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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

ACR Journals @acr-journals.bsky.social · 21d

What do rheumatologists & hematologists need to know about Castleman disease? In our NEWEST episode, we unpack diagnosis, treatment, & the evolving understanding of this complex condition
LISTEN NOW🎙️→ acr.tw/48lersf

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Aug 27

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40856800/

Real-world effectiveness and safety of tocilizumab in the management of polymyalgia rheumatica: a retrospective study from the KEIO-PMR cohort - PubMed

Tocilizumab effectively reduced relapse rates and demonstrated glucocorticoid-sparing effects in patients with refractory PMR in the real world, with no significant safety issues. These results furthe...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Aug 24

www.healio.com/news/hematol...

GLP-1s & cancer: Data show survival benefit, reveal gap in patient-clinician communication

Choice of therapy to control high blood sugar may affect survival among older adults with cancer and type 2 diabetes, according to study results.Those who used GLP-1 receptor agonists exhibited signif...

www.healio.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Rheum Cat @rheumcat.bsky.social · Jul 4

An editorial on the paper from @dfeterman.bsky.social & @alisonbays.bsky.social examining the impact of insurance prior authorizations on individuals with giant cell arteritis (risk of blindness if not treated) in WA state

Thank you to @jrheumatol.bsky.social for publishing & highlighting

The Journal of Rheumatology @jrheumatol.bsky.social · Jul 4

Editorial

Does Prior Authorization for Tocilizumab Lead to Unacceptable Treatment Delays in Giant Cell Arteritis?

📖 doi.org/10.3899/jrhe...
@westernu.ca

#giantcellarteritis #vasculitis

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · May 20

Local immune effector cell-associated toxicity syndrome (LICATS) in #CART-cell treated patients with autoimmune disease: an observational study - The Lancet Rheumatology www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Local immune effector cell-associated toxicity syndrome in CAR T-cell treated patients with autoimmune disease: an observational study

LICATS is a new form of toxicity in patients with autoimmune disease receiving CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy, most likely based on the cleansing of immune cells from the affected organs. It is sel...

www.thelancet.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD @tuhinaneogi.bsky.social · May 20

Trial of metformin for knee #osteoarthritis showed improvement in knee pain vs. placebo. What’s the mechanism? Curious to see what the weight loss differences were been groups.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Metformin for Knee Osteoarthritis in Patients With Overweight or Obesity

This randomized clinical trial assesses the effect of metformin on knee pain among patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and overweight or obesity.

jamanetwork.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

NEJM.org @nejm.org · May 20

Tolebrutinib is a BTK inhibitor that is being studied for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Research findings from the GEMINI 1 and GEMINI 2 trials comparing tolebrutinib with teriflunomide are summarized in a new Quick Take video. nej.md/3S1hY5N

#MedSky #NeuroSky

Tolebrutinib versus Teriflunomide in Multiple Sclerosis | NEJM

Quick Take Video Summary from The New England Journal of Medicine — Tolebrutinib versus Teriflunomide in Multiple Sclerosis

nej.md

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · May 13

rheumnow.com/news/compari...

Comparing EULAR (2025) and ACR (2020) Guidelines on Safety of Lupus Medications in Pregnancy | RheumNow

Attendees at the 2025 RheumaPreg meeting were excited to discuss the newly released EULAR recommendations for use of antirheumatic drugs in reproduction, pregnancy, and lactation. Table 1 summarizes t...

rheumnow.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Dr. John Cush @rheumnow.bsky.social · May 6

single-centre study of 469 consecutive RA pts - 15 had VTE (3%). Strongest risk factor of VTE was the history of previous VTE (OR 44.7), recent hospitalisation (OR 6.82), diabetes (OR 11.23), and JAKi (OR 5.54) (Other studies show inflammation incr VTE risk) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40314997/

Risk factors associated with venous thromboembolism in rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice - PubMed

In this study of RA patients, history of VTE and recent hospitalisation were identified as strong risk factors of VTE. Moreover, it emphasises the importance of evaluating cardiovascular risk…

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · May 12

Inclusion of results from new large RCTs provides further robust evidence that the addition of low-dose colchicine to standard-of-care therapy decreases the incidence of MACE, MI, ischaemic stroke, & recurrent coronary revascularization in vascular disease patients
academic.oup.com/eurheartj/ad...

Long-term trials of colchicine for secondary prevention of vascular events: a meta-analysis

AbstractBackground and Aims. Colchicine has emerged as a safe and inexpensive anti-inflammatory medication to target the residual risk of cardiovascular ev

academic.oup.com

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · May 12

Adding Acrometastases to synovitis differential 🤯

ACR Journals @acr-journals.bsky.social · May 11

A 74 y/o woman was referred for osteoarthritis with pain over the base of her right thumb. Hand x-ray (A) showed advanced OA of the first CMC joint. She returned 6 months later with 2-week history of pain, swelling, and pitting edema over the dorsum of her right hand and wrist (B)
#Medsky

Hand x-ray (A) showed advanced osteoarthritis of her right first carpometacarpal joint. Six months later (B) a two-week history of pain, swelling, and pitting edema over the dorsum of her right hand and wrist. A repeat x-ray (C) of her hand demonstrated a large aggressive destructive lesion arising from the fourth metacarpal with bulky soft tissue component and involvement of the adjacent third and fifth metacarpals and carpal bones

Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Nature Reviews Rheumatology @natrevrheum.nature.com · May 11

ICYMI: New content online:

Arterial and venous thrombosis in systemic and monogenic vasculitis

Nature Reviews Rheumatology, Published online: 06 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41584-025-01252-7Systemic vasculitis, including monogenic forms, is associated with an increased risk of arterial and venous thromboembolic events (AVTEs). This Review highlights the latest advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical features and management of AVTEs in systemic and monogenic vasculitis.

bit.ly

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · May 12

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists compared with bariatric metabolic surgery and the risk of obesity-related cancer: an observational, retrospective cohort study - eClinicalMedicine www.thelancet.com/journals/ecl...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists compared with bariatric metabolic surgery and the risk of obesity-related cancer: an observational, retrospective cohort study

Our finding suggest that first-generation GLP1-RA treatment does not increase ORC risk in patients receiving GLP1-RA treatment for diabetes and weight loss. Moreover, this may point at additional path...

www.thelancet.com

Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Maureen Dubreuil, MD MSc @spondymd.bsky.social · May 8

The SPARTAN Review Course is on! Dr. Aki Nakamura presented on the pathogenesis of axial spondyloarthritis, highlighting new science around HLA-B27, arthritogenic peptides and mechanisms of disease independent of HLA-B27. deptmed.queensu.ca/index.php/pe...

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Apr 5

A major paper @nature.com this week found a significant decline in dementia after an outdated Shingles vaccine.
I've reviewed the study and many other relevant ones here
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-shingl...

The Shingles Vaccine and Reduction of Dementia

A compelling new study adds to the body of data supporting some protection provided by the vaccine

erictopol.substack.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Saori Abe @oriabe114.bsky.social · Apr 2

A Phase 3 Trial of #Upadacitinib for Giant-Cell Arteritis | NEJM
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

“In patients with giant-cell #arteritis, upadacitinib at a dose of 15 mg — but not 7.5 mg — with a 26-week glucocorticoid taper showed efficacy superior to that of placebo.”
#Rheumsky #GCA

A Phase 3 Trial of Upadacitinib for Giant-Cell Arteritis | NEJM

Giant-cell arteritis is a systemic vasculitis with limited treatment options. The efficacy and safety of upadacitinib — a selective Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that blocks the signaling of several...

www.nejm.org

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 20

Happy Spring Equinox/Nowrouz. 💐 A formal msg would be nice.

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Mithu Maheswaranathan, MD @mithurheum.bsky.social · Mar 19

💫 Check out the new Rheum Madness x Rheum One Pagers bracket infographic! 🎉🏀📟

📖 Read most pivotal, innovative studies in #rheum in past 2 yrs
🎙️ Listen to the Rheum Madness podcasts
🏀 Submit Brackets before April 1

@rheummadness.bsky.social
@davidleverenz.bsky.social
@larneson.bsky.social

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 5

Very Early #SystemicSclerosis
#Scleroderma #Rheumsky

Arthritis in patients with very early systemic sclerosis: a comprehensive clinical and prognostic analysis

AbstractObjective. Arthritis is associated with a worse prognosis in established SSc. However, knowledge about its relevance in very early SSc (veSSc) is s

doi.org

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 3

Several BC Patients contributed to this. Thank you #Scleroderma

Patient Impact Survey | Scleroderma Canada

www.scleroderma.ca

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 2

Abbvie gets European green light 🚥 for UPA in treatment of GCA

AbbVie Receives Positive CHMP Opinion for Upadacitinib (RINVOQ®) for the Treatment of Adults with Giant Cell Arteritis

The positive opinion is based on results from the pivotal Phase 3 SELECT-GCA trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in adults with giant cell arteritis (GCA)1 The primary...

news.abbvie.com

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Dr. John Cush @rheumnow.bsky.social · Mar 2

Selective mutation of Traf1/cIAP2 (V196) interaction attenuates inflammatory responses that may contribute to rheumatoid arthritis activity. THis may lead to a new class of therapies for RA

Breakthrough study discovers genetic mutation could be basis for novel treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Research reveals how a specific mutation in a protein called TRAF1 can shut down an overactive immune response, dramatically reducing inflammation in mice. This discovery could pave the way for a new…

buff.ly

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 2

Thank you 🙏🏼

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May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC @drmkazem.bsky.social · Mar 2

Canada- Pubmed down 🫤

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Reposted by May Kazem MD MHA FRCPC

Lupus Foundation of America @lupus.org · Mar 1

Today marks the start of #NationalKidneyMonth! 💜 This March, we’re raising awareness about lupus-related kidney disease & its impact on those living with #lupus.

Help spread the word! Check out our blog to download the checklist & share it with friends & family to raise awareness: buff.ly/4bjjQPU

Check in with your kidneys - because kidneys can't talk. Checklist: Self Monitoring, Blood Pressure, Urination Changes, Swelling in legs, feet or ankles, Talk to Your Doctor About Regular Monitoring, Testing for Protein in Urine and Blood Tests

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