麻豆传媒

Rheumatology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in rheumatology.

Lung Transplant Valid in SSc

Patients with systemic sclerosis shouldn't be denied lung transplants.

Gout Patients Wind up in the Hospital Unnecessarily

Single-center study estimates frequency of preventable admissions.

Preterm Birth Common for RA Mothers

Risk for preterm birth was 1.5 times higher with maternal RA.

Novel Marker May Spot RA Early

This marker may differentiate between RA and OA.

That's Not Chronic Lyme, It's Cancer

Three case reports demonstrate the risks of "assuming that patients have chronic Lyme disease."

Joints Tell the Future in Scleroderma

Synovitis predicted progression in skin, vasculature, and kidney.

Shingles Risks Similar for the RA Biologics

The risk of developing herpes zoster was similar among older patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with the various different biologic agents, a retrospective study found.

Make the Diagnosis: Why Did This Toddler Stop Walking?

Case Study: A fourteen-month-old boy had abruptly stopped bearing weight on his left lower extremity. Parents reported no history of trauma to the limb, but the boy鈥檚 medical history included undescended testes. On presentation, the patient had a fever of 100.4掳F, which rose to 101.5掳F He held his left leg externally rotated and flexed at the hip and refused to extend or bear weight on the limb or crawl. The left hip was tender, but without any palpable masses. He showed minimal signs of discomfort with passive rotation and axial loading. The passive range of motion of the hip showed limitations in extension and adduction.

Zorvolex for OA Approved by FDA

The FDA today approved a new low-dose formulation of diclofenac (Zorvolex) for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain, manufacturer Iroko Pharmaceuticals announced.

Minor Changes in Kidney Function With RA Drug

Slight increases in serum creatinine levels were seen in a small number of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with tofacitinib (Xeljanz) in phase III trials, but the clinical significance of the finding is uncertain.

Smoking Worsens Psoriatic Arthritis

Patients with psoriatic arthritis who smoke have worse patient-reported disease features at baseline and don't respond as well as nonsmokers to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment, a Danish study found.

High Urate? Get Moving, Study Finds

Regular exercise significantly lessened the excess mortality risk associated with elevated serum uric acid, a large Taiwanese study found.

Now What? DEA Tosses Tramadol in Schedule IV

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) scheduled tramadol as a Schedule IV substance -- whats the big fuss about tramadol that led to this decision by the DEA?

Arthritis Knee Pain Eased by Chinese Med

The traditional Chinese medicine practice of moxibustion was effective in reducing pain and improving function among patients with knee osteoarthritis, a randomized clinical trial found.

Heart Risk Higher in Sjogren's Patients

PARIS -- Patients with Sjogren's syndrome had more than double the heart attack risk seen in the general population, a researcher reported here.

Orencia Combo Tops in Early, Severe RA

PARIS -- In a study of patients with poor-prognosis early rheumatoid arthritis, more patients treated with abatacept (Orencia) plus methotrexate were in remission at 1 year than were those on methotrexate alone, a researcher reported here.

AMA Clamps Down on MOC, But Punts on Gun Regs

CHICAGO -- The AMA鈥檚 House of Delegates drew the line on this year's hot button topic -- maintenance of certification (MOC), saying it should not be mandatory, nor should it be a condition of licensure.

How To Tell Fake Neck Pain From Real: The Pain Medicine News Report

A regular update on what鈥檚 new in surgery from our friends at Pain Medicine News.

Vaccines and Biologics: Questions Remain

Vaccinations for patients with autoimmune diseases -- specifically patients being treated with biologics -- bring with them a variety of issues, including disease-specific, medication-related, and vaccine-associated factors, researchers suggested.

Bone Drug No Help in Severe Gout

Bisphosphonate treatment failed to prevent the development of bone erosions in patients with longstanding tophaceous gout, a 2-year randomized study found.

Medtronic's Infuse Moves From Operating Room to Courtroom

An investigative series by 麻豆传媒/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the spinal fusion device called Infuse in a 4-year-long series and now reports how a flawed FDA system for device approval may have led to a long string of adverse events culminating in thousands of liability suits.

