Questioning Medicine

All of these articles have been talked about on questioning medicine social media on tik tok and instagram but here is an update of my recent reading

Buelt, Andrew | 2:13 PM (1 hour ago) |  | to mehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833338 Conclusions and Relevance  These results support use of metformin for treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis in people with overweight or obesity. Because of the modest sample size, confirmation in a larger clinical trial is warranted.    Lee S et al. Live zoster vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes: A nationwide, South Korean study. Eur Heart J 2025 May 5; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf230) In a new South Korean study, researchers evaluated nearly 1.3 million people (age ≥50) who were entered into a nationwide database. In an analysis adjusted for numerous confounders and with an average follow-up of 6 years, people who received a VZV vaccine had significantly lower risk (by ≈25%) for overall adverse cardiovascular events, heart failure, cerebrovascular disorders, ischemic heart disease, thrombotic disorders, and arrhythmias.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40658956/ Conclusion

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2504544  During follow-up ranging from 12 to 52 weeks, fewer patients had severe exacerbations in the albuterol/budesonide group than in the albuterol group (5% vs. 9%). Patients in the albuterol/budesonide group had less than half the total exposure to systemic glucocorticoids as those in the albuterol group (mean, 23 vs. 62 mg per year).   Clinical Practice: This study supports the use of an as-needed combination of albuterol and budesonide in reducing severe asthma exacerbations in patients with mild asthma who are inadequately controlled by SABA alone. This aligns with current recommendations by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), which advocates for an inhaled corticosteroid plus a fast-acting bronchodilator as rescue therapy across all treatment steps for patients aged 12 years and older.   https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S0140673625004398?returnurl=https:%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0140673625004398%3Fshowall%3Dt

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/156/1/e2024070175/202234/Infant-Antibodies-After-Maternal-COVID-19?autologincheck=redirected  Objective:The study aimed to evaluate the kinetics and duration of maternally derived antibodies in infants up to 6 months old, following maternal COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy or postpartum. Study Design:A prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted across nine U.S. academic sites, enrolling infants born to mothers vaccinated with 2- (n=280) or 3-dose (booster) monovalent mRNA vaccines during pregnancy (n=202) or postpartum (n=36). Primary Outcomes: Antibody Levels: Significantly higher geometric mean titers (GMTs) of binding and neutralizing antibodies (nAb) were observed at birth and 2 months in infants of mothers who received a booster dose during pregnancy compared to those who received 2 doses or were vaccinated postpartum. Sustained Antibody Levels: Higher titers against the vaccine strain persisted up to 6 months in infants of boosted mothe

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2415879?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed Key Findings: Classic Risk Factors: The five risk factors examined were hypertension, hyperlipidemia, underweight and overweight or obesity, diabetes, and smoking. These factors are estimated to account for about 50% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease. Lifetime Risk Estimates: Among individuals free of these risk factors at age 50, the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease was 13% for women and 21% for men. For those with all five risk factors, the lifetime risk jumped to 24% for women and 38% for men. Significance of Risk Factor Modification: Adjusting certain risk factors during midlife, particularly managing hypertension and quitting smoking, led to the most significant gains in life expectancy free of disease. For instance, controlling hypertension between ages 55 and 60 yielded the most additional life-years free of cardiovascular disease. Quitting smoking

GLP1 might cause thyroid cancer in mice but the evidence is drastically lacking in humansOral semaglutide is expensive for an NNT of 50 at 4 yrsTiktok videos of skin care are a scam

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2834040amiloride is realistically equal to spironolactone for resistant HTNhttps://journals.lww.com/ajg/abstract/2025/05000/higher_rate_of_spontaneous_bacterial_peritonitis.24.aspxprophalaxis antibiotics might not be neededhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2834317If you got a friend in weight loss-- or at least in maintaining weight loss

https://www.jthjournal.org/article/S1538-7836(25)00109-6/fulltextAntithrombotic agents, like aspirin and anticoagulants, are essential for treating many cardiovascular conditions. However, a common side effect is bleeding, with extracranial bleeding—bleeding outside the brain and spinal cord—being quite prevalent. This study, a secondary analysis of the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly, or ASPREE trial, aimed to explore how clinically significant extracranial bleeding affects the development of functional disability in otherwise healthy older adults.What did the researchers find?Summary of Findings: Incidence of Bleeding: Out of nearly 19,000 participants, about 2.9%, or 547 individuals, experienced clinically significant extracranial bleeding. Functional Independence Impact: Those who experienced such bleeding had a more than two-fold increase in the risk of developing dependence on activities of daily living, or ADLs. Specifically, the hazard ratio for ADL dependence was 2.46, indicating a signif

