View the question. Findings/Diagnosis The AP radiograph of the left hip (see Figure 1) shows periarticular, well-defined erosions of the left hip (white arrow) without joint space narrowing or osteophytes. There is no fracture. There are surgical clips and a calcified mass in the right hemipelvis (black ellipsis), representing a failed renal transplant. The coronal STIR…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Technologists working in nuclear medicine have a heightened risk for some cancers and myocardial infarction, according to a nationwide U.S. survey led by National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers. “Our results were mainly driven by exposures occurring before 1980, which is consistent with evidence that most cancers and other serious radiation-related chronic disease…
Etanercept Biosimilars A number of Phase 3 trials are ongoing for etanercept biosimilars.1 One evaluation identified three trials in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and one in psoriasis patients. The psoriatic arthritis trial evaluated PASI as a primary endpoint and the following secondary endpoints: PASI50, PASI75, PASI90, PASI score, laboratory values, ECG, adverse events (AEs), injection…
The only way to be confident your practice is performing well is to conduct periodic internal reviews of your practice operations. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the intimate details of your practice operations and identify what you are doing well and what needs improvement. Doing so will not only help your practice become…
It takes adjustment and patience. That sounds like rheumatology. But for Fred Murphy, DO, FACP, FACR, it also defines his other career—drink inventor. From a drink for the whole family to another he claims helps hangovers, creating beverages is a challenge he relishes. “It’s fun to see what I can come up with next,” he…
ROME, Italy—Even with classification criteria that have been updated and refined over time, rheumatoid arthritis is still a diagnosis that ultimately has to be made with clinical judgment, said Ronald van Vollenhoven, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and chief of clinical therapy research in inflammatory diseases at the Karolinska University in Sweden. His remarks came…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Clinical outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are similar with abatacept and tocilizumab treatment, but the factors that predict efficacy differ for the two agents. “The recommendations for RA treatment from the U.S. and EU describe the use of abatacept and tocilizumab as first-line biologics along with anti-TNF (anti-tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors,” Dr….
ROME, Italy—Fatigue, a problem experienced frequently by patients with rheumatic diseases, is best thought of as a survival mechanism and as a single phenomenon, not a condition that comes in a variety of forms, an expert said in a session at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Gene Regulated…
A growing understanding of the immunomodulatory effect of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is edging closer to having clinical applications that could one day benefit patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers pursuing this as an alternative path to biomarkers are investigating whether autonomic status can be used to predict response to therapy. Seattle-area rheumatologist and…
Over the years, cell phones have evolved from purse-size behemoths to the size of a wristwatch. In addition, they have moved from basically a portable telephone to the smartphones of today. Both the changes in size and the added functions have resulted in new concerns for physicians. “We had a family meeting about two years…