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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Figure 2: Renal Biopsy

The Classification & Diagnosis of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

Harry E. Subramanian, Ravi Sutaria, MD, & Fotios Koumpouras, MD  |  

Based on the classification system developed by the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis is defined as a necrotizing vasculitis involving small vessels that is associated with myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA or proteinase 3 (PR3) ANCA and displays minimal immune deposits. The mechanism behind the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated vasculitis is not fully…

5 Misconceptions about Immune Deficiency

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The immune system is an ocean, wide, vast and unfathomably deep, over which we rheumatologists traverse. Beyond the ripples, waves and eddies on the surface, we can only imagine what lies under the surface. With new information from basic laboratory studies and the incorporation of immunomodulators into clinical practice, we have some new insight into…

Does the Metal-Fatigue Principle Apply to Elderly Bones?

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Can principles from engineering provide a broader understanding of how the human skeleton works and be used to help prevent a common and often consequential event for people as they age—bone fractures? Research from a team of investigators that includes orthopedic surgeons and mechanical engineers suggests that, yes, looking at how engineered materials, such as…

New Study Works Toward Better Lupus Classification Criteria

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In 1982, the ACR developed classification criteria for the identification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for use in research. The ACR updated these criteria in 1997, and in 2012, the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) group developed an additional set of classification criteria. In 2014, in an attempt to establish and refine even more…

The State of the Science: Annual Research Meetings Foster Collaboration & Mentorship

David Daikh, MD, PhD, & Abby Abelson, MD, FACR  |  

The 11th annual Investigators’ Meeting and the Rheumatology Research Workshop, held in June in San Francisco, were by all accounts great successes. California sunshine greeted more than 120 attendees as we came together to share the latest advances and updates in rheumatology research. These annual meetings have something for every research professional, whether you work…

From Dog Clickers to Scripts—Thoughts on Learning to Teach

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You can purchase a dog clicker for about $3 on Amazon. If you don’t own a dog, this is not a useful piece of information. I don’t own a dog, and the first time I heard the phrase dog clicker, I thought—I think understandably—that it was some sort of remote control. If you don’t own…

Antiphospholipid Syndrome: The Risk of Travel at High Altitudes

Antiphospholipid Syndrome: The Risk of Travel at High Altitudes

Vaneet Kaur Sandhu, MD, & Kathleen Teves, MD  |  

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune clotting disorder that may present catastrophically with multiple thromboses over a short period of time. In this article, we examine the case of a woman with undiagnosed APS whose first symptoms presented during a long-haul flight. A review of the literature on thrombosis at high altitudes and during long…

TNF Inhibitors Do Not Seem to Boost Cancer-Recurrence Rates

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors do not appear to increase cancer-recurrence rates in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new findings from Sweden. TNF has both tumor-promoting and cancer-protective effects, so TNF inhibitors could conceivably affect the risk for cancer recurrence. However, few studies have reported the risk for cancer relapse…