Controversies In Rheumatology An Issue Of Rheumatic Disease Clinics Of North America

Guest edited by Drs. Jonathan Kay and Sergio Schwartzman, this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics will cover Controversies in Rheumatology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai. Articles explore several questions, including, but not limited to: Is triple therapy or methotrexate plus a biologic the initial treatment of choice for RA patients; Is hypo or hyper-uricemia a risk requiring treatment for cardiac morbidity and mortality; Are there benefits and risks to biosimilars from a patient perspective; Should platelet-rich plasma be used to treat osteoarthritis; Is there a role for stem cell therapy to treat cartilage defects in osteoarthritis; Should any rheumatology patient, today, be treated with bone marrow ablation and stem cell transplantation; Is there effective prevention, prophylaxis, or treatment for CPPD arthritis; Is fibromyalgia a psychiatric disease or a pain syndrome; Should cyclophosphamide still be used to treat ANCA-associated vasculitis; Does methotrexate have a place in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis; Should hydroxychloroquine dosing be limited because of potential ocular toxicity; and Should generalized immunosuppression or targeted organ treatment be the best principle for overall management of SLE.

Guest edited by Drs. Daniel J. Wallace and R. Swamy Venuturupalli, this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics will cover several key areas of interest related to Best Practices and Challenges to the Practice of Rheumatology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: The Economics of Rheumatology Practice in the United States, Manpower trends in rheumatology, Challenges to practicing rheumatology in an academic center, Challenges in practicing rheumatology in a government setting, Challenges to practicing rheumatology in a small private practice setting, Challenges to working in a large multispecialty organization, Challenges to practicing pediatric rheumatology, Clinical trials in rheumatology, Challenges in having an infusion center, Implementing treatment to target in the clinic, Future directions: implementing new technologies in clinical practice, Possible Challenges in Optimizing Medical Education for Rheumatologists, and the challenges of approaching and managing gout.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Candace Feldman, is Part II of a two-part issue covering Health Disparities in Rheumatic Diseases. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman. Topics discussed in this issue include, but are not limited to: Disparities in Lupus Care and Outcomes among U.S. Medicaid Beneficiaries, Understanding Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes in a Multiethnic Longitudinal Cohort, Impact of Psychosocial Factors on RA and Lupus Health Disparities, Racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in knee and hip osteoarthritis, Racial/ethnic Disparities in Osteoarthritis Management, Challenges and Strategies to Achieve Equitable Rheumatologic Care Across the World, Strategies to Reduce Disparities, Understanding and Addressing the Provider Biases and the Lack of Diversity in Lupus Clinical Trials, Community-engaged Research: Lupus Conversations, Leveraging Telemedicine as an Approach to Address Rheumatic Disease Health Disparities, and Understanding the Role and Challenges of Patient Preferences in Disparities in Rheumatic Disease Care.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Alfred Kim and Zahi Touma, will discuss a number of key topics surrounding Lupus. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman. Topics discussed in this issue include, but are not limited to: Interferons in SLE, NETosis and neutrophils in SLE, AMP update in lupus nephritis, Patient-reported outcomes, Complement, T cells in SLE, B cells in SLE, Outcome measures for SLE clinical trials, Mitochondrial physiology in SLE, Pregnancy, Lupus cohorts, Innovative trials and new opportunities in SLE, Classification and diagnosis of SLE, and Updates on SLE Treatment.

Guest edited by Dr. Brian Mandell, this issue of Medical Clinics of North America will cover several key areas of interest related to Rheumatology. This issue is one of six selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Jack Ende. Articles in this issue include but are not limited to: Vaccinations in Patients with Rheumatic Disease: Consider Disease and Therapy, Rheumatic Complications of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, Managing the Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Rheumatic Disease, Statin associated myalgias and muscle injury – recognizing and managing both while still lowering the low-density lipoprotein, Perioperative Management of Rheumatic Disease and Therapies, Fibromyalgia: Recognition and Management in the Primary Care Office, Management and Cure of Gouty Arthritis, Update on the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Suspecting and Diagnosing the Patient with Spondyloarthritis and What to Expect from Therapy, Pregnancy and Management in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Obstetrical Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and Treatment, Management of Knee Osteoarthritis: What Internists Need to Know, Antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing for the diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and more.

Guest edited by Drs. Jeffrey Curtis, Kevin Winthrop and Kaleb Michaud, this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics will cover several key areas of interest related to Technology and Big Data in Rheumatology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: Adherence & Adverse Event Ascertainment through mHealth; Digital Patient Education and Decision Aids; Imaging in the mobile domain; Quality Measures made easier with mHealth data; Patient self-management and tracking; Motivational Counseling and SMS Reminders; Digital Interventions to build community support; Telehealth to solve cases in under-resourced areas; Trials, eConsents, Data Linkage & the Future; Clinical experience with devices; and PROMIS vs legacy data instruments.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, edited by Drs. John Imboden and Sarah Goglin, will cover a variety of important aspects of the neurological manifestations of rheumatic diseases. Topics discussed in the issue will include: Primary vasculitis of the central nervous system; Neurologic manifestations of primary Sjogren Syndrome; Neurologic manifestations of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome; Neurologic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis; Neuromyelitis optica; Neurosarcoid; Central nervous system infections associated with immunosuppressive therapy; and Neurologic manifestations of IgG4-related disease, among others.

The ability to intervene at the earliest phases in the pathogenesis of a chronic rheumatic disease caused by auto-inflammatory, autoimmune, or tissue injury mechanisms has th epotential to prevent disease manifestations and consequences, limited loss of quality of life, comorbidity, and costs to society. This issue is dedicated to exploring the stages of rheumatic disease, biologic mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis along with possible ways to study and screen for persons at risk with the ultimate goal of finding ways to prevent these devastating diseases.