Rheumatology
- Making best use of bone turnover markers to monitor oral bisphosphonate therapy
Clinical applications of bone turnover markers can include determining when to start or end a bisphosphonate “holiday” and measuring treatment response.
- Nontuberculous mycobacterial musculoskeletal infections: Recognizable, when suspected
Two articles in this issue offer valuable insight into when to suspect these infections in patients who present with swollen, indurated, peripheral soft-tissue structures.
- Dactylitis from Mycobacterium intracellulare infection
A 69-year-old man presents with 6 months of progressive swelling of the right middle finger, with no systemic symptoms.
- Unraveling a challenging diagnosis: Role of a TNF inhibitor
Painful swelling of the dorsum of the right hand had been diagnosed as chronic cutaneous sarcoidosis with tenosynovitis, treated unsuccessfully with prednisone and methotrexate.
- Treating anemia: It’s not just the EPO
Long-term effects of treatment with the new oral inhibitors of prolyl hydroxylase will need to be carefully monitored, as prolyl hydroxylase is a key structural component of diverse proteins.
- Oral hyperpigmentation with weakness and salt-craving
The patient’s primary care physician had attributed the hyperpigmentation on the lower lip and inner cheek to pen ink.
Anemia of chronic kidney disease: Will new agents deliver on their promise?A review of the pathophysiology of anemia of chronic kidney disease, major clinical trials, and novel therapies.
- Potential systemic benefits of shocking or blocking nerves
What has really caught my attention is the expanding research on controlled regional neuromodulation and its impact on systemic physiology and inflammation.
- Stellate ganglion block as a treatment for vasomotor symptoms: Clinical application
Hormone therapy is the mainstay of treatment, but there is a clear need for safe and effective nonhormonal options. The authors review data on the use of stellate ganglion block in perimenopausal and postmenopausal patients.
- Vitamin D supplementation: Pearls for practicing clinicians
A review of how to assess and counsel patients on the use of vitamin D, with patient scenarios clinicians are likely to encounter, and an overview of current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation.
