Updated research on the complexities of central nervous system (CNS) lupus, as well as its diagnosis and treatment are discussed.


Updated research on the complexities of central nervous system (CNS) lupus, as well as its diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

After intense academic classroom studies, University of Nebraska College of Medicine students in Omaha are able to put what they are learning in practice through the university’s Live Patient Experience (LPE) program, led by the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology. The LPE gives students real-life experience with patients and can serve as motivation to consider…

Two ACR-led resolutions on in-office specialty drug dispensing and the proposed NIH Public Access Plan passed the House of Delegates and will become AMA policy.

In a clinical trial, patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) did not experience a reduction in disease activity with the addition of rezpegaldesleukin to their standard treatments. However, some patient populations did see improvements in their disease activity compared with the placebo-treated group.

New prescribing guidance has been issued by the FDA for immediate-release and extended-release/long-acting opioids for pain management. The agency also announced multiple label updates, which include changes to the Boxed Warnings.
Past studies have suggested that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who consume a moderate amount of alcohol may experience lower disease activity and higher quality of life than non-drinkers. In this study, Alfredsson, et al. confirmed earlier studies’ claims that alcohol consumption reduces disease activity in a dose-dependent manner, and also indicated that patients who stopped drinking post-baseline experienced worsened disease activity, more pain and a lower quality of life.
Joseph Cantrell, JD |
This legislative season has seen key pharmacy benefit manager reforms but slow movement on other issues, such as copay accumulators and utilization management. The ACR is also monitoring emerging topics, such as biomarker testing and post-public health emergency telehealth reforms.

“What are you up to this weekend?” “Flying to Guam.” “What? Why?” “I promised an entire island I’d be their doctor.” In fall 2021, Jonathon Thorp, MD, phoned a friend. A passionate internist, he was bound and determined to bring a rheumatologist to Guam. Unlike most primary care providers (PCPs), he was willing to prescribe…

Over the past decade, a number of pilot studies have provided proof of concept for the use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to treat rheumatic conditions. The studies represent an expansion of this treatment approach into rheumatology, building on years of scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of VNS on disease states that led to preclinical…

Geoffrey E. Thiele, MD, & Sara Haro, MD |
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a type of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated small vessel vasculitis that typically affects the kidneys, lungs and sinuses.1 Due to an overlap in signs and symptoms, GPA may initially be difficult to distinguish from IgG4-related disease, another condition that can affect multiple tissues and has variable presentations. Further complicating…