I joined several Senate Democrats in demanding the Trump Administration abandon any plan to exert political control over NIH’s grantmaking process. I urge my Republican colleagues to follow suit and work with us to protect science-based medical research.

Does SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding duration differ in autoimmune patients using B cell depleting (BCD) or TNFi therapy? Matched cohort study of outpatients with COVID showed patients receiving BCD had 8 days longer viral shedding, whereas TNFi users had similar duration vs immunocompetent comparators

Dual b/tsDMARD therapy for refractory or multidomain PsA doi.org/10.1002/acr2... SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding duration in patients using B cell depleting or TNFi therapy doi.org/10.1002/acr2...

Retrospective emulated target trial compared cardiovascular disease outcomes among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus initiating anifrolumab versus belimumab Arthritis & Rheumatology doi.org/10.1002/art....

Koreans with rheumatoid arthritis showed increased disease activity and higher flare rates when exposed to relatively high levels of small atmospheric particulate matter, researchers reported. @jeffsparks.bsky.social https://www.medpagetoday.com/rheumatology/arthritis/122499

Dirty Air Worsens Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcomes, Study Shows

Small particulate matter seen as the main culprit

medpagetoday.com

Analysis of hundreds of thousands of patient records showed differing risks for autoimmune disorders for new users of the more recent types of antidiabetic medications. @jeffsparks.bsky.social https://www.medpagetoday.com/rheumatology/generalrheumatology/122130

Newer Diabetes Drugs, Including GLP-1 Agonists, Tied to Autoimmunity Risk

Patterns differ among medication classes; potential mechanisms need more research

medpagetoday.com

From @acr-journals.bsky.social Patients with systemic #autoimmune #RheumaticDiseases are more likely to exhibit prolonged #SARSCoV2 antigen positivity months after a #COVID19 infection compared with the general population. @mgbresearch.bsky.social @msjulieslam.bsky.social @jeffsparks.bsky.social

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Persistence in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases

Patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases may experience prolonged SARS-CoV-2 antigen persistence after COVID-19 infection.

rheumatologyadvisor.com

NEW RESEARCH—Trends in autoimmune rheumatic disease diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in England: a population-based cohort study using @OpenSAFELY bit.ly/4p6WELY Plus linked Comment by @jeffsparks.bsky.social bit.ly/446onmh

The EULAR Social Media in #Rheumatology (SoMeR) Study Group is dedicated to exploring the role of social media in advancing scientific exchange and #education in rheumatology. We would be grateful if you could spare two minutes of your precious time to share your views: forms.gle/qZn7pKwDjwiU...

2-minute SURVEY for rheumatologists and healthcare professionals: As part of a Delphi exercise, the EULAR SoMer group aims to capture perspectives on priorities for Social Media use. We would be grateful if you could spare 2 minutes of your time to share your views: forms.gle/qZn7pKwDjwiU...

SARS-CoV-2 antigen positivity at months 3 and 6 following infection may be more common in rheumatic diseases than in the general population, driven largely by nucleocapsid antigen positivity Arthritis & Rheumatology doi.org/10.1002/art....

Your weekly recap of this week in Arthritis & Rheumatology SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen persistence in people with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases doi.org/10.1002/art.... Higher complement C4 gene copy number as risk factor for GCA and IgA vasculitis doi.org/10.1002/art....

How should clinicians approach psoriasis & psoriatic arthritis triggered by immune checkpoint inhibitors? This NEW episode reviews epidemiology, patient characteristics, & outcomes from a multicenter study of apremilast. 🎙️ LISTEN → acr.tw/4d6xoRs

Expert Review Screening for Rheumatoid Arthritis–Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Current Evidence and Next Steps Needed for Routine Clinical Use 📖 doi.org/10.3899/jrhe... @jeffsparks.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social #RheumatoidArthritis #InterstitialLungDisease

Incredibly exciting to be hosting our NIH P30-funded VERITY/Brigham Course in Rheumatology Clinical Research this week! 23 early investigators attending in person here in Boston to hone their grants and analyses. Another 50+ online attendees for the didactic portion Grateful for this community!

Target trial emulation: biologics or JAK vs RTX in RA-ILD -- abatacept (n=694), JAKi (156), IL-6i (389), or TNFi (734), PS-matched =# RTX; no significant differences (HR 0.74-1.09 NS) in outcomes of resp hosp, lung transplant & death. ABA & JAKi had less death www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Phase 3b TOGETHER-PsA trial of ixekizumab + tirzepatide in comorbid overweight or obese adults with psoriatic arthritis showed clinically meaningful improvement of psoriatic disease, physical function, weight reduction, and quality-of-life, with no new safety concerns A&R doi.org/10.1002/art....

