Focus Rheums| ACR Convergence 2024 Previews

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

Lesinurad with Allopurinol When Allopurinol Alone Is Insufficient

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Current guidelines for the long-term management of gout recommend a combination of lifestyle management and/or pharmacotherapy to lower serum UA levels to <6.0 mg/dL in most patients or <5.0 mg/dL in patients with more severe disease. Allopurinol is the most widely used xanthine oxidase inhibitor and is recommended in treatment guidelines as a first-line urate-lowering…

New Test Yields Rapid Infliximab Drug Concentrations

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A new test provides rapid infliximab drug concentrations that enable immediate dosing adjustments, researchers from Belgium report. “With this rapid test, our biggest wish is to persuade physicians to now perform and use infliximab measurements also in their own daily clinical practice, as many practical and organizational issues that went along with…

U.S. Democrats Seek Trump’s Cooperation on Drug Price Reform

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—A group of Democratic senators took their plans to tackle rising drug costs to President-Elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, asking him to work with them and Republicans on the issue. In a letter dated Tuesday, the 19 senators named five areas for cooperation: allowing the Medicare program to negotiate prescription prices, increasing transparency,…

Low Levels of Vitamin D3 May Increase OA Pain

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In a study of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), researchers found that the cytokine IL-17A may play a role in the pain associated with the disease. Specifically, decreased serum levels of vitamin D3 may contribute to OA pain via the regulation of immune responses…

New Insights into Cartilage & Tendon Differentiation

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By examining the phenotypic plasticity of cartilage and tendon cells, researchers found that oxidative stress and P13K signaling pathways are key modulators of the phenotype of musculoskeletal cells. Using monolayer and three-dimensional cultures, the experiments confirmed that dedifferentiation occurs via reductions in expression of genes for cartilage (Col2a1, Agcn) and tendon (Tnmd, Serpinf1)…

Statin Use Tied to Attenuation of Tocilizumab-Mediated Lipid Increases

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin treatment is associated with an attenuation of the increases in serum lipids experienced by rheumatoid arthritis patients on tocilizumab, according to a post-hoc analysis of clinical trials. Treatment with the interleukin-6 receptor-alpha inhibitor tocilizumab is known to raise total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. To explore the possible effect of…