Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

A New Diagnostic Tool for Fibromyalgia?

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Using vibrational spectroscopy, investigators have discovered a characteristic signature in the blood of fibromyalgia patients that is distinct from other clinical conditions, including RA, OA and SLE…

Chronic Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Prevalence & Predictors

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Over the past decade, physicians, patients and policy makers have expressed increasing concern about the high frequency of opioids being prescribed and the association between opioid use and poor outcomes. Rates of opioid prescriptions in the general population rose considerably from the 1990s through 2010, with a plateau in the early 2010s. In 2015, 38%…

Patients Value Convenience of Telemedicine

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Patients who have real-time video visits with their primary care providers instead of in-person exams are generally satisfied with the convenience and quality of their checkups, a new study suggests. There’s a lot about these telemedicine visits that can sound appealing: no need to get stuck in traffic on the way to the doctor;…

Scientists May Be Closer to A Blood Test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kate Kelland  |  

LONDON (Reuters)—Scientists in the U.S. say they have taken a step toward developing a possible diagnostic test for chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition characterized by exhaustion and other debilitating symptoms. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say a pilot study of 40 people, half of whom were healthy and half of whom had the…

Anti-Mitochondrial Antibodies & Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Although antimitochondrial antibodies are present in SLE patients, researchers have has difficulty investigating the phenomenon due to barriers in isolating pure mitochondria. The study describes a technique that allows for such an investigation and provides insight into how the adaptive immune system recognizes mitochondrial organelles…

Lori Gilbert-Kaye Killed, 3 Others Injured in California Synagogue Shooting

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The ACR is greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, wife of rheumatologist Howard Kaye, MD. Mrs. Gilbert-Kaye was tragically killed in the  San Diego-area synagogue shooting on April 27 after she dove in front of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, saving his life. We send our deepest condolences to Dr. Kaye and his family. CNN…

Osteoporotic Fracture Rates Similar with Denosumab, Alendronate in Real World

Megan Brooks  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rates of osteoporotic fracture were similar three years after starting either denosumab or alendronate in a real-world Danish population-based cohort study. “Previous studies have shown that denosumab is more efficacious than alendronate in increasing bone mineral density (BMD), possibly the best proxy outcome for subsequent fracture risk. However, previous studies were underpowered…

Parent-Child Reminiscing Affects Children’s Pain Memories

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—How parents and children reminisce about the child’s recent surgery affects the child’s pain memory, researchers from Canada report. Children who recall pain that is higher than initially reported are more likely to report more pain and distress during future pain experiences. These negatively biased memories, formed early in life, set the…