RhAPPcast

In this special edition of RhAPPcast, the official podcast of Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers (RhAPP), Heather Finlayson and Kevin Daley discuss rheumatology advocacy and the importance of strengthening the APP voice in healthcare policy. They introduce the RhAPP Advocacy Committee and explore how nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists can get involved in addressing in...

In this FAQ video module, William Saalfeld, NP, explains the rationale for investigational combination therapy with guselkumab and golimumab in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). He reviews how guselkumab targets interleukin-23 (IL-23) and golimumab inhibits tumor necrosis factor (TNF), highlighting how these medications address complementary inflammatory pathways involved in immune activation, synovitis,...

In this FAQ video module, Candace Ryan, PA-C, reviews guselkumab (Tremfya) and pregnancy outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. She discusses how the timing of exposure to this IL-23 inhibitor and changes in placental antibody transfer inform conversations about biologic therapy during pregna...

In this Journal Club, Claudia Rivera-Salas, DNP, discusses the phase 2a AFFINITY trial evaluating combination therapy for active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). She reviews a randomized, double-blind study comparing guselkumab, an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor, plus golimumab, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, with guselkumab alone in adults who had an inadequate response to prior TNF inhibit...

In this medication review, Jessica Tapia, NP, a family nurse practitioner in rheumatology at HonorHealth in Phoenix, Arizona, reviews belimumab (Benlysta) dosing for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis in adult and pediatric patients. This overview explores intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous administration, highlighting how dosing schedules vary by disease state, age, and body we...

In this FAQ video module, Amanda Mixon, PA-C, explains the difference between the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), two validated tools used to assess disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis. She reviews how BASDAI uses six patient-reported questions to evaluate fatigue, spinal pain, peripheral joint sympt...

In this medication review, Amanda Mixon, PA-C, reviews the APEX and SOLSTICE clinical trials and their implications for guselkumab (Tremfya) in active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This overview highlights the role of IL-23 inhibition in psoriatic arthritis management, including the APEX findings that supported a U.S. prescribing information update addressing inhibition of structural joint damage. Th...

Amanda Mixon, PA-C and fellow rheumatology providers Heather Finlayson, PA-C, and Amanda Sell, PA-C, discuss managing glucocorticoid toxicity in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), focusing on balancing disease control with long-term patient safety. They explore the challenges of prednisone tapering, recurrent flares, and cumulative steroid exposure, including concerns associated with prolonged use at l...

In this FAQ video module, Jennifer Mylod, a rheumatology nurse practitioner in Phoenix, Arizona, compares the mechanisms of action of guselkumab and icotrokinra within the interleukin-23 (IL-23)/T-helper 17 (Th17) signaling pathway. This overview highlights the differences between an injectable monoclonal antibody that targets the IL-23 cytokine and an oral peptide that selectively binds the IL-23...

In this FAQ video, Heather Finlayson, PA-C, discusses how treatment duration should be approached after achieving remission or low disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As treatment options continue to expand and more patients achieve sustained disease control, questions about when and how to taper therapy have become increasingly important. This educational discussion reviews cu...

In this episode of RhAPPcast, host Amanda Mixon, PA-C, is joined by Jeannette Hart, PA-C, to discuss lupus disease activity assessment and the distinction between active disease and irreversible organ damage. The conversation explores how the SLEDAI-2K can help clinicians organize comprehensive assessments, monitor disease activity across multiple organ systems, and guide treatment decisions for p...

In this educational Medication Review, Jennifer Mylod, DNP, provides an overview of the biologic and targeted therapies currently available for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN). This video reviews the different mechanisms of action used to target key immune pathways involved in lupus and highlights how these therapies help manage disease activity and imp...

In this FAQ video, Amanda Mixon, PA-C, discusses why early intervention is critical in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for controlling inflammation, preventing irreversible organ damage, and improving long-term patient outcomes. This educational discussion reviews the impact of uncontrolled lupus on major organ systems, including th...