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2834632SummaryThe article examines the effectiveness and safety of zilebesiran, an RNA interference therapeutic agent, when used in combination with standard first-line antihypertensive drugs for patients with inadequately controlled hypertension. The phase 2, prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial was conducted over multiple international sites with patients treated with either indapamide, amlodipine, or olmesartan. The primary outcome measured was the change in 24-hour mean ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP) at three months.Key findings from the study showed that a single subcutaneous dose of zilebesiran significantly reduced 24-hour mean ambulatory and office SBP at three months compared to placebo, across all background treatments. This indicates that zilebesiran can be an effective adjunctive treatment to standard oral antihypertensive therapies, providing sustained blood pressure control.Strengths Innovative Approach: The use of RNA in

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2405182?query=recirc_Semantic  Key Takeaways Extended Predictive Value of Biomarkers: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), LDL cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels were found to be predictive of cardiovascular events over a 30-year period. These markers contribute independently to long-term cardiovascular risk beyond traditional 10-year risk estimates. Study Design and Population: The study enrolled 27,939 initially healthy U.S. women who were followed for 30 years. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a first major adverse cardiovascular event, including myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes. Predictive Strength of Biomarkers: Among the biomarkers, high-sensitivity CRP showed the strongest association with future cardiovascular events (hazard ratio for top quintile: 1.70). LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) also significantly predicted risk, albeit to a slightly lower degree (hazard ratio

Desgagnés N et al. Use of albumin-adjusted calcium measurements in clinical practice. JAMA Netw Open 2025 Jan 21; 8:e2455251. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.55251)Overall, total calcium levels (just the ones we would get back on a basic cmp) correlated better with ionized calcium than did formula-corrected calcium levels. Formulas with stronger correlation than total calcium levels were either complex (e.g., requiring blood pH measurement) or derived locally (i.e., not generalizable). Many formulas overestimated calcium at low calcium levels; the Payne formula misclassified 41% of patients, whereas the total calcium level only misclassified 25% of patients.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2416394At 72 weeks, the mean percentage decrease in weight was significantly greater with tirzepatide than with semaglutide (20% vs. 14%). Gastrointestinal side effects occurred frequently in both groups but led to discontinuation of treatment in only 3% and 6% of participants in the tirzepatide and semaglutide groups, respectively. Injection-site reactions were more common with tirzepatide than with semaglutide (9% vs. <1%) but didn't cause participants to stop treatment.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2832701In this multisite trial, 800 adults who smoked 10 or more cigarettes daily (mean duration of smoking, ≈35 years) were randomized to 6 or 12 weeks of cytisinicline or to placebo. In the 6-week group,15% of cytisinicline recipients and 6% of placebo recipients were abstinent (defined by self-report and breath carbon monoxide <10 ppm) during weeks 3 to 6. In the 12-week group, 30% of cytisinicline recipients and 9% of placebo recipients were abstinent during weeks 9 to 12.

What does the evidence and the guidelines say about the use and testing of Vitamin D in kids

Aryee EK et al. Prevalence of obesity with and without confirmation of excess adiposity among US adults. JAMA 2025 Apr 17; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.2704)The rate of obesity was 39.7% based on BMI and 39.1% based on excess adiposity. Among participants with obesity based on BMI, 98% also had excess adiposity; in other words, essentially the same individuals were considered as obese by both criteria.

In an hour-by-hour analysis, patients we suspect to have asthma are significantly more likely to have positive bronchodilator responses early in the morning; with each passing hour before testing, there was small decrease (8%) in positive response. Patients also were more likely to have positive responses in the winter. Knox-Brown B et al. Effect of time of day and seasonal variation on bronchodilator responsiveness: The SPIRO-TIMETRY study. Thorax 2025 Mar 11; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2024-222773)

Vitamin D and Adults and what you should do with Vitamin D

 a cme lecture on the outpatient management of COPD

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