General Rheumatology

DERM on RheumNow PODCAST (March 2026) https://t.co/OGl34cH6z5 https://t.co/l7v1Xktl8r

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Moral Distress (3.27.2026) Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal reports and news from RheumNow. This week we discuss moral distress, FM in PsA, Lyme Vax is back & hidden but tangible benefits of the MDHAQ. https://t.co/LdNcsUcHc2 https://t.co/tRYeDhQ3hC

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Slim,waist,obese,obesity

Ixekizumab With Tirzepatide Efficacy in Obese Psoriatic Arthritis

Jack Cush, MD

The TOGETHER-PsA trial has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of ixekizumab (IXE) administered with tirzepatide (TZP) in adult active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients who were overweight or obese.

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19 yr old male is Dx w/ Stills Dz (Fever 104F, pleuritis, organomegaly, WBC 24k, ESR 98, CRP 11 mg/L) - what drug do you prescribe first?

Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Portugese multicentre retrospective of 748 adults with JIA (age 28 yrs; Dz duration 21 yrs). Oligoarticular JIA was the most common subtype (29.9%). HTN (9%), psychiatric dz (8%), & osteoporosis (5%) were most prevalent comorbidities. bDMARD use reduced risk of psych Dz https://t.co/xCrTDxirlj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Psychiatrists have the highest Medicare opt-out rate (8% vs 1.2% MDs vs <3% Rheum), leading to a critical shortage of psychiatrists and more antipsychotic management to APRNs and PAs over the last decade. APPs Handle 40% of Antipsychotic Scripts https://t.co/wWnFcnXpRa https://t.co/WSQBEzvxgK

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
19 yr old male is Dx w/ Stills Dz (Fever 104F, pleuritis, organomegaly, WBC 24k, ESR 98, CRP 11 mg/L) - what drug do you prescribe first?

Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Advanced Practice Rheum: Evaluation of Rheumatic Complaints In this review, Dr. Cush provides a systematic approach to evaluating musculoskeletal and rheumatic complaints in clinical practice. He emphasizes three key priorities: identifying "red flag" conditions (septic https://t.co/DwyO6FySxE
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
"At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about what you’ve done with those accomplishments. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back." - Denzel Washington

Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

EULAR 2025 Update for Behçet’s syndrome EULAR has updated its recommendations for the management of Behçet’s syndrome, the last being published in 2018. The current update carries no recommendations from the previous version: seven recommendations have content modifications, https://t.co/Xb6KyqsDXf
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Rush University MDHAQ surveys done on 1,337 pts (excluding primary FM), identified 30% w/ anxiety, 24% depression, 25% fibromyalgia, & 44% w any 3 of these. In this 44%, HIGHER pain (7 vs 4) and RAPID3 (17 vs 8.2) vs those without FM, anxiety, or depression (p< 0.001). https://t.co/xbOKeZj5cm
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
A multi-center, retrospective chart review of 82 Still's disease pts (63% female; mean Dx age 6.4 ± 4 yrs; F/U ~2.8 yrs). When analyzing Dz course, 34% were monophasic, 46% polyphasic (higher-than-expected), 19.5% persistent Dz. non-monophasic predicted by active 3 mos from Dx https://t.co/V7OxwEI4it
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Autoantibodies Anonymous A new blog post from Dr. Artie Kavanaugh https://t.co/GodltmEexc https://t.co/Mv2zIvGHyv

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Disease activity defined in adult-onset Still's dz. Criteria developed using Italian cohort 187 & 41 from CONSIDER (canakinumab) trial. Active AOSD based on 5 criteria: fever, plus 1: skin rash, arthritis, pt global>2 cm, CRP > 10 mg/L; or any 3 without fever (AUC 0.93, 0.85, https://t.co/J94pkQqZFP
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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Moral Distress (3.27.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

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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JAMA survey study of 5741 physicians found mean moral distress score (0-10, >4 High) =3.29, w/ 39% having high level of moral distress; more than US workers. Burnout, intent to leave (ITL), or reduce work hours (ITR) was higher for each 1-point incr in moral distress score https://t.co/dslwMztjV7
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory condition that affects persons >50 years of age and is characterized by pain in both shoulders with or without hip or neck pain (or both) and with pronounced morning stiffness. Learn more about the diagnosis and management: https://t.co/pKCl42dGVX

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NEJM @NEJM( View Tweet )
EULAR 2025 Update for Behçet’s syndrome EULAR has updated its recommendations for the management of Behçet’s syndrome, the last being published in 2018. The current update carries no recommendations from the previous version: seven recommendations have content modifications, https://t.co/QcjVUqlyMU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
phase 3 VALOR trial of 6-valent OspA-based Lyme dz vaccine (LB6V) vs placebo; 4 doses given @ Mos 0, 2, 5-9, & 12 mos later. LB6V reduced Lyme Dz risk by 73.2% @28d after 4th dose. But it was only 15.8% effective (falling short of prespecified 20%) because of fewer than expected https://t.co/TcX0GV05gY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
lumbar,spine,lbp,pain

Who Treats Spondyloarthritis Better?

MedPage Today

European nations may be winning at optimizing care for people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), international survey data indicate. In data collected from physicians and patients in the U.S. and five European countries, American patients reported a greater symptom burden on average after

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Prevalence of fibromyalgia in PsA = 18%. FM-PsA pts have higher scores Dz activity scores from FM, rather than inflammation. Fibromyalgia is assoc w/ worse disease outcomes, including failure to achieve low disease activity state and poorer response to therapy. https://t.co/utQRXPmpDs
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Behcets_disease.jpg

EULAR 2025 Update for Behçet’s syndrome

Jack Cush, MD

EULAR has updated its recommendations for the management of Behçet’s syndrome, the last being published in 2018. The current update carries no recommendations from the previous version: seven recommendations have content modifications, four have minor wording amends, and one is entirely new

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"If you have a great 2nd act; the 3rd act writes itself". - Ron Shelton https://t.co/OFgISgu2qF
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
JAMA Patient Education Page on JAMA Eosinophilic Fasciitis (EF). EF is rare, but begins with swelling and redness of the arms and/or legs. Later the skin thickens and develops the peau d' orange appearance. EF does not involve fingers or toes, & doesnt have Raynauds https://t.co/WEFFITtmQC
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
You can change what comes to your attention. We can change the external and internal focus by being mindful of the triggers and amplifiers we consume. If you’re not happy with what your attention is bringing you, you can change it. - Seth Godin https://t.co/QsUxTmjX1U

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Therapeutic Updates

5-Year Results of an IL-23 Inhibitor in Patients With PsA

AbbVie March 2026
Dr. Alvin Wells and Dr. Shikha Singla share their clinical perspectives on using an IL–23 inhibitor to manage patients with PsA throughout their treatment journey in the context of 5-year data from the KEEPsAKE trial program.
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Recent Blogs

Autoantibodies Anonymous

Artie Kavanaugh, MD
AutoAb.Token
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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Advanced Practice Rheum

Difficult to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

Jack Cush, MD
D2T RA Cover
Dr. Cush addresses the management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2TRA).
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Advanced Practice Rheum

Methotrexate

Jack Cush, MD
APR MTX Cover
In this session, Dr. Jack Cush reviews methotrexate.
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Podcasts

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  • ACR 2025 CAR-T Topic Podcasts Compilation 1
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