Focus Rheums| ACR Convergence 2024 Previews

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

Articles by Natasha Yetman

CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Gather Unmasked with Others Indoors

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Individuals fully inoculated against COVID-19 can meet in small groups with other vaccinated people without wearing masks, but should keep wearing them outside the home, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on March 8. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said during a briefing that the agency’s new guidance…

Modern Treatment Tied to Low Disease Activity in Pregnant RA Patients

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Many pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may achieve low disease activity in the third trimester with a modern treatment regimen that includes anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) medications, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 309 patients with RA who were pregnant or trying to conceive and who were treated with modern treat-to-target…

Reassuring Data on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Autoimmune Disease

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with preexisting autoimmune disease (AIDs) are not at increased risk for immune-related adverse events from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, although these adverse events may be more likely in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), new research indicates. “Therefore, we encourage physicians not to withhold ICI in most common AIDs. However,…

Immunosuppressive Medicines Do Not Worsen COVID-19 Outcomes

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—Medications that suppress the immune system—necessary for many chronic diseases—do not worsen outcomes of COVID-19 cases, new data suggest. Researchers looked back at 2,121 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 between March and August, including 108 who were taking immunosuppressive drugs (primarily prednisone, tacrolimus or mycophenolate mofetil). After accounting for patients’ general baseline health status, researchers found…

Denosumab Promising for Osteolysis after Total Hip Replacement

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Denosumab showed biological efficacy against osteolysis after total hip replacement in a proof-of-concept trial. “Denosumab is already a well-established licensed drug for the indications of osteoporosis and metastatic bone lesions in cancer, and has been shown to be effective in reducing erosions in inflammatory arthritis,” Dr. Mark J.M. Wilkinson of the University…

Barrett’s Esophagus Common in Women with Scleroderma

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Barrett’s esophagus is common in women with systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (SSc) and is often accompanied by dysplasia, according to the largest study on prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus in women with SSc. In Barrett’s esophagus, chronic gastric reflux causes the lining the esophagus to be replaced by metaplastic cells that may lead…

COVID-19 Vaccines: Implications for Rheumatology Practice & Research

Larry Beresford  |  

In late December, the ACR convened a COVID-19 Vaccine Consortium via a conference call to consider rheumatology’s place in the massive worldwide effort to develop, test, deliver and further study the vaccines promising to bring the historic pandemic under control.

COVID-19 Immunization Day: It Won’t Be Long Before We Can Hug Again

Charles Radis, DO  |  

A young man sits down at my COVID-19 immunization station at Maine Medical Center and stares resolutely ahead, focusing on the far wall. He looks nervous. I make sure the needle and syringe are outside his field of vision. That should help. I pick up a Band-Aid from my box of supplies. It’s a Band-Aid…

What Does the ‘New Normal’ Look Like? A Q&A with Jay Mehta, MD

Mary Choy, PharmD, BCGP, FASHP  |  

With his clinic resuming in-person visits, Jay Mehta, MD, says his patients and staff have proved remarkably adaptable, embracing telemedicine during the early days of the pandemic and now facemasks during appointments.