Annals of Internal Medicine Podcast

The effects of Medicare Part D on older adults' expenses and prescription utilization; an interview with Dr. John Ayanian of Harvard Medical School on transitioning into Medicare coverage; and the comparative effectiveness of drugs to treat osteoporosis. Plus a summary of all the articles in this week's issue.

Multidrug resistant MRSA infection in men who have sex with men; an interview with study coauthors Binh Diep, PhD and Henry Chambers, MD, of the University of California San Francisco; and a systematic review of evidence for improving end-of-life care. Plus a summary of all the articles in this week's issue.

What the U.S. can learn from the health care systems of other countries, with comments by Dr. Fred Ralston, Chair of the Health and Public Policy Committee of the ACP. Plus a summary of articles on the cost-effectiveness of digital mammography and the effect of drug concentration expressions on dosing errors.

A new ETT-based risk prediction score; screening for carotid stenosis; and an Institute of Medicine interview with NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, with comments on pandemic and seasonal influenza; the status of HIV vaccine development; NIH-industry partnerships for drug development; and biodefense research. Plus a summary of all the articles in this week's issue.

[PDF] Screening for Carotid Artery Stenosis: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Conversations about medical professionalism and ethical pay-for-performance systems. An in-depth summary of a national survey on physician attitudes and behaviors about professionalism, with an interview with Drs. Eric Campbell and David Blumenthal of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners Health System in Boston; and principles for maintaining patient-centered pay-for-performance systems, with an interview with Ms. Lois Snyder and Dr. Richard Neubauer of the American College of Physicians. Plus a summary of all the articles in this week's issue.

[PDF] Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter

Clinical outcomes by virologic response in hepatitis C patients, comparative effectiveness of CABG and PCI, and the CDC adult immunization schedule; and interviews with Drs. Gary Davis of Baylor University, Stephan Fihn of the VA Puget Sound, and Dr. Greg Poland of the Mayo Clinic.

ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or both for hypertension and proteinuria; an interview with Dr. Patrick Parfrey of Memorial University in Newfoundland Canada on the risks of combining ACE inhibitors and ARBs; risperidone for major depression; a new ACP practice guideline on the diagnosis and management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and other highlights of this week's issue.

[PDF] Diagnosis and Management of Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians

Aspirin and venous thromboembolism, triple therapy for H. pylori, and the safety of rosiglitazone, including an interview with Dr. Sanjay Kaul and George Diamond about the statistical pitfalls of interpreting randomized trials of the drug.

Predicting BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations; clinical practice guidelines for low back pain; and an interview with Dr. Giovanni Parmigiani of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. David Euhus of University of Texas-Southwestern about the use of genetic risk prediction for breast cancer gene mutations in clinical practice.

Differences in type 2 diabetes glycemic control by exercise type; systematic review of comparative effectiveness of oral diabetic agents; and an interview with Dr. Amir Qaseem about this week's American College of Physicians guidance statement on optimal HbA1c target levels.

Nitrofurazone-impregnated urinary catheters and bacteriuria, left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, and hyperkyphosis in the elderly. Also, a discussion with Dr. Ellen Foster, Assistant Professor of English on the Venango campus of Clarion University, about the play Wit and its lessons for physicians

Trends in mortality among women and men with diabetes plus an interview with Nanette Wenger, M.D. of Emory University about why risk for death among diabetic women remains high; geriatric conditions and disability; and a review of changes in recommendations for basic and advanced cardiac life support in the 2005 AHA guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.