Articles By Jack Cush, MD
Enbrel Approved for Pediatric Chronic Plaque Psoriasis
Etanercept (Enbrel) received FDA approval Friday for use in children with moderate to severe, chronic plaque psoriasis. Previously approved for adults with plaque psoriasis the new indication will be for chronic plaque psoriasis for those over age 4 years.
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RheumNow Week in Review – 4 November 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights and reports from this week on RheumNow.com, including drug-induced cutaneous lupus, pediatric lupus being worse, new gout drug SEL-12, Gut microbiome and IgA plasmablasts, and the weakly-received new ACP guidelines on gout.
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Opioids are Like Guns in the Hands of Children
The opioid abuse epidemic is well known and the focus of many regulators and health care personnel. The problem also affects the youngest Americans, according to a recent Washington Post article.
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Bariatric Surgery Thwarts Gout and Hyperuricemia
The rising incidence of gout has been directly linked to the obesity epidemic. The influence of obesity on gout was further tested in a cohort study of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery as part of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study.
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ACP Gout Guidelines Reviewed and Critiqued by Rheumatologists
ACP released clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gout. Interestingly, these are not always aligned with the 2012 ACR gout guidelines.
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Decreased CD4 T Cells with Rituximab Infusions
Rituximab (RTX) is a monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen on B cells and when administered causes a marked depletion of CD20+ B cells.
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Lymphotoxin B and Adipose Derived Stromal Cells Regulate Skin Fibrosis in Scleroderma
A possible mechanism behind the fibrosis that occurs in scleroderma has now been identified, a mechanism, researchers say, that may one day lead to a treatment for the disease.
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When Cheap Generics Morph Into Expensive Prescriptions
The Wall Street Journal has reported an alarming trend in generic drug pricing that affects many, especially the elderly and those with arthrtis.
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Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Increases
The MMWR has reported that Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), previously (1999) had an estimated 1.8 million (0.9%) prevalence. But as of 2015, an estimated 3.1 million (1.3%) of U.S.
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Is There a Familial Risk to Scleroderma?
Using population based data, researchers found a 10 fold increase prevalence of SSc in first degree relatives. That equates to a relative risk of 81. Genetic factors appear to be important in the risk for scleroderma.
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