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Best Imaging in Giant Cell Arteritis - US, PET, MRI?

Imaging is often instrumental in diagnosing and staging patients diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA).  A new study compared the diagnostic performance of Colour Duplex Ultrasound (CDUS), Fluor-18-deoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) and

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JAMA: SLE Review

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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Pearl: Three "S" Rule (Smoking, Seropositivity, Sex/Male): if present the risk of RA-UIP (ILD) goes up nearly 13 fold (ACR23 Abstract 1269) https://t.co/heiTtarS1Y https://t.co/EkHbmMgIEC
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Pearl: 40% of acute gout attacks will have a normal serum uric acid (that will elevated during intercritical phase) - Draw the lab during and after the attack. https://t.co/nNdFWx3gjY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Quote: ""I got the message. All of us get the message, sooner or later. If you get it before it's too late or before you're too old, you'll pull through all right." ~ Nat King Cole https://t.co/dtGqztmJie
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
GEM: Your Clinic Desk needs to be where you can see your patients enter/walk/rise into the clinic. Also pts can see where you work. They learn you & you learn them in ways not gleaned from the exam room https://t.co/WfFqiuztW1
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

CV Risk Early with Rheumatic Disease Diagnosis

A Finnish populaton study shows that the temporal relationship between cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities in rheumatic diseases (RMD) is seen early after the RMD diagnosis.

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Washington Post: Case of Delayed Rheum Diagnosis

The Washington Post recently published a "medical mystery" case titled, "Medical Mysteries: A rolled ankle set this runner down a painful path", which tells the tale of how and why rheumatologists are often not consulted or are consulted too late.



The patient is a 33 year old

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Again, a High Mortality with Depression and RA

Last week we reported on a Korean study showing a 66% elevated mortality risk in RA patients (n=38,487) with depression. This week, a new report shows depression in RA increases the mortality risk by more

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Can Mycophenolate be Stopped in Stable SLE?

In patients with clinicall stable systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis, the withdrawal of mycophenolate mofetil was not significantly inferior to mycophenolate maintenance, but MMF withdrawal had numerically more reactivations, while MMF maintenance had more infections.

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Sniffles & Arthritis (3.1.2024)

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....





  1. No clear link between weather & MSK symptoms

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Aging Brain Increases Pain in Older Women

EurekAlert!

A new study has found that the brain system enabling us to inhibit our own pain changes with age, and that gender-based differences in those changes may lead females to be more sensitive to moderate pain than males as older adults.

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Outcomes of Acute, Subacute and Persistent Low Back Pain

EurekAlert!

Low back pain is a major cause of disability around the globe, with more than 570 million people affected. In the United States alone, health care spending on low back pain was $134.5 billion between 1996 and 2016, and costs are increasing.



"The good news is that most

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Dr. A Kavanaugh discussed Ethics #RNL2024: publication bias where positive results are likely to be published compared to those with no effects -- this is a sham study with made up data submitted to 2 different ortho journals. @rheumnow https://t.co/j6gVgA67nC
TheDaoIndex @KDAO2011( View Tweet )
Kavanaugh on Medical Ethics #RNL2024 @RheumNow How do we informed consent? - How to fully inform pts in complex research? - Or paternalistic to not provide detailed info - How deep to disc risk/ben? - Easier to study in countries w/o good SoC Prior hx: prisoners, Nazi, Tuskegee

Eric Dein @ericdeinmd( View Tweet )

How I do it, treatment of CGA with Dr. @philseo, who thoughtfully paused so everyone could take a picture of this slide knowing full well it was already at our fingertips! Such a gentleman! #RNL2024 @RheumNow https://t.co/8kqacqkRM6
Dr. Rachel Tate @uptoTate( View Tweet )
"Please remember to discuss personal goals with patients (such as having children) centered around options that would not risk personal health (disease worsening, flaring, death, etc), such as surrogacy in pregnancy." @DrCassySims @RheumNow #RNL2024

Dr. Rachel Tate @uptoTate( View Tweet )

"The most successful pregnancies are planned during periods of well controlled disease on pregnancy compatible medications." Dr. C Sims #RNL2024 @RheumNow @DrCassySims

Dr. Rachel Tate @uptoTate( View Tweet )

Methotrexate Nodulosis (1.19.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com. How good (or not) are rheumatologists and what to do about MTX nodulosis?





  1. Network meta-analyses of 153 trials & 8713 patients w/ chronic pain from TMJ disorders; Most effective (

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2023 In Memoriam

In 2023, too many of our rheumatology colleagues passed away. Here is an incomplete list of our revered fellow practitioners, mentors, role-models, and researchers.



These clinicians were responsible for the care of hundreds of thousands with MSK problems, while driving the scientific

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Does Weight Loss Really Work in Gout?

A clinical trial has shown that obese gout patients will benefit from diet and lowered body weight, but weight loss was not associated with beneficial effects on serum urica acid (SUA), fatigue or pain.



Weight loss is commonly recommended as management strategy for gout patients. This

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Best of 2023: Cost-Effective Use of Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs

An international task force of 13 European experts have developed evidence-based points to consider regarding the cost-effective use of biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (including rheumatoid

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Empathy is the hard part. The rest is mechanics. We're not wired to walk in someone else's shoes, it's not our first instinct. Showing up with empathy is difficult, hard to outsource and will wear you out. But it's precisely what we need from you. - Seth Godin… https://t.co/U8Ou3WwBmC https://t.co/C4aAVovHDH
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Best of 2023: 25 Great Women in Rheumatology

This week I reached out to many leaders in rheumatology and asked: who are the great women in rheumatology who should be recognized? This was prompted by a smart article in Annals of Rheumatic Disease written by Drs. Tuhina Neogi (Boston) and Nicola Dalbeth (N. Zealand), entitled "Where are the

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ICYMI: ACR Plenaries: Changing the Practice of Rheumatology

Over the years of navigating the annual meeting, I found the sessions with the most impact to my practice were the Plenary Sessions. During these sessions, the latest research is presented, new ideas are floated, and old myths debunked. Here are the top ACR2023 Plenary abstracts I found

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