Samantha Kass Newman, MD
Peer Reviewed
A 48-year-old depressed male smoker with a bit of an alcohol problem presents to the emergency department with worsening fatigue, severe lower back pain, constipation, abdominal …
Category: Systems
Clinical Correlations
Don’t Tie Me Down! Do Neckties Spread Infection?
February 24, 2016
By Gabriel Campion
Peer Reviewed
For over a century, neckties have been a staple accessory in the wardrobe of the American professional man. Although white-collar dress codes have trended toward a more casual …
Could Metformin be the First Anti-Aging Drug?
February 11, 2016
By Amy Shen Tang, MD
Peer Reviewed
“I would pay you if you took it away from me. I’d try to buy it back,” said Irving Kahn, the late Wall Street investment advisor …
The Persistent HIV Crisis: HIV Prevalence Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)
February 3, 2016
By Ofole Mgbako, MD
Peer Reviewed
In July 2010, the much-anticipated “National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States” was released to the public. In its introduction, the president declared, “Our Nation is at …
Hirudotherapy: An Ugly Means of Avoiding Uglier Outcomes
January 22, 2016
By Jonathan Bekisz
Peer Reviewed
“Do you want to see something gross? Go into the soiled utility room and check out what’s in the jar.” Never one to pass on the …
Is It Time to Reconsider Who Should Get Metformin?
December 11, 2015 
By Lauren Strazzulla
Current FDA guidelines for the use of metformin stipulate that it not be prescribed to those with an elevated creatinine (at or above 1.5 mg/dL for men and 1.4 mg/dL for women). It is …
Are We Overusing Proton Pump Inhibitors?
November 13, 2015
By Shimwoo Lee
Peer Reviewed
Case: A 31-year-old man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes was hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia. His home medications included esomeprazole. When asked why he was receiving this …
HDL Quantity, Necessary But Not Sufficient For Cardioprotection
September 30, 2015
By Kerrilynn Carney, MD
Peer Reviewed
Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally despite the use of statin therapy. Although major statin studies suggest an average 31% reduction in relative …