Rheumatologists News and Research

RSS

Major doctor group coalition expands list of tests, treatments that should be done only rarely

The American Board of Internal Medicine, as part of its "Choosing Wisely" campaign, expanded the number of medical societies recommending caution before certain tests and procedures are ordered.

22 Feb 2013

IRHOM2-targeted drugs can effectively treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a potential new target for drugs to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a protein known as IRHOM2. The finding could provide an effective and potentially less toxic alternative therapy to tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers (TNF-blockers), the mainstay of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and could help patients who do not respond to this treatment. Efforts to develop drugs that hone in on this new target are underway.

28 Jan 2013

Novel antibodies can aid in early diagnosis of Sjogren's Syndrome

Patients suffering from the painful autoimmune disease, Sjogren's Syndrome, will soon be able to be properly diagnosed much earlier, thanks to the discovery of novel antibodies by researchers at the University at Buffalo and Immco Diagnostics, Inc. The breakthrough, described in a paper in the December issue of Clinical Immunology, will allow patients to be treated sooner when they are much more likely to benefit.

14 Dec 2012

MusculoskeletalNetwork features special coverage of sessions from ACR annual meeting

UBM Medica US announces that MusculoskeletalNetwork features special coverage of sessions from the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), including the latest information about new FDA processes for approval of biosimilars that are like generic versions of expensive medications now used to treat painful rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

17 Nov 2012

FDA approves Pfizer’s XELJANZ to treat rheumatoid arthritis

Pfizer Inc. has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for XELJANZ (tofacitinib citrate) 5 mg twice daily for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate.

6 Nov 2012

Musculoskeletal ultrasound being increasingly used for diagnosis and management of rheumatic diseases

More rheumatologists are embracing musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) to diagnose and manage rheumatic diseases. In response, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) assembled a task force to investigate and determine best practices for use of MSUS in rheumatology practice. The resulting scenario-based recommendations, which aim to help clinicians understand when it is reasonable to integrate MSUS into their rheumatology practices, now appear online in Arthritis Care & Research.

29 Oct 2012

HSS announces opening of new Lerner Children's Pavilion

The new Pavilion within the #1 hospital for orthopedics in the country affirms HSS' longstanding commitment to championing children and caring for their musculoskeletal conditions.

26 Oct 2012

Two-part ACR guidelines on gout

Gout is one of the most common forms of inflammatory arthritis, affecting nearly 4% of adult Americans. Newly approved guidelines that educate patients in effective methods to prevent gout attacks and provide physicians with recommended therapies for long-term management of this painful disease are published in Arthritis Care & Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

28 Sep 2012

Sleep disorder treatment: an interview with Dr Seth Lederman, President and CEO of Tonix Pharmaceuticals

Sleep disorders are a large area. We are focused on one particular type of sleep disturbance called “non-restorative” sleep. People with this problem do sleep, but they don’t wake up feeling refreshed or feeling that their sleep has had the restorative effects of healthy sleep.

29 Aug 2012

Study compares mortality rates among RA patients treated with individual TNF inhibitors

New research confirms no significant difference in the rates of death among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were exposed to one of several TNF inhibitors used to treat RA, adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel), and infliximab (Remicade).

8 Aug 2012

Discrepancies between patients and physicians' views of RA disease activity

Researchers from Austria have determined that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their doctors differ on perception of RA disease activity.

18 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis patients and their doctors differ on perception of disease activity

Researchers from Austria have determined that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their doctors differ on perception of RA disease activity. The study now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and published by Wiley, reports that RA patients cite joint pain as the reason for their perception of a change in their disease activity. Rheumatologists, however, stressed joint swelling as the major determinant for their perception of change in RA disease activity.

18 Jul 2012

Questionnaire may aid rheumatoid arthritis flare diagnosis

French researchers have created a 13-item patient-administered questionnaire for identifying a recent or present rheumatoid arthritis flare.

9 Jul 2012

Sun exposure advice recommended for anti-TNF users

Rheumatology patients using antitumor necrosis factor treatment should be given sun exposure education to reduce their risk for skin cancer, say Irish researchers.

2 Jul 2012

Current diagnosis and treatment approaches for rheumatoid arthritis

In the realm of deadly and disabling diseases, conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's seem to attract the most media attention. But there are others that take a similarly high toll, and rheumatoid arthritis is one of them, Mayo Clinic researchers say. It is a common cause of disability: 1 of every 5 rheumatoid arthritis patients is unable to work two years after diagnosis, and within five years, that rises to one-third. Life expectancy drops by up to five years.

2 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis infection risk predicted by RABBIT

The RABBIT risk score can predict the likelihood of serious infection in rheumatoid arthritis patients using tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, research confirms.

11 Jun 2012

Smoking RA patients don't respond to anti-TNF drugs

A new study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, reinforces current thinking that smoking negatively affects treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs.

8 Jun 2012

Study identifies 5 biomarkers that may predict progression of spinal damage in AS patients

A new study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, has identified five biomarkers that may predict the progression of structural damage in the spine of patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) who are already at high risk of disease progression.

7 Jun 2012

STELARA effectively reduces signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving the interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitor STELARA (ustekinumab) experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of the disease, according to new findings presented today from a Janssen Research & Development, LLC, (Janssen)-sponsored investigational study.

6 Jun 2012

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA Phase 3 study on axSpA

Abbott today announced results from the open-label extension of the Phase 3 ABILITY-1 investigational study of HUMIRA (adalimumab), which assessed the improvement in signs and symptoms of disease for patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who have no X-ray evidence of structural damage.

6 Jun 2012