By Joshua Smith, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
As I am sure many of my fellow interns can attest, choosing to begin one’s year on the wards and as a night float at Bellevue Hospital has resulted in two predictable outcomes: an unbelievable appreciation for free time and an utter lack of knowledge regarding anything occurring outside the 10 block radius of NYU’s three hospitals. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm that, thanks to an elective block, I have once again been able to open my …
By Ami Jhaveri, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
In the headlines this week, The New York Times featured an article describing a test capable of identifying biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid to diagnose patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This article is based on a study that was published this week in the Archives of Neurology. Previously, Alzheimer’s disease could only be diagnosed based on clinical suspicion until a definite diagnosis was available with autopsy. In the study by De Meyer et al., researchers measured levels of A1-42, total …
By Caprice Cadacio, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Last month my fellow interns and I were enveloped by the fury that is known as July, the month infamous for shocking young interns into realizing they are now doctors. I was fortunate to have started on Ambulatory Care meaning my evenings and weekends were still mine to enjoy and in the midst of this August elective, I continue to hold on to my summer. In a few weeks, however, I will say goodbye as I am literally …
By Deborah Hemel, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
One of the many advantages of being on elective this week was that I finally had the pleasure of spending time outside and experiencing the heat wave with millions of other sweaty, malodorous New Yorkers. Our sultry plight, however, was dwarfed by far graver weather problems in other parts of the world: record floods in Iowa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China have killed hundreds, if not thousands of people, while a destructive heat wave has swept over Russia, a …
By: Aimee Edell, MD
Gratefully returning to daylight after a two-week stint assigned to the night float service, I’ve been observing the week’s events with great mirth. It seems bedbugs have continued on their squirm-inducing rise to power and glory, causing panic on Park Avenue; the iPhone design flaw, dubbed “antennagate”, has threatened to undermine Apple’s ultimate superiority on the smartphone front (1); and Sarah Palin has found herself in yet another public snafu, this time mixed up with the unlikely likes of William Shakespeare. …
By David Veal, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Recent international intrigue–replete with secret identities and coded messages–reached a dénouement when ten Russian agents were exchanged for four Americans in Vienna and an Iranian scientist residing in the US repatriated. Despite our popular culture’s fascination with clandestine politics, these events unfolded without the panache that comes with ordering a martini shaken, not stirred, or the quixotic mojo of a certain Austin “Danger” Powers. Instead, with much speculation about what lies ahead for those involved, it is clear …
By Dana Clutter, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
As HIV/AIDS researchers around the world prepare for the upcoming 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna from July 18-23, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been in the spotlight. We begin with an encouraging report that the Obama administration has pledged an extra $25 million to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) . Anxiety surrounding the placement of more and more HIV-infected Americans on record-length waitlists for ART (now totaling 2100 patients across 11 states) has been partially relieved by …
By David Hormozdi, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Ah July! A time filled with backyard barbeques, family vacations, and fireworks. But for new attendings, fellows, and housestaff across the country, July 1 marks the start of added responsibility, trepidation, and autonomy. With the added responsibility comes the age-old phrase – do no harm – and in this weeks Primecuts we explore controversial medications that may be doing little good for our patients. This week we will take another look at statin therapy for primary prevention of …
Michael Fingerhood, MD, MPH
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Ah, the long balmy days of summer in New York, replete with dining al fresco, Shakespeare in The Park, bumper-to-bumper traffic to our pristine (for now, at least) local beaches, and of course the armies of fresh-faced, eager young Housestaff proudly marching through the wards in their new long white coats. July 1st quickly approaches, and with it NYU’s new interns (myself included) excitedly begin their vital role within the nation’s healthcare system. Yet behind this excitement lies …
By Jeffrey Mayne, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
PRIMECUTS! PRIMECUTS! As the excitement of the World Cup rolls on and the din of those vuvuzela horns continues to ring heavy in your ears, the Wall Street Journal reports the horns once used to rally people in remote places, now used to champion athletes, may have lasting effects . The vuvuzela is traditionally made from the horn of a kudu, a species of antelope found in Africa and was first used to communicate over long distances. Today …
By Maryann Kwa, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
This week, ecstatic soccer fans around the world are gathering to watch the excitement and celebrate the camaraderie that is the World Cup. As the enthusiasm reaches a fever pitch in South Africa–the first country on the continent to host the games–the competitive spirit amongst players and fans is surely running high. Speaking of competition, we start this edition of Primecuts with a very interesting piece in The New York Times about testosterone and trust . Trust plays …
By Todd Cutler, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Summer is here and the only thing hotter than the weather is this week’s edition of Primecuts. In an early online publication this week in Lancet , the authors of the CANOE (Canadian Normoglycemia Outcomes Evaluation) study evaluated the efficacy of rosiglitazone and metformin in preventing progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. In previous studies, both drugs had individually been shown to be effective in preventing progression to diabetes in high-risk patients, however, …
