English for the Biologically-Challenged (8.4.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week highlights Veterans, Vegetarians and Antenatal Corticosteroids.
News
Rheumatology Journals Rife With Faulty Conflict-of-Interest
MedPage Today
More often than not, conflict-of-interest disclosures in three major rheumatology journals didn't match records in the U.S. government's Open Payments database, researchers found.
Antenatal Corticosteroids and Serious Infection in Offspring
A claims data study shows that maternal use of antenatal corticosteroids may be associated with an increased risk of serious infection in the offspring's first 12 months.
2023-2024 Best Rheumatology Hospitals
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has been named the top hospital for rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report. This is the 6th year in a row they have held this spot.
Bifunctional B-cell Targeted Therapy in IgG4-related Disease
A novel B-cell depletion trial, using obexelimab (a bifunctional, monoclonal antibody that binds CD19 and Fc gamma receptor IIb), has shown efficacy and safety in patients with active IgG4-related disease.
Tofacitinib in Polymyalgia Rheumatica (EAST PMR Study)
An open-label, uncontrolled pilot trial has shown that JAK signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of PMR and that tofacitinib is as effective as glucocorticoids (GC) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
Altered Gut Biome in Inflammatory Arthritis
MedPage Today
Another study has confirmed that the intestinal microbiome's composition in people with inflammatory arthritis differs from that in other people, and in potentially unhealthy ways -- but whether the microbiome alterations actually cause arthritis is less clear. In fact, the investigato
Predicting Inflammatory Arthritis in At-Risk Persons
The Annals of Internal Medicine has published a predictive score to distinguish low-risk from high-risk inflammatory arthritis (IA) and who may benefit from risk stratification and preventive measures.
Pain in the Neck (7.28.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week COVID persists, mortality from misdiagnosis, and cervical pain is more than a pain in the neck.
IL-23 Inhibitor Performance in Psoriatic Disease
IL-23 inhibitors are approved for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; a single center real-world observational study shows three commercially available IL-23 inhibitors have high and similar drug survival and effectiveness in difficult-to-treat psoriasis and PsA.
2023 ACR/EULAR Criteria for Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease
The prevalence of radiographic chondrocalcinosis is estimated to be 4% to ≥10% in older adults, but the prevalence of symptomatic calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease is unknown. To advance our understanding of CPPD, the American College of Rheumatology and EULAR have published validated classification criteria for symptomatic CPPD disease.
Unrecognized Mental Health Problems in Autoimmune Diseases
More than half of patients with auto-immune conditions experience mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, yet the majority are rarely or never asked in clinic about mental health symptoms, according to new research from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London.