Shingle Risk High in Lupus, RA, COPD

Patients with autoimmune diseases and certain other chronic conditions are at increased risk for herpes zoster, a U.K. case-control study found.

Humira No Help for Arthritic Hands

Treatment of hand osteoarthritis with adalimumab (Humira) was unsuccessful, a randomized multicenter trial found.

MRI Helps ID Heart Risk in Scleroderma

LIVERPOOL -- Cardiac MRI could help provide diagnostic information about potential arrhythmogenic events among patients with scleroderma being considered for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, a researcher said here.

RA Patients Living a Decade Longer

LIVERPOOL -- Life expectancy among patients with rheumatoid arthritis has increased dramatically over the past 25 years, a researcher reported here.

Shingles Vaccine OK in Mild Lupus

NEW YORK -- Vaccination against shingles may be safe for patients with mild, stable systemic lupus erythematosus, a researcher said here.

Rheuminations: Blame the Pain on the Rain?

Do your arthritis patients complain that their symptoms are influenced by the cold and wet weather? There's plenty of support for this, including a new study out of the Netherlands seeking to quantify this link and examine contributing factors.

A Cure for Chlamydia Arthritis?

Increased understanding of the biology and survival tactics of Chlamydia trachomatis is suggesting that the post-infectious chronic arthritis experienced by many patients may actually be curable.

Medtronic Sued by 1,000 Infuse Patients

Medtronic said about 1,000 people have sued the company over its bone morphogenetic protein-2 product, Infuse, and that many more lawsuits may be coming.

Killing Pain: Xanax Tops Charts

Alprazolam, more popularly known by its brand name -- Xanax--is America's favorite tranquilizer and one that is often used in combination with an opioid.

Rituxan Offers Little Help for Sjogren's

Treatment for primary Sjogren's syndrome with the B-cell depleting antibody rituximab (Rituxan) failed to provide statistically significant improvements, despite the increasing evidence for B cells in the pathogenesis of this disorder, French researchers reported.

Top News in Rheumatology: Epstein-Barr and Autoimmunity

Epstein-Barr virus and autoimmunity topped a busy week in rheumatology followed by a study linking smoking and RA and the recall of an arthritis supplement.

Killing Pain: Tramadol the 'Safe' Drug of Abuse

Almost 2 decades have passed since the FDA approved tramadol as a 'safe' opioid, but the intervening years provide evidence to question that 'safe' claim, as this latest investigation by John Fauber for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-麻豆传媒 revealed.

Neuropathy May Signal Lupus

Peripheral neuropathy is a more common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus than has been previously appreciated, and often is a small-fiber neuropathy affecting the dorsal root ganglia, a large retrospective study found.

High IgG Signals Autoimmunity in Kids

High levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in children -- and particularly girls -- were associated with the development of autoimmune disease, researchers found.

Autoantibodies a Big Deal in Sjogren鈥檚

SAN DIEGO -- A broader range of autoantibodies may play a role in Sjogren's syndrome than has previously been appreciated, researchers found.

Mom's Lupus Tied to Child's Autism

SAN DIEGO -- Children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus have twice the risk for autism spectrum disorders as those whose mothers are unaffected, a Canadian researcher reported here.

Antidepressants, Lyrica OK Combo in Fibromyalgia

SAN DIEGO -- Patients with fibromyalgia who were taking antidepressants found that their pain was successfully managed with pregabalin (Lyrica), a researcher said here.

Few Lupus, IBD Patients Getting HPV Vaccine

SAN DIEGO -- Despite being at greater risk of infection, few children and young adults with autoimmune diseases are being vaccinated against human papillomavirus, according to a study.

Opioid Use Common After Spine Surgery

NEW ORLEANS -- One year after surgery to relieve back pain, about of third of patients still were using narcotic painkillers, according to a study that raised new concerns about the long-term use of opioids.

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