Podcasts

What is the relationship between common illnesses and depression? And why is the relationship so strong? What can clinicians do now to manage both the medical illness and the depression?

(AUDIO) HIV-positive status is hardly a death sentence today, yet too many patients in the US do not complete the continuum of care from diagnosis to completion of antiretroviral therapy. AIDS specialist Katerina Chrstopoulos MD examines the barriers along the cascade of care, and suggests solutions.

Simvastatin 40 mg once daily can attenuate increases in cardiorespiratory fitness in response to exercise training.

(AUDIO) Antiviral drugs have reduced intrauterine transmission of HIV dramatically. But what are the effects on the pregnancy itself? Here an infectious diseases expert discusses the risks and the benefits.

Recurrent C difficile requires pulse vancomycin therapy; fecal microbiota transplant shows promise.

A key finding: a primary physician’s healthy lifestyle behaviors may be linked to his or her recommendations for hypertension prevention.

(AUDIO) The HIV Medicine Association has released a document that identifies the key characteristics of a medical provider qualified to manage the long-term care of patients infected with HIV. Here the chair of the organization describes the qualifications and tells why they are important.

The patient, an active 49-year-old man, had an HbA1c of 8.6 after diabetes was first diagnosed. It’s now 7.6 with metformin and lifestyle measures. Is the current A1c goal adequate, or should you treat more aggressively?

Our brains can be trained to function better as we age, and it doesn't take the Fountain of Youth to get there. In this podcast, geriatric psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky prescribes strategies to challenge our brains. She notes: "The more we challenge our brain, the more new nerve pathways and circuits we form."

Female CV mortality lags behind male mortality; lifetime risk assessment, not 10-year risk, is a better estimation tool for women

(AUDIO) How often should people be (re)tested for HIV? A pair of industrial efficiency experts looked at current HIV testing recommendations, and found them too conservative.

Patients who consumed a Mediterranean-style diet had a 30% reduction in major cardiovascular events compared with patients who ate a diet low in saturated fat.

(AUDIO) For older as well as young patients, clinicians should be sure to test regularly for HIV as the CDC advises, says a researcher who tells in this interview how suspicions about the origin of AIDS and the involvement of government may discourage older people from being tested.

Hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients can be the result of insulin or sulfonylureas.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, of the incretin class of antidiabetes drugs, are weight neutral, avoid hypoglycemia, and result in an average reduction in HbA1c of 0.5% to 1.0%

Approximately 25% of those infected with HIV are unaware of their positive status. The USPSTF says universal screening can help reduce disease burden.

(AUDIO) Correctional institutions offer an excellent opportunity to discover and treat HIV infection, which is usually contracted before incarceration. How can physicians assure that care is just as good after these patients are released into the community?

What are some of the more common side effects of antiretroviral therapy, and what can the primary care physician do to help manage these effects? In this podcast, infectious disease expert Rodger MacArthur, MD, offers insights and points readers to updated comprehensive guidelines.

What are first signs and symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy? When should you start treating-at the first episode? How to measure ammonia levels? When to send the patient for transplant evaluation?

The goals of therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disorder include inducing and maintaining a steroid-free remission, preventing and treating the complications of the disease, minimizing treatment toxicity, achieving mucosal healing, and enhancing quality of life.

Extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease affect the musculoskeletal, dermatologic, ocular, renal and pulmonary systems.

Newly diagnosed hypertension in a patient whose blood pressure is 152/94 mm Hg. What agents will you consider for this patient? Beta-blockers? Think again.

(AUDIO) US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for HIV screening may come into line with CDC guidelines thanks to a reanalysis of recent outcomes data. Here clinical epidemiologist Roger Chou MD, who conducted the analysis, describes the new evidence and the implications.

PCSK-9 inhibition in patients with recalcitrant hypercholesterolemia has reaped reductions in LDL-C of up to 85% after the first week of therapy.

Data from an inner-city AIDS treatment clinic in Baltimore suggest that inequities in HIV/AIDS treatment may be undergoing a necessary correction. In this podcast, an author of the study explains what this may mean for people in treatment elsewhere.

Platelet function monitoring and adjustment of treatment based on results after coronary stenting does not improve clinical outcomes . . . and other findings from the AHA Scientific Sessions.

Could intrathecally administered methotrexate be a viable treatment option for your patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis?

What is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and dementia? What we eat is a key part of the answer. For one thing, doctors can suggest an appropriate diet to motivated patients, or to those who prefer a non-drug approach.

(AUDIO) There are disparities in the sensitivities and specificities of glucose and lactose hydrogen breath tests used to diagnose small intestine bacterial overgrowth and to distinguish patients with irritable bowel syndrome from healthy individuals. Just how useful are these tests? Insights from an expert here.

(AUDIO) Here, Christina Surawicz, MD, describes an organized approach to the evaluation and management of patients with chronic diarrhea.