On Dec. 27, 2017, RaDonda Vaught killed Charlene Murphey, allegedly. Ms. Murphey was a lifelong resident of Gallatin, a suburb of Nashville, Tenn. She was well known from having worked at the local Walmart for 24 years, before she retired in 2012, when she was 65 years old.1 On Dec. 24, 2017, she was helping…
In certain ethnic populations and geographic locations, being a genetic carrier of sickle cell trait is common. Despite its prevalence, a recent report studied 100 mothers who were informed their newborn child had tested positive for sickle cell trait, and of these mothers less than half were aware of their carrier status prior to conception.1…
The axial phenotype of psoriatic arthritis (axPsA) is an excellent example of a major controversy in rheumatology that has become the focus of attention because of the emergence of new therapies with different mechanisms of action for alleviating joint inflammation. It was first described in 1961 but, until recently, it has largely remained under the…
As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam’s skin suddenly became diseased, as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased. —Numbers 12:10 For 29 years he [Fray Pedro de Urraca] was afflicted by … pain, suffering it at once in all the joints of his body, with…
James Franklin Fries was born on Aug. 25, 1938, in Normal, Ill. His mother taught middle school English and his father was a college business professor. Jim graduated from Stanford University in 1960 with a major in philosophy, and received his MD at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, in 1964. He pursued internal medicine and rheumatology…
At the 17th Annual Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Rheumatic Diseases meeting, Ana-Maria Orbai, MD, MHS, discussed lessons learned from the cases of several patients with psoriatic arthritis.
The 1999 Institute of Medicine report To Err Is Human gave a sobering depiction of the magnitude and consequences of medical error.1 The report concluded that approximately 98,000 people die in hospitals annually due to preventable medical errors. Of all the errors detailed in this report, diagnostic errors have since been determined to be the…
Research has found dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) may be a non-invasive and cost-effective option to help rheumatologists more accurately diagnose gout.
Editor’s note: RheumMadness is the place for everyone crazy about rheumatology to connect, collaborate, compete and learn together. During RheumMadness, rheumatology concepts represent teams that compete against each other in a tournament, much like basketball teams do in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. In a series for The Rheumatologist, readers will get a chance to…
Daily living, such as walking, jumping and going up stairs, can be difficult for patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Research on the regenerative limbs of the axolotl and the human ankle provides insights into the potential of this process in humans and its implications for hip, knee and ankle OA.