By Mario Fusaro, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
We begin this week’s Memorial Day edition of Primecuts by taking a moment to recognize the service men and women of our country. As people celebrated the holiday weekend with barbeques and beach trips, we should not lose sight of its main significance, to honor those charged with protecting our way of life. While the veteran population ages, they look to us to protect their health as they once protected our freedoms. …
By Mary Whitman, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
We start this week with news that the American Heart Association (AHA) is teaming up with Nintendo of America to promote its “active gaming” Wii console and games, such as WiiFit. While some argue that the AHA should be promoting more energetic exercise, we agree with their statement, “Participating in an actual sport is usually more vigorous than active gaming, but active gaming compares very well with sitting on the couch.” As…
Brandon Oberweis, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
This week’s edition of Primecuts begins with President Obama’s recent nomination of Elena Kagan, the current Solicitor General of the United States, as the 112th Supreme Court Justice. If confirmed, Kagan would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor as the third female justice on the bench. Frank Sinatra once sang in his tribute to New York, “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere…” And right he was. Interestingly,…
Michael Tanner, MD Associate Editor, Clinical Correlations
Hemoglobin Targets in Chronic Kidney Disease
Approved by the FDA in 1989, the success of erythropoietin in patients with chronic kidney disease and transfusion-dependent anemia led to trials testing the possible benefits of progressively higher hemoglobin targets. This week’s Annals of Internal Medicine (1) features a systematic review by Palmer et al of 27 trials of erythropoietin and darbepoietin titrated to various hemoglobin targets. The review concludes that hemoglobin targets of >13.0 g/L are associated with increased…
The 21st Running of the City of Pittsburgh Marathon
Michael Ford, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
I am filing this dispatch from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A former home of steel, bratwurst, Iron City Beer, and cigarettes, Pittsburgh today finds itself lurching somewhat awkwardly along a transitional path toward gleaming healthcare and biotech excellence. This location seems appropriate, as it was home to me for 10 years prior to relocating to NYC to begin a medical career. It was here…
Bora Toklu, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
As the spring is phasing in, it’s again that time of the year when an uncomfortable guilt sets in as you recover from the sedentary life of winter and confront those extra pounds that the winter has snuck in. People seem to rely mostly on “diet and exercise” to make it into skimpy summer swim suits—a virtual seasonal ritual of our modern society. There is not much of a dispute over how to…
Chau Che, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
In the economic news this week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 11,000 for the first time since September 2008. It appears that the economy is rebounding, and despite the news of fraud charges against Goldman Sachs at the end of the week, the Dow Jones still managed to close the week above 11,000. This provides hope that the United States is heading towards economic recovery. The medical journals also echoed hopes of recovery by addressing…
Robert Gianotti, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Welcome back to this week’s edition of prime cuts. For all you sports fans out there it has been filled with some exciting comebacks and breaking news. Earlier in the week, Duke was restored as the number one team in the nation as they edged out the Butler Bulldogs (61-59) to return to their former glory as the best in the NCAA. This week also marks the 74th Masters Golf Tournament featuring none…
Ankit Parikh MD
Faculty peer reviewed
It is time for the first Primecuts of April and the signs of spring are all around us. But before we spring forward into this edition of Primecuts, let us take a look back and reflect on “March Madness.” With all apologies to fans of Butler and Duke, this year “March Madness” was all about the historic battle for health care reform and passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act two…
Kara Greenwald, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
The United States medical community, still reeling from an exciting debate in Congress, has revealed its cautiously optimistic side this week in the journals and press. At once there is exciting news for liver disease, a fresh look at the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) – clopidogrel interaction, an update on global MDR-TB and XDR-TB, and from the FDA some news that may surprise you. The theme in medical news this week…
Carolyn Bevan MD
Faculty peer reviewed
This week, as the House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the medical community highlighted some of its most recent achievements in medical science. The 59th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology convened from March 14-16. The meeting delivered on its promise of presenting some of the most exciting developments in the field, including new drugs, new data on safety and efficacy, and updates in interventional technology…
Christopher Tully MD
Faculty peer reviewed
Hello again Primecutters and welcome to another edition of your favorite weekly blog. Our fearless editor has allowed me a repeat performance of last week and I am honored to provide the followers of this column with another scintillating tale of the week’s medical knowledge.Dyslipidemia is a common clinical problem and its control is a mainstay of inpatient and outpatient internal medicine. While statins are miraculous in their ability to treat and control…
