General Rheumatology

Serum Calcium May Have Negative Effect on Bone Mineral Density

Elevated calcium levels may lead to suboptimal growth of bone, according to the study’s findings.

Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy Effective in Concomitant Hepatitis C Virus Infection, Rheumatic Diseases

Researchers assessed the effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral therapy for patients with concomitant hepatitis C virus infection and rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Higher Risk for Vertebral Fractures

Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at higher risk for sustaining an incident vertebral fracture (VF) compared with individuals without T2D.

Risk for Birth Defects Not Increased With Adalimumab

Adalimumab exposure in pregnancy does not increase the risk for birth defects.

Insufficient Evidence to Support Use of Medical Cannabis for Rheumatologic Conditions

There is insufficient evidence to support the use of medical cannabis or cannabis-related medications for the treatment of musculoskeletal and autoimmune disorders.

Interleukin Inhibitors Linked to Increased Infection, Cancer Risk in Rheumatologic Diseases

In patients with rheumatologic diseases, treatment with interleukin inhibitors may increase the risk of serious infections, opportunistic infections, and cancer, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open.

Interstitial Lung Disease Associated With More Muscle Mass, Less Bone Density Loss

Researchers of the study aimed to determine the differences in muscle area and bone density in patients with end-stage lung disease.

Symptom-Based Stratification Reveals Pathobiologic Endotypes With Distinct Treatment Responses in Sjogren Syndrome

Researchers aimed to develop a stratification method to evaluate symptom prevalence and distinct treatment responses in patients with Sjogren syndrome.

DAIR Linked to High Readmission, Deep Surgical Site Infection of Prosthetic Joints

Polymicrobial prosthetic joint infections managed with surgical debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) had high readmission rates and deep surgical site infections.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Carries Heavy Comorbidity Burden

There is a substantial burden, unawareness, and undertreatment of several systemic comorbidities—particularly cardiovascular and psychiatric—in patients with HS.

Nintedanib Granted Breakthrough Therapy for Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease

The FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to nintedanib (Ofev; Boehringer Ingelheim) for the treatment of chronic fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) with a progressive phenotype.

Factors Predict Low Bone Mineral Density in Pediatric Blood Cancer

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is common in childhood leukemia and lymphoma survivors.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Inflammatory Arthritis Persists With Immunotherapy Cessation

Researchers evaluated the outcomes of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis and assessed the risk factors for long-term disease requiring immunomodulatory treatment.

Candidate Touchpoints May Predict Opioid Overdose

Eight candidate touchpoints are associated with increased risk of fatal opioid overdose.

Nintedanib May Slow Rate of Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease

For patients with progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, nintedanib is associated with a lower rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) compared with placebo.