News
RheumNow Podcast – Sweet Lies or Hard Truths? (2.26.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and Journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.Measureable Benefits to Treat-to-Target Management in RA
Desai and colleagues have published that when a learning collaborative group focused on a treat‐to‐target approach was compared to usual care, a modest but significant impact on implementation, treatment changes and patient outcomes in RA patients managed with a treat‐to‐target approach was seen.Higher Lupus Mortality Among Minority Populations
The February 19th MMWR reports that higher mortality rates in certain patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); data based on recent San Francisco County statistics showing a four fold higher mortality among Asian and Hispanic/Latina females with SLE.ANAGO Study - Anakinra for Gout Flare
Diagnosis & Treatment of Osteoarthritis Reviewed
Katz, Arant and Loeser have published a comprehensive open-read overview of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee in JAMA; underscoring the impact, advances, disappointments and guidelines put forth.
Lung Preservation with Tocilizumab in Early Systemic Sclerosis
Arthritis & Rheumatology has published the results of a subanalysis from tocilizumab (TCZ) clinical trials showing that Il-6 inhibition was associated with preservation of lung function patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc).
RheumNow Podcast – Systemic Sclerosis Pearls (2.19.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews nearly a dozen news and journal reports from the past 2 weeks on RheumNow.com, including the ACR's new COVID-19 vaccine guidance for patients with rheumatic disease.High Risk Cancer Profiling with Inflammatory Myositis
A recent metanalysis of studies suggest you may be able to use certain clinical factors to stratify cancer risk in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).Avacopan - Is it Really a Win for ANCA-Associated Vasculitis?
The NEJM has reported the results of a study showing that avacopan, a C5a receptor inhibitor, is as effective as steroids at treating patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV).
Alveolar Hemorrhage and Mortality in Lupus
Metanalysis of patients with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), show this to be a rare and life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), that is more apt to affect older, severe lupus patients with active infection.
Checkpoint Inhibitor Use with Pre-existing Autoimmune Disease
Annals of Internal Medicine reports treating advanced melanoma with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with pre-existing autoimmune disease (AID) was as effective and safe in those with AID compared to those without AID, although severe colitis occurred more frequently among pati


