Articles By Cassandra Calabrese, DO
Rheumatic Manifestations Following Chikungunya Infection
In the Makonde language, “Chikungunya” translates to “that which bends up”, descriptive of the twisted posture of those infected secondary to intense joint and muscle pain experienced during the acute phase of the disease.
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No Increase in Infections with Pre-Op Infliximab Before Hip or Knee Replacement
Up to 30% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will eventually undergo joint reconstructive surgery, yet we have limited data to guide the perioperative management of DMARDs and biologics.
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Efficacy of Pneumococcal Vaccine in RA Patients
Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in RA patients and thus vaccinating against preventable infections is a top priority for rheumatologists.
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Complement Driven Vasculopathy Underlies Neuropsychiatric Lupus
Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) is a diagnostic challenge as its clinical manifestations are protean and the pathophysiology is poorly understood.
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Risk of GI Perforations on Biologics
Gastrointestinal perforation is a rare but serious complication that RA patients may be at particular risk for.
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Herpes Zoster and GCA – What’s the Deal?
In November I reported on an abstract presented at ACR by Muratore, et al. who looked for evidence of VZV infection in temporal artery biopsies of GCA patients and found none.
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Herpes Zoster and Giant Cell Arteritis
The potential association of herpes zoster with giant cell arteritis (GCA) has been a debated topic and certainly has gotten some attention at ACR 2016 this year.
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Dual Cytokine Inhibition for RA
The notion of a single biologic targeting two cytokines is intriguing. ABT-122 is a new dual-variable domain immunoglobulin that neutralizes both TNF-α and IL-17A.
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Tocilizumab Infections Less in ACPA+ Patients
Tocilizumab is in the spotlight at this year’s ACR 2016 meeting but there is still much to learn, including more about its safety profile. In an abstract presented at today’s poster session (Abstract 2618), Morel, et al.
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Herpes Zoster and Giant Cell Arteritis
The potential association of herpes zoster with giant cell arteritis (GCA) has been a debated topic and certainly has gotten some attention at ACR 2016 this year.
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