Is it a form of lupus, myositis, or a drug reaction? Check your knowledge of skin eruptions and the associated rheumatologic conditions in this brief photo essay. More »
A small pilot trial from the Karolinska Institute finds positive results for rituximab in lupus nephritis patients for whom conventional treatments have failed. More »
New in the major nonspecialist journals: Bevra Hahn MD tells how she uses belimumab in lupus, a case report of an adverse effect of rituximab, a new proposal for identifying osteoporosis. More »
Some patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome may initially present with movement disorders, especially chorea. Physicians may not associate these symptoms with either disorder, thereby delaying diagnosis and effective treatment. More »
The latest results from two late-stage, multicenter clinical trials of belimumab (Benlysta) show that, when given alongside standard therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus, the drug improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and fatigue. More »
In lupus patients, urinary CD4 T cell counts correlate selectively and specifically with disease activity and renal involvement, well enough to be used to monitor the progress of treatment. More »
The latest from JAMA and NEJM: Good news about TNF inhibitors, and success in treatment for endocarditis comorbid with SLE, contrary to the medical evidence. More »
SLE is associated with a deficiency in cluster of differentiation 247 (CD247, also known as CD3 zeta chain), a component of the T-cell receptor (TCR)–CD3 complex. A comprehensive analysis showed that in more than half of SLE patients tested CD247 expression was either attenuated or absent. Recent evidence suggests that these variations in expression profiles may be due, at least in part, to polymorphisms in the CD247 gene. Aberrant CD247 transcript variants displaying either spliced
Assess the effects of belimumab treatment plus standard systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) therapy on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with active, autoantibody-positive SLE.
Methods
Patients received standard therapy plus placebo or belimumab 1 or 10 mg/kg in two multicentre, randomised controlled trials of 52 (BLISS-52; N=865) and 76 (BLISS-76; N=819) weeks’ duration. Responders were evaluated by SLE Responder Index at week
Objective. A review of the literature was undertaken to evaluate the development and psychometric properties of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures used in adults with SLE. This information will help clinicians make an informed choice about the measures most appropriate for research and clinical practice.
Methods. Using the key words lupus and quality of life, full original papers in English were identified from six databases: OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complemen
Pathogenic IgG autoantibodies have established roles in diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Less familiar are the influences of naturally arising IgM autoantibodies, which enhance phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells and have the capacity to block inflammatory responses induced by Toll-like receptor ligands and autoantibody-containing immune complexes. Intriguing data from animal models and clinical studies, suggesting that it might become possible to exploit these
Five Steps to Improving Patient Access Judy Capko, May 21, 2013 Patient access is getting increased attention through reform initiatives. Here are five steps you can take to make sure patients get appropriate access to care in your office.
Growing HIPAA Threat – Ignore Windows XP at Your Own Peril Marion K. Jenkins, May 21, 2013 Chances are good that you have some major ticking software time bombs lurking in your medical practice's computer environment, namely Windows XP and Server 2003.
Three Areas to Reduce Costs at Your Medical Practice Greg Mertz, May 19, 2013 By taking a hard look at reducing costs for staffing, overhead, and technology at your medical practice, you may see increased physician compensation.
Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Physician Blog Michael Woo-Ming, MD, May 18, 2013 Starting a physician blog can provide your medical practice with marketing benefits, but it's important to do it right.
