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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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 )
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/XWJSsIE7Pn
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/azH9bMRsOb
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Hydralazine and the Rare Risk of Vasculitis
Since the 1980s, hydralazine has been a notable cause of drug-induced lupus, and inferred to cause vasculitis as well. A retrospective cohort study from Canada has shown
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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B cell Targeted CAR-T Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases
The review by Qi Li and colleagues provides a comprehensive examination of the progression, clinical applications, challenges, and future directions of B-cell-targeted CAR-T therapy across multiple autoimmune conditions. https://t.co/b1SmrOBbBU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
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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B cell Targeted CAR-T Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases
The review by Qi Li and colleagues provides a comprehensive examination of the progression, clinical applications, challenges, and future directions of B-cell-targeted CAR-T therapy across multiple autoimmune conditions. https://t.co/09BnvVYfiZ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
The prevalence of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Australia is 26,788 (16,294 certain, 10,494 uncertain cases). Betw 2010-2022 incidence was 77-127/100,000 (certain cases). About half had received SLE care in an outpatient setting. Australia is 1/13 the population of USA https://t.co/n1sbFNPRbn
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA)in systemic sclerosis? Retro study of 165 SSc pts (20% diffuse, 33% ILD, 7% PAH); 51% centromere AB+; 29% topoisomerase I+, 12% RNA polymerase III+)-- 22% AMA-positive: assoc w/ GI vascular dz(OR 13.3), gastric antral vascular ectasia (OR 8) & https://t.co/FRhn9qIfOW
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
SATISFACTION (2.27.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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A month ago the FDA Granted Breakthrough Designation to Ianalumab for Sjögren Disease . The drug targets BAFF and depletes B cells. Two recent positive RCTs (NEPTUNUS-1, NEPTUNUS-2). Novartis expects a regulatory decision in early 2026 https://t.co/PXVjGG1Cmd https://t.co/0s5livw1bg
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Diagnosing and Managing GCA and Takayasu’s Arteritis
Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu’s arteritis (TAK) are both large-vessel vasculitides, but each brings its own diagnostic and management challenges. Many of the difficulties overlap because they are rare, https://t.co/ePJqcMjcBA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA)in systemic sclerosis? Retro study of 165 SSc pts (20% diffuse, 33% ILD, 7% PAH); 51% centromere AB+; 29% topoisomerase I+, 12% RNA polymerase III+)-- 22% AMA-positive: assoc w/ GI vascular dz(OR 13.3), gastric antral vascular ectasia (OR 8) & https://t.co/epMgfbj5uW
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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RT @richardPAconway
Dr Sparks. RA-ILD is common. Pooled prevalence of 11% from recent meta-analysis. Less common than SSc or IIM, but more frequent than we think! #RNL26 https://t.co/mJSmMakSBM
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ANA Pollution (2.06.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and regulatory news from this past week on RheumNow.com
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FDA vs. Amgen: At Odds Over Avacopan
MedPage Today
The FDA has requested that Amgen voluntarily withdraw avacopan (Tavneos), a treatment for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, but the company said it has no plans to pull the drug from the market.
Originally developed by ChemoCentryx, the oral
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Only a subset of incomplete lupus (ILE) will progress to SLE - betw 1 in 10 and 1 in 5. Can you Prevent SLE? Dr. David Karp lecturing at UTSW @drdavidkarp @utswrheum https://t.co/oo40Dumk4I
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Giant Cell Arteritis Outcomes in Canada
A retrospective cohort study of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) demonstrates relapses are common and seen in nearly half of patients, were common after treatment is stopped and is not effectively averted by methotrexate (MTX).
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Aortitis in Giant Cell Arteritis Treated with Tocilizumab
The The Tocilizumab in Giant Cell Arteritis Spanish Collaborative Group studied giant cell arteritis with aortitis, comparing the efficacy of intravenous vs. subcutaneously (SC) tocilizumab (TCZ) - demonstrating the superiority of SC TCZ.
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B Cells at the Brink in Sjögren Disease
The current issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology reviews the current understanding of the immunopathogenesis of Sjögren disease (SjD) and how this understanding has informed drug development for this systemic autoimmune disorder. https://t.co/zI7lQ5N54o
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
DMARD Responses in Localized Scleroderma
JAMA Dermatology has published the results of a juvenile localized scleroderma (JLS) trial showing that mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and methotrexate (MTX) are equally effective in treating JLS, noting low flare rates and possibly better tolerability with MMF.
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🧬 PAPA Syndrome: When Sterile Inflammation Mimics Infection
(Pyogenic Arthritis, Pyoderma gangrenosum, Acne)
•A rare monogenic autoinflammatory disease
•Caused by gain-of-function mutations in PSTPIP1
🧠 Pathophysiology
•Mutant PSTPIP1 → increased interaction with pyrin https://t.co/tJ4INdgfky
Ravi Kumar @RheumattDoc( View Tweet )
Recent Blogs
I recently overheard a very good practicing rheumatologist complain, “why do I need yet another drug for psoriatic arthritis? I have more treatment choices than I have actual PsA patients who need a new or better drug”.
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Adult-onset Still's presents an interesting and diagnostic challenge when encountered. Here are 5 tips to improve your diagnostic acumen for this febrile disorder.
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I recently heard of a secondary school assignment wherein students were challenged to “bury” a word that was no longer useful or appropriate. Their exercise has now evolved into an unofficial RheumNow task force to retire diagnostic terms that have grown into misuse in rheumatology and medicine.
How did we decide which words should perish? And by what criteria? Who has the final say?
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ACR 2025 Daily Podcasts Day4b