In this RhAPP Journal Club, Danielle Gatti-Palumbo, a clinical pharmacist in rheumatology, reviews the efficacy and safety of deucravacitinib, an oral selective tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The presentation focuses on 52-week findings from the phase 3 POETYK PsA-1 trial in patients who had not previously received biologic therapy. Danielle...

In this FAQ video module, Tiffany Terrell, NP, reviews the role of early intervention and steroid reduction in minimizing long-term organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis. This overview highlights the importance of timely treatment, routine kidney monitoring, and controlling inflammation while limiting prolonged corticosteroid exposure. This episode explores America...

In this RhAPP journal club video module, Danielle Gatti-Palumbo, PharmD reviews the efficacy and safety of nanoencapsulated sirolimus plus pegadricase (NASP) in patients with uncontrolled gout, based on findings from the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 DISSOLVE I and II trials. She explains how nanoencapsulated sirolimus is designed to reduce anti-drug antibody formation and support sustain...

In this RhAPP FAQ video module, Jennifer Mylod, nurse practitioner at Arizona Arthritis and Rheumatology Associates in Phoenix, Arizona, explains the Total Improvement Score, or TIS, and how it is used to assess treatment response in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, including myositis and related autoimmune muscle diseases. This episode reviews how the ACR/EULAR Total Improvement Score serves a...

In this RhAPP FAQ video module, Jennifer Mylod, nurse practitioner at Arizona Arthritis and Rheumatology Associates in Phoenix, Arizona, discusses how autoantibodies help guide diagnosis, prognosis, disease monitoring, and treatment decisions in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, including myositis, dermatomyositis, antisynthetase syndrome, and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. This episode h...

In this episode of RhAPPcast, the official podcast of Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers, host Amanda Mixon, president of RhAPP, is joined by RhAPP board member Kyle George to explore The True Cost of Gout: Work, Wellness, and Daily Life. The discussion examines how uncontrolled gout extends beyond painful flares and swollen joints, affecting mobility, employment, productivity, independence,...

In this FAQ video module, Jennifer Mylod, nurse practitioner with Arizona Arthritis Rheumatology Associates in Phoenix, Arizona, discusses key diagnostic considerations and limitations of antibody testing in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, including myositis, dermatomyositis, and other inflammatory muscle diseases. While myositis antibody panels can provide valuable information for diagnosis,...

In this RhAPP journal club video module, Danielle Gatti Palumbo, PharmD, reviews the Phase 3 POETYK PsA-2 clinical trial evaluating deucravacitinib in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. Deucravacitinib is an oral, selective tyrosine kinase 2, or TYK2, inhibitor that targets signaling pathways involved in psoriatic arthritis, including interleukin-23 and type I interferons. This randomized, do...

In this episode of RhAPPcast, the official podcast of Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers, host Amanda Mixon leads a multidisciplinary, case-based discussion titled “Cracking the Code: A Rheum-Derm-Neuro Multispecialty Case Approach to Myositis.” Joined by dermatology clinician Laura Bush and neuromuscular medicine PA Maggie Naclerio, this episode explores the complex and often subtle present...

In this episode of RhAPPcast, the official podcast of Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers, host Amanda Mixon is joined by RhAPP board member Wendy Simmons to explore uncontrolled gout as a systemic inflammatory disease with effects that extend far beyond acute joint pain. The discussion examines how persistent hyperuricemia can lead to monosodium urate crystal deposition, ongoing inflammation...

In this RhAPP journal club video module, Bharati Bhardwaja, PharmD, BCPS, LSSBB, reviews the Phase 3 TOGETHER-PsA clinical trial and its implications for adults with active psoriatic arthritis who are overweight or have obesity. This study is the first randomized trial to evaluate whether adding the dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide to ixekizumab can improve both rheumatologic and metabo...

In this rheumatology FAQ, Audrey Gibson, PA-C, reviews how clinical manifestations and histopathologic features vary across idiopathic inflammatory myopathy subtypes, including dermatomyositis, polymyositis, antisynthetase syndrome, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, and inclusion body myositis. This clinically focused discussion highlights the key differences in muscle weakness patterns, skin...