In our fast-paced world, a great deal can happen in 12 months. Reflecting on this past year and my service as ACR president, I find this has certainly been the case. For the foreseeable future, it appears the factors that influence our ability to effectively care for our patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease will…
“Men work harder than women.” My mother is a pediatrician, and I have two sisters—one is a dermatologist, and one is a real estate attorney. Therefore, I think understandably, this message took me by surprise. Of late, I have been particularly awed by my lawyer-sister, with whom I catch up when she is taking the…
I glanced up from Amanda Wolf’s chart as the emergency department nurse, followed by the lab technician (tech), followed by the electrocardiogram (ECG) tech flowed into cubicle No. 5. John Benner, MD, pulled up a chair to review the case with me at the nursing station. “Here’s what we’ve got. Thirteen-year-old girl with a one-week…
Data from the ACR’s Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) were used by rheumatology researchers in a crop of new studies that will be presented at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Oct. 19–24 in Chicago. Six abstracts, including four oral and two poster presentations, were accepted for this year’s meeting. They explore topics ranging from…
A recent study found that the perception of experimentally induced pain is closely associated with neurocognitive symptoms, such as attention, memory and executive function, in fibromyalgia patients. Specifically, fibromyalgia patients described low-intensity pressure as more painful than controls did…
With the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting nearly upon us, the time has come to plan your trip to Chicago. The Annual Meeting is Oct. 19–24 at McCormick Center, which means attendees will see beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, highlighting the city’s unique architecture. The weather in October, although unpredictable, is generally…
Vinet et al. evaluated the risk of serious infections in children of women with RA exposed to TNFi’s in the gestational period compared with unexposed offspring of women with RA, as well as with children from the general population. Although the research did not demonstrate a marked excess risk for serious infections, the authors could not exclude a differential risk according to specific TNFi, with infliximab potentially resulting in a threefold increase in the risk of serious infections compared with other TNFi’s. More studies are needed…
Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are difficult to diagnose, but they affect multiple systems and are associated with other autoimmune diseases. Lan Chen, MD, PhD, believes better testing and clearer education will be a gamechanger for celiac patients…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are at the forefront of advances in cancer therapy and have shown promising results for progression-free survival. Checkpoint signaling pathways, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), normally regulate the immune response to promote self-tolerance and prevent tissue damage and inflammation. PD-1 is a…
The data tell the story. Despite improvements in overall outcomes for common rheumatologic conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), white patients fare better than minority patients, and sometimes substantially better. Even with new biologic therapies that have significantly altered the course of disease for patients with RA, outcomes for minorities…