November 1st, 2015
Podcast 188: Should “deintensification” be a quality-of-care measure?
The ACCORD trial found dangers in too-strict control of blood pressure and glucose in diabetes. Our guest has just published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine measuring the scope of the problem. Using Veterans Affairs data, his group found that “deintensification” of therapy after targets were met or exceeded was disappointingly rare. JAMA Internal Medicine study […]
July 9th, 2010
Podcast 95: What if hypertensive patients titrated their own drug dosages?
This week’s interview is with the editorialist commenting on an exciting Lancet paper. The writer, Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe, says that the work, in which patients with uncontrolled hypertension titrated their own medications according to prespecified rules, could change how clinicians manage uncomplicated hypertension. From his base at New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Ogedegbe […]
July 1st, 2010
Podcast 94: What does a new meta-analysis tell us about statins and primary prevention?
A meta-analysis of 11 studies encompassing more than 60,000 subjects finds that statins don’t lower all-cause mortality in people without cardiovascular disease. One editorialist calls the study, just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, “the cleanest and most complete meta-analysis of pharmacological lipid lowering for primary prevention.” One of the study’s principal authors, Kausik K. […]
June 18th, 2010
Podcast 92: Corticosteroids in COPD exacerbations — high-dose intravenous or low-dose oral?
A JAMA paper suggests that in all but the most severe exacerbations of COPD, it’s best to start off with low-dose oral corticosteroids rather than the higher-dose intravenous treatment that, contrary to guideline recommendations, almost everyone now gets. Our conversation this week is with the study’s first author, Dr. Peter Lindenauer. Visit the Journal Watch website […]
January 29th, 2010
Podcast 72: A conversation about two new drugs for multiple sclerosis.
We’ve got Dr. William Carroll this week — we tried last week, but the 13-hour time difference between Boston and Perth just stymied me. Dr. Carroll speaks about his NEJM editorial concerning two new drugs for multiple sclerosis. Both are oral therapies that work to keep lymphocytes at bay in this disease. Interview-story link: MS Treatments Said […]
November 2nd, 2009
Podcast 63: A conversation about the adverse cardiometabolic effects of second-generation antipsychotic drugs in young patients with Christoph Correll
There are consequences of even short-term use of some drugs. Take the second-generation antipsychotics. A 3-month course can cause weight gain of almost 20 pounds in young people, according to a JAMA study. We interview Dr. Christoph Correll about the implications. To reach Clinical Conversations, you can call 1-617-440-4374 or email me at jelia@jwatch.org. This […]