New research finds patients previously treated with antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals may be more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than patients who have not received these treatments…
Looking for Links Between Rheumatoid Arthritis & Gut Bacteria, Mutations
Patients with a specific genetic predisposition for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may want to take precautions when consuming certain types of meat, dairy and produce grown with cow manure, according to a new study out of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. The study, which assessed 100 RA patients, published in the journal Frontiers…
FDA Update: Possible Heart Risks with Clarithromycin; Apadaz Receives FDA Approval
After reviewing a 10-year study, the FDA cautions that prescribing clarithromycin to patients with heart disease increases the risk of heart problems or death…
Diagnosis, Treatment Updates for Lyme Arthritis
CHICAGO—A clustering of cases in Lyme, Conn., in 1975 led to the discovery of Lyme disease. Allen C. Steere, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, investigated that outbreak, and he shared his knowledge of Lyme disease with rheumatologists gathered at the ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in April. He explained that Lyme arthritis…
Long-Term Antibiotic Treatment for Lyme Disease Shows No Benefits
For people in whom symptoms of Lyme disease persist beyond the standard course of two to four weeks of antibiotic therapy, longer term antibiotic treatment provides no additional benefits beyond the shorter term course. This is the conclusion of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that builds on a number…
Rheumatology Drug Updates: Labeling for Fluoroquinolones; FDA to Review Benzhydrocodone/Acetaminophen Combination
FDA Restricts Fluoroquinolone Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has twice previously communicated safety information about systemic fluoroquinolones—in August 2013 and July 2008. The safety issues of this medication class described in its latest Drug Safety Communication were also discussed at a November 2015 FDA Advisory Committee meeting.1 The FDA is now advising…
Dysbiosis of Gut, But Not Ocular Microbiome, Associated with Sjögren’s Syndrome
Research has explored the connection between Sjögren’s syndrome and intestinal dysbiosis associated with ocular mucosal disease. A recent study found that oral antibiotics and desiccating stress lead to extreme changes in the gut microbiota in mice. In patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, researchers found that patients with the most severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca and combined systemic and ocular disease had the lowest diversity of stool microbiota…
Scientists Find How ‘Superbugs’ Build Their Defenses
LONDON (Reuters)—Scientists in Britain have found how drug-resistant bacteria build and maintain a defensive wall—a discovery that paves the way for the development of new drugs to break through the barrier and kill the often deadly “superbugs.” In recent decades, bacteria resistant to multiple drugs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Clostridium difficile, have…
Careful Management Improves Safety of Stem Cell Transplantation in Crohn’s
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Careful use of antibiotics and corticosteroids can substantially improve the safety of autologous hematopoietic stem transplantation (HSCT) in patients with refractory Crohn’s disease (CD), researchers from Spain report. “Autologous HSCT is feasible but it is associated with severe adverse events and even mortality,” Dr. Elena Ricart from Hospital Clinic de Barcelona tells…
WHO Warns of Widespread Misunderstanding of Superbug Threat
LONDON (Reuters)—People across the world are confused about the major threat to public health posed by drug-resistant superbugs and do not know how to stop that risk growing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Ramping up its fight against antibiotic resistance with a survey of public awareness, the United Nations health agency said…