Working on the Precipice: On the Frontlines of the AIDS Epidemic at the CDC, Part II
As the AIDS crisis unfolded, each discovery seemed to lead to a new mystery. Who was at risk? Why was this disease of immune activation so hard for the body to fight? Most important, what could be don...
1 Aug 201826min
Working on the Precipice: On the Frontlines of the AIDS Epidemic at the CDC, Part I
When AIDS first appeared in the gay community in 1981, it was terrifying for patients and clinicians alike. Nobody knew exactly what was going on. But using basic epidemiologic methods, a small team o...
24 Juli 201824min
Return of the IUD: Long-acting Reversible Contraception Is Safe and Effective
Misplaced fears about IUDs have caused them to be avoided by many women, despite the fact that they are very safe and among the most effective means for contraception. In this JAMA Clinical Reviews po...
6 Juli 201826min
Health Care Spending Gone Wild: Using Expensive Insulin Analogs With Few Clinical Advantages
Health care spending in the United States is out of control. The most significant aspect of medical care driving this spending is pharmaceuticals; within pharmaceuticals the greatest increases have be...
23 Juni 201827min
A Goal Too Far: Rethinking HbA1c Targets for Diabetes Treatment
The American College of Physicians just changed its guidance for how aggressively to treat type 2 diabetes, relaxing the HbA1c goal to something below 8 rather than 6.5 or 7 as other organizations rec...
19 Juni 201829min
When Will It Stop? Clinicians Are Still Ordering Routine ECGs Despite Recommendations to the Contrary
For many years guidelines have recommended against obtaining ECGs for low-risk patients undergoing routine health examinations. Yet about a fifth of all patients having these exams get an ECG. Why? Ar...
12 Juni 201822min
Replacing the Trachea: An Exciting New Procedure; But How Do We Know It Really Works?
Many attempts to replace the trachea have failed in the past. The most spectacular failure was fraudulent research done in Europe by a high-profile surgeon who was eventually charged with scientific m...
20 Maj 201821min
Update: New Recommendations for Prostate Cancer Screening
The controversy continues about the efficacy of PSA screening for prostate cancer. New recommendations were just issued from the USPSTF about who should be screened for prostate cancer and when. But n...
8 Maj 201825min
