No Filler!
https://t.co/vvLKFWatWe
Don’t miss these engaging discussions:
- Placebos in Rheumatology - Dr. Andreas Kerschbaumer
- Disease Modification in Osteoarthritis - Dr. Tuhina Neogi
- Helicobacter pylori https://t.co/lQRCLdMSh6
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
2025 Lancet review https://t.co/Qbwup6QxZK of Osteoarthritis did not mention/endorse Rx w/ platelet rich plasma (PRP) prompting several letters of protest. Read the authors response: Despite the popularity of PRP, there are few PBO controlled high quality studies to prove its https://t.co/7pCZV9CHfJ
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
2026 Resolutions (1.9.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, announcements and journal articles from this past week on RheumNow.com. More on Variable bendability, a better way to treat RA, and a novel advance for GLP1a in PsA; and 2026 Resolutions!
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Please don’t tell your patient that PMR “typically” lasts two years. According to real-world data from the UK, one in four patients with PMR is prescribed steroids by their primary care physician for over four years. But nobody tells them this at the start, and that causes big problems later on.
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Please don’t tell your patient that PMR “typically” lasts two years. According to real-world data from the UK, one in four patients with PMR is prescribed steroids by their primary care physician for over four years. But nobody tells them this at the start, and that causes big problems later on.
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Podcasts
ACR 2025 Daily Podcasts Day2c
