Kelsey Luoma, MD
Peer Reviewed

Opioid-related morbidity and mortality has reached crisis levels in the United States. According to the CDC, between 1999 and 2014 more than 165,000 people died due to opioid drug overdose . This week, our first article questions whether a multicomponent primary care intervention can mitigate the risk of prescription opioid abuse, thereby potentially saving lives. Next, we’ll review a study on the effects of long-term inhaled corticosteroid use on fracture risk; we’ll compare various non-invasive testing strategies for workup of …

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By Cesar Soria Jimenez, MD
Peer Reviewed

In this week’s Primecuts issue, we will be discussing topics related to obesity and its effects on the global population over the past quarter century (the effects are both surprising and worse than you likely imagine), a trial analyzing the potential for a blood serum biomarker to distinguish the infectious etiology of community acquired pneumonia and prevent unnecessary use of empiric antibiotics, and the characterization of a distinct phenotype of heart failure with ejection fraction, a condition that …

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By David Rhee, MD
Peer Reviewed
A warm welcome to all the new interns! As the future of healthcare is debated in congress, there has been a great deal of attention on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This week, our first two articles explore some of the effects Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA had on patient outcomes either through the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing initiatives or through the growing use of observation units. Our third article reviews a study on non-vitamin K anticoagulation agents …

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By David Pineles, MD
Peer Reviewed

In a major blow to the Democratic party, Republican Karen Handel won the special congressional election in Georgia, fending off Democrat Jon Ossoff . While some see this as a victory for President Trump, others are viewing this as a win despite Mr. Trump’s actions . In world news, Britain’s Prince Phillip, the 96-year old husband of Queen Elizabeth, spent his second night in King Edward VII Hospital for an unspecified infection . In sporting news, the the National …

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By Michelle Lo, MD

Peer Reviewed

This past week marks the first leg of president Trump’s foreign trip starting at Saudi Arabia, where he was lavished with extravagant gifts. While former president Obama slowed military cooperation with the kingdom from the concerns of the country’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Yemen, Trump may seek to expand them.

The number of suspected cases of Ebola has now risen to 29 in less than a week the Democratic Republic of Congo. The risk of spread is high …

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By Maxine W Stachel, MD

Peer Reviewed

The past week saw a massive worldwide cyber-hacking attack that affected many well-known brands and, disturbingly, at least a dozen hospitals in Britain’s National Health Service. Using a program allegedly stolen from the US National Security Administration, hackers were able to freeze NHS electronic medical records, which left doctors unable to access patient files and patients unable to access care. Outpatient appointments and elective surgeries were cancelled. Some emergency departments were even forced to divert patients needing urgent …

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HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – APRIL 01: #4 Always Dreaming (FL) wth jockey John Velazquez on board, wins the Xpressbet Florida Derby (Grade I) at Gulfstream Park on April 01, 2017 in Hallandale Beach, Florida. (Photo by Liz Lamont/Eclipse Sportswire/Getty Images)

By Alicia Cowley, MD, MBA

Peer Reviewed

This past Thursday, the American Health Care Act narrowly survived a full vote in the House. The American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and at least a dozen other health …

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