Internal Medicine Alert
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Alcohol: Double-Edged Sword, or Hatchet?
Researchers reported consuming two to 14 alcoholic drinks per week was associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events, which the authors noted could be explained in part by less stress-related neural activity demonstrated on PET and CT scans.
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Physician Group Says to Start Colon Cancer Screening at Age 50 Years
Patient advocates push back, standing by other recommendations that set the age at 45 years.
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What Kind of Bundle Branch Block?
Assuming QRS widening in a supraventricular rhythm is not the result of hyperkalemia or other toxicity, and assuming the patient has not been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, classification of 12-lead ECG conduction disturbances can be simplified into one of three basic categories. The tracing in the figure illustrates this concept.
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Donislecel-jujn Allogenic Pancreatic Islet Cellular Suspension (Lantidra)
Lantidra can be prescribed to adults with type 1 diabetes who cannot approach target HbA1c levels because of current repeated episodes of severe hyperglycemia despite intensive diabetes management and education.
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Report from the 2023 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions
At the 2023 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, experts presented key updates, advances, and best practices for patient care. A selection of presentations relevant to the internal medicine and primary care community is presented here.
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Colchicine Tablets (Lodoco)
The FDA has approved the first anti-inflammatory drug to lower the risk of cardiovascular events occurring in adults with established atherosclerotic disease or with multiple risk factors.
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The Role of Influenza Vaccination in Cardiovascular Event Prevention
Researchers studied English patients with an acute cardiovascular event who received an influenza vaccine in the same 12-month period and compared that to the 120-day period after vaccination and the rest of the year. They observed those vaccinated were less likely to experience an acute cardiovascular event for 120 days after vaccine vs. the rest of the year.
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What Is the Optimal Duration of Antibiotics for a Complicated UTI with Bacteremia?
An observational study of adults hospitalized with a complicated urinary tract infection and bacteremia revealed seven days of therapy was enough for most cases when they received antibiotics with comparable intravenous and oral bioavailability.
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Syphilis RPR May Fluctuate Before Treatment
The more time between testing and treatment, the more likely the change in the titer. Since patients often are called back for treatment, these data suggest clinicians should obtain a repeat rapid plasma reagin at the time these patients return for treatment, effectively establishing a new baseline.
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Artificial Intelligence Might Help Clinicians Answer Patient Questions
Researchers evaluated the ability of ChatGPT to answer patient questions posed in an online forum. The authors found the chatbot generated quality and empathetic answers. These results suggest artificial intelligence assistants might help draft responses to patient questions.