Vanessa Caceres is a freelance medical writer and editor based in Florida. She has a BA in journalism and psychology and a Master's degree in teaching English as a second language/bilingual education. She writes regularly for ophthalmology and rheumatology physician publications, as well as other specialties.
As treatments for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) emerge, a clinical trial comparing the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor adalimumab provided some new insights. Published earlier this year in The New England Journal of Medicine, the SELECT-PsA 1, double-blind, phase 3 trial found that a 30 mg dose of upadacitinib… [Read More]
At the recent Florida Society of Rheumatology meeting, ACR executive vice president Steven Echard, IOM, CAE, emphasized the role of collaborations with state organizations in the ACR’s plans to modernize and expand its activities and offerings. ... [Read More]
Presenters at the Access in Rheumatology meeting held in advance of the ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium took a deep dive into the access challenges faced by rheumatology patients and discussed possible solutions. Treatment At least until 2026, prescription drug spending will exceed the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and health spending, said rheumatologist Colin C…. [Read More]
Learn to properly use the revised CPT codes to document your time and medical decision making during patient visits to help ensure your practice is appropriately remunerated.... [Read More]
Researchers found nearly all systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have autoantibodies against long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1) p40. These findings suggest LINE-1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. ... [Read More]
Younger individuals (<50 years) have a stronger genetic component in their fibromyalgia score than older individuals (>60 years), according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 Studies that suggest a strong familial component to fibromyalgia have often focused on individuals with primary fibromyalgia who did not have another accompanying disorder, the study authors report…. [Read More]
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In a year like no other, the 2020 virtual ACR Convergence was a meeting like no other. Nonetheless, the meeting introduced a healthy mix of clinical insights and take-home pearls, according to panelists in the meeting’s closing session, Bright Future: Discovery & Growth. In this session, panelists discussed some of the biggest news… [Read More]
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Sjögren’s syndrome requires care from several specialists, and presenters at the Sjögren’s Syndrome: Dental and Ocular Perspectives session shared diagnostic and treatment pearls from their respective specialties. Rebecca Manno, MD, MHS, of the Comprehensive Arthritis and Rheumatology Center of the U.S. Virgin Islands moderated the session. Oral Health Dry mouth is famously associated… [Read More]
In phase 3 clinical trial, upadacitnib proved superior to placebo and adalimumab in improving the signs and symptoms of RA in patients on stable background methotrexate.... [Read More]
The use of an interleukin (IL) 17A inhibitor resulted in gut microbial dysbiosis and features of subclinical intestinal inflammation in a subgroup of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients, according to a multidisciplinary, collaborative study across several institutions published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 Understanding the downstream effects of these perturbations is an important step… [Read More]