Search results for: cancer

U.S. Hip Fracture Incidence Declines with Reductions in Smoking & Drinking

Lisa Rapaport | August 4, 2020

(Reuters Health)—Age-adjusted hip fracture incidence has declined in the U.S. over the past four decades, aided by a decline in smoking and alcohol consumption, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on 4,918 men and 5,634 women who participated in the prospective Framingham Heart Study from 1970 to 2010. Overall, the age-adjusted incidence of hip…

Insights into Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Inflammatory Arthritis

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | July 29, 2020

Recent research found inflammatory arthritis caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may become a long-term disease, requiring rheumatology care and immunomodulatory treatment. Some patients experience active inflammatory arthritis years after ICI cessation…

In Memoriam … J. Timothy Harrington, MD, MACR: July 6, 1940–June 23, 2020

William Arnold, MD; Tim Bartholow, MD; Drew Johnson, MS, MBA; Joel Kremer, MD; Daniel Malone, MD; Eric D. Newman, MD; Kenneth Saag, MD; & Douglas White, MD | June 30, 2020

June saw the passing of a beloved colleague, mentor and friend to many in the rheumatology community when J. Timothy Harrington, MD, died of pancreatic cancer in his hometown of Madison, Wis. Dr. Harrington trained at Massachusetts General Hospital, the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute and UT Southwestern Medical Center, and served on…

Spring 2020’s Awards, Appointments & Announcements in Rheumatology

Gretchen Henkel | June 15, 2020

Keith Sullivan, MD, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Mentorship, collaboration and a quest for cure shine through as major themes in the distinguished career of Keith M. Sullivan, MD, the James B. Wyngaarden Professor of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. On Friday, Feb. 21, those themes dominated his acceptance speech when he received a…

A Peaceful Medical Mission in Guatemala, Days before COVID-19

Daniel F. Battafarano, DO, MACP, FACR | June 15, 2020

My first-ever medical mission trip, after 37 years of medical practice, was to Teleman, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Prior to the trip, my excitement as an adult-trained rheumatologist was balanced against my apprehension about witnessing new diseases, caring for children and practicing in an austere environment with limited medical resources. As directed by the travel clinic,…

The History of Treating Lupus with Hydroxychloroquine

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD | June 15, 2020

Given how unexpectedly front and center hydroxychloroquine has been in discussions about the treatment of COVID-19 this year, it makes sense to look at how it became so central to the treatment of a rheumatologic condition. In 1991, an article appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine that would alter the way rheumatologists approached…

Diagnosing & Treating Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Adults

Srujana Pachigolla, MD, & Adegbenga Bankole, MD | June 15, 2020

Primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is caused by genetic mutations and inherited syndromes; it therefore occurs in the pediatric age group. Secondary HLH, however, is more common in adults and is often triggered by other disease states, such as malignancies, chronic immunosuppression, infections and autoimmune disease.1,2 Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a subset of secondary HLH…

We Make a Difference

Philip Seo, MD, MHS | June 15, 2020

“No!” she screamed. My niece just finished her first semester as a freshman at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. If the institution sounds familiar to you, it may be because you remember a particularly famous graduate—William Windsor, who sometimes goes by his formal titles: Duke of Cambridge and heir to the British throne….

Serological Antibody Tests in COVID-19: Test Reliability and Utility

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD | June 10, 2020

Serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies may play a critical role in the management of the worldwide health crisis. Such testing may reveal key information for epidemiology, convalescent plasma therapies and vaccine development. However, the situation is complex, and much is unknown. Although such testing may ultimately be used to…

U.S. Insurers Often Limit Biosimilar Coverage

Lisa Rapaport | May 29, 2020

(Reuters Health)—U.S. commercial health plans only covered biosimilar treatments as preferred products in 14% of coverage decisions last year, according to an analysis of publicly available data on coverage decisions.1 Researchers examined records from the Tufts Medical Center Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage (SPEC) database, which has information on coverage decisions made by 17 of…