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Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

September 18, 2017
Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

By Alvaro F. Vargas P. M.D

Peer Reviewed

As the world and the United States recover from disasters such as storms the size of a country , record-breaking earthquakes , and hundreds of millions of data breaches , let us force ourselves to turn our attention to the comforts of data with this week’s Primecuts.

SPRINT re-revisited: intensive BP control increases CKD events but still saves lives

The well-referenced SPRINT trial (5), continues to be prominently featured in the literature. Three weeks ago a NEJM …

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From the Archives: Does Running Cause Knee Osteoarthritis?

September 15, 2017
From the Archives: Does Running Cause Knee Osteoarthritis?

Please enjoy this post from the archives dated September 14, 2013

By Karin Katz, MD

Faculty Peer Reviewed

Post-summer is here. Despite the heat and what feels like 100% humidity, the East River Path is packed with runners. No amount of car fumes pouring onto the path could stop those in training. Others are circling the 6-mile-loop around Central Park. Or, if you are bored of running the typical routes, for a few Saturdays, Park Avenue will be shut down for automobile traffic. New Yorkers …

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50% of the Daily Salt Intake Recommended by the JNC-8 Is Consumed in a New York Minute

September 13, 2017
50% of the Daily Salt Intake Recommended by the JNC-8 Is Consumed in a New York Minute

By Andrew Sideris

Peer Reviewed

Reduction of dietary sodium is a well-known nonpharmacologic therapy to reduce blood pressure. The 8th Joint National Commission (JNC-8) recommends that the general population limit daily intake of sodium to less than 2.4 grams. On average, a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 2-8 mmHg is expected if dietary sodium intake is limited to no more than 2.4 grams per day.1 Further reduction of sodium to 1.5 grams is desirable for people with hypertension because it is associated with …

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Slow Respiration to Lower Blood Pressure

September 7, 2017
Slow Respiration to Lower Blood Pressure

By Omotayo Arowojolu

Peer Reviewed

Approximately 32% of American adults have high blood pressure (>140/90 mmHg),1 or hypertension, and only 54% of these individuals have well-controlled hypertension.2,3 Hypertension costs $48.6 billion each year in healthcare services, medications, and missed days of work. Additionally, one in three Americans have pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg) and are considered at risk for developing hypertension.1 These individuals benefit from management of risk factors with changes in diet (reduced sodium), weight loss, increased physical activity, and smoking or alcohol cessation. On the …

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Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

September 6, 2017
Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

By Rushad Dordi, MD

Peer Reviewed

This week’s Primecuts details four examples of novel methodologies for treating common diseases. We begin first with a study repurposing an anti-inflammatory therapeutic for the treatment of atherosclerosis, and move onto a new targeted gene therapy for malignant mesothelioma. Finally, we touch on using probiotics to modify peanut allergies, based on a novel understanding of immunogenicity, and using the immune system to assist regulation in type 1-diabetes. Together, these studies show the power of creative thinking in the scientific …

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Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

August 29, 2017
Primecuts – This Week in the Journals

By Scarlett Murphy, MD

Peer Reviewed

American attention shifted away from challenging national conversations in the wake of Charlottesville towards the sky this past Monday, when a total solar eclipse traversed the entire US mainland for the first time since 1918 (1).  Although we missed out on the breath-taking experience of totality, New Yorkers still enjoyed a 72% partial eclipse (2).

President Trump held a special rally in Arizona, where he criticized the media for propagating his comments about Charlottesville that seemed to some to …

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Health Care: Do Celebrities Know Best?

August 24, 2017
Health Care: Do Celebrities Know Best?

Please enjoy this post from the archives dated August 25, 2013

By Emma Gorynski

Faculty Peer Reviewed

The power that celebrities have over Americans is undeniable. We look to them for guidance on what to listen to, what to wear, and even what to name our children. Celebrities even affect the decisions we make about our own health care. With the increasing popularity of direct-to-consumer advertising, celebrities are promoting pharmaceuticals and other health-related products.

Is there a role for celebrities in health advocacy? On one …

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Should Beta Blockers be Used in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction?

August 23, 2017
Should Beta Blockers be Used in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction?

By Lauren Christene Strazzulla

Peer Reviewed

The lifetime risk for developing heart failure from age 55 on is 33% for men and 28.5% for women, and as the population ages, there is an increasing prevalence of this disease along with its associated health care costs . Heart failure is divisible into 2 distinct entities: those with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and those with cardiovascular compromise that does not decrease LV ejection fraction, which is termed heart failure with persevered ejection fraction (HFpEF) . While …

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