Head over to 👇 tourneytopia.com/AJKD/NephMad... and submit your #NephMadness Bracket

In patients with SLE without advanced lupus nephritis, obinutuzumab plus standard therapy was superior to placebo plus standard therapy in conferring and sustaining a clinically meaningful reduction in disease activity over 52 weeks. Full phase 3 ALLEGORY trial results: nej.md/4smEuWW #MedSky

Editor’s Picks Spotlight Investigating Factors Associated With RSV Vaccination and Breakthrough Infection Among Patients With SARDs 📖 www.jrheum.org/cgi/content/... @jeffsparks.bsky.social 📽️ Watch the video interview youtu.be/GnAghCae-hY #RSV #Vaccination

Editor's Picks Spotlight: RSV Vaccination and Breakthrough Infection Among Patients With SARDs

YouTube video by The Journal of Rheumatology

youtu.be

Earlier and more frequent immune suppression is used in scleroderma-associated ILD (from EUSTAR data) but there are still care gaps with still significant mortality in SSc-ILD and lack of prediction regarding who will progress Editorial in A&R @jeffsparks.bsky.social

Improvements in outcomes for systemic sclerosis‐associated interstitial lung disease with expanded treatment options

Click on the article title to read more.

acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

ACR Journals@acr-journals.bsky.social · 9mo ago

EUSTAR database analysis examined trends in initiation, switching, discontinuation, and combination therapy for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease Arthritis & Rheumatology doi.org/10.1002/art....

Research Article Investigating Factors Associated With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination and Breakthrough Infection Among Patients With Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases 📖 www.jrheum.org/cgi/content/... @jeffsparks.bsky.social #RSV #Vaccination

Very happy to share our latest paper about the current state and next steps needed to make screening for ILD in some subgroups of patients with RA. Lots to weigh for pros and cons, and more research work in progress. Thanks to our team and Lauren O'Keeffe for leading www.jrheum.org/content/earl...

Screening for rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: Current evidence and next steps needed for routine clinical use

Interstitial lung disease (ILD), characterized by pulmonary fibrosis and/or inflammation, is a common and severe extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA-ILD is associated with r...

jrheum.org

Randomized phase 2 trial of pirfenidone (PFD) or placebo along with MMF in SSc-ILD ACR Open Rheumatology doi.org/10.1002/acr2... key findings ↓

ATTENTION all early investigators: FREE 2026 VERITY/Brigham Course in Rheum Clinical Research will be held in Boston on Apr 7-10, 2026 Hone your research/grant/career with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard faculty. Funded by NIAMS Apply here by Dec 16: www.verityresearch.org/verity-cours...

Excited to share the results of the TeMPO (Treatment of Meniscal Problems in Osteoarthritis) trial, published today in NEJM: www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... A labor of love from the #BWH #oracore team, with partners in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. 879 randomized with the COVID in the middle!

A Randomized Trial of Physical Therapy for Meniscal Tear and Knee Pain | NEJM

Physical therapy is routinely recommended for knee pain attributed to a degenerative meniscal tear, but its efficacy has not been established. We randomly assigned participants 45 to 85 years of ag...

nejm.org

In a cohort of patients screened for lung cancer with low-dose CT, patients with rheumatoid arthritis had higher prevalence of 'positive screen', fibrotic lung changes, & bronchiectasis. About 1 in 4 had a positive screen; 1 in 20 had lung cancer AC&R doi.org/10.1002/acr.... #Medsky #Oncsky

In a cohort of pts receiving CAR T cell therapy for hematologic cancer, pre-existing autoimmune disease was not associated with increase in major toxicity. Findings offer reassurance for CAR T cell cancer treatment in pts with pre-existing autoimmunity ACR Open Rheumatology doi.org/10.1002/acr2...

Abs 2662 McDermott @jeffsparks.bsky.social 🔎 Target trial emulation to address the Q of whether guidelines like ACR and CHEST are appropriate for conditionally recommending RTX over other biologics for RA-ILD? 📊 Data source: Medicare 👨‍👨‍👦 Study pop: RA ILD #ACR25

NEW RESEARCH—Risk factors for interstitial lung disease in early rheumatoid arthritis and external validation of screening strategies: a cross-sectional analysis of the prospective SAIL-RA cohort in the USA bit.ly/3L1F0t5 @jeffsparks.bsky.social