Medscape

The unhealthy lifestyle behaviors that may underlie the notorious “freshman 15,” — ie, weight gain that some students may experience in starting college, often persist well into adulthood and are linked to a greater likelihood of having increases in BMI levels in early adulthood compared with those who have healthy lifestyle habits early on, new research showed. mdsc.pe/487EYs2

An individual patient data meta-analysis of two randomized trials involving treatment-naive patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) found that a hand-dominant joint involvement pattern was associated with a modestly better response to both conventional synthetic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs and bDMARDs, respectively), whereas a polyarticular joint involvement pattern predicted a worse response. mdsc.pe/47isTQx

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A 43-year-old woman presents with a dry cough that has persisted for 3 months, despite empiric treatment. What’s the diagnosis? Case by Dr Martín-Portugués: mdsc.pe/4rNN3JH

Long wait times for an appointment with a specialist and for treatment after the referral are putting lives at risk, experts say. mdsc.pe/4t6K93J

Managing reflux starts with understanding the "plumbing". Experts share why the "Rule of 3", standing upright for three hours after meals, is a game-changer for patient success. Watch the full discussion for more clinical pearls ➡️ x.com/i/broadcasts/1… #Gastro #CME

Researchers are rethinking how we study tuberculosis and the results are surprising. A new “breathing” lung-on-a-chip model, built with multiple human lung and immune cell types, mimics real respiration and reveals how TB behaves in its earliest stages. In a recent study, the chip not only recreated key features of infection but also showed how coordinated cell interactions may help limit disease—offering new insight into TB progression and potential treatment strategies: mdsc.pe/4sCMYtA

Join us LIVE for an AMA with @drjohnm as he dives into #ACC26 trial data and new guidelines. 🗓️ April 2nd ⏰ 12 PM ET 🔗 youtube.com/watch?v=GJpjfy… Got a burning question? Submit at our Medscape ACC Booth #227 by 3/29 or drop it in the comments 👇 #ACC #Cardiology

Tina Merritt, MD, is an allergist and immunologist at Allergy & Asthma Clinic of Northwest Arkansas in Bentonville, and one of the pioneers in the study of alpha-gal syndrome. Medscape spoke with her about the initial discovery of the tick-triggered allergy, the evolving understanding of its biological mechanism, and how to manage patients with the condition: mdsc.pe/3PY46v2

Patients who present to their primary care providers experiencing new-onset or multiple floaters in their vision could be at risk for retinal tears or detachment and should be referred promptly to an ophthalmologist, Dutch researchers found. The risk is particularly high for people with more than 10 floaters and those whose eye issues began in the previous 2 weeks, according to the researchers, whose findings appear in the Annals of Family Medicine. mdsc.pe/4tqGDl1

The role of central obesity as a predictor of cardiovascular disease has not been fully understood, but a recent analysis from the Jackson Heart Study has provided some answers. During a poster session at the American Heart Association EPI Lifestyle Scientific Sessions (AHA-EPI) 2026, researchers said that prior research suggested diabetes-associated heart disease may be driven more by fat around the organs, or visceral fat, rather than hyperglycemia. mdsc.pe/4c2A4Po

Clinical evidence has long suggested that the use of GLP-1 medications is linked to lower substance use. It’s also been speculated among patients taking the medications. Social drinkers, for example, contend that they no longer have the urge to order that glass of wine when they’re out with friends and smokers are finally able to stop. Now a larger body of research shows what physicians and their patients have long noticed: Taking GLP-1 medications seems to significantly prevent and reduce addiction and substance use disorders. In a study published recently in The BMJ, researchers followed about 600,000 veterans with type 2 diabetes and found that GLP-1s prevented and treated substance use disorders when taken over a 3-year period. mdsc.pe/4t3I9ZV

Are you up to date on the latest research on human bite wounds and their management strategies? Test yourself with this quick quiz: mdsc.pe/4uLdWk5

Doctors know how to succeed. That’s almost the easy part. But what happens when success, as it’s been traditionally defined, doesn’t work for you? What happens when you achieve the title, but know you should let it go? Or, when your vision as a leader doesn’t look like what’s been established? At the 2025 Women in Medicine Summit in Chicago, physicians shared personal stories of what it looks like to define their own career paths and measure success by their ruler alone. Sometimes that required stepping back or simply getting clear on their individual values and putting them into action. Medscape asked three doctors to share how they define professional achievement, what led them to question the “ladder” of success, and how they approach their roles differently today: mdsc.pe/4t711ra

Drug-related cognitive impairment is common and should be considered in any patient on medication who develops cognitive symptoms. Linked to drugs such as benzodiazepines, anticholinergic antidepressants, and antipsychotics—especially in older adults—it is often mistaken for age-related decline and underrecognized. Regular assessment and monitoring can help prevent and manage these effects. mdsc.pe/4lPKg19

An embedded hospital primary palliative care (HPPC) model led by social workers and nurse practitioners (NPs) was associated with lower ICU use and shorter hospital stays than referral-based specialty palliative care (SPC) in patients with serious illness. mdsc.pe/3NIzXPH

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has long been considered “good cholesterol,” with higher levels associated with lower cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, emerging evidence indicates that this relationship is nonlinear. Low HDL-C levels remain associated with an increased risk for CV events, while extremely elevated levels may also be linked to an increased risk, challenging traditional assumptions. Current evidence shows that CV prevention primarily relies on lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In addition, HDL function, rather than its concentration alone, may offer more meaningful insights into CV risk. mdsc.pe/4lIBr9c

Women who experience premature menopause have a 40% greater risk for developing coronary heart disease (CHD), and this risk is the same for both Black and White women, according to an article published in JAMA Cardiology. Reproductive milestones such as menopause can act as early signals from the cardiovascular system, said Priya M. Freaney, MD, lead author of the article and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. mdsc.pe/4sV535M

What if oncologists could degrade and eliminate disease-driving proteins rather than simply block them — and do it with a modular platform that works across cancer types, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and delivers chemotherapy at the same time? This new class of protein-degrading drugs are called nanoparticle-mediated targeting chimeras, or NPTACs, for short. This new approach, outlined in a recent Nature Nanotechnology perspective, builds on research from Columbia University and the University of Technology Sydney published in October 2024, which demonstrated that nanoparticles decorated with targeting antibodies can drag cell-surface proteins into the lysosome — the cell’s waste-disposal system — for destruction. mdsc.pe/4rKWQzV

Polypharmacy is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and increases the risk of drug-related complications, making careful prescribing essential. Clinicians must understand renal risks, monitor closely, and know when to pause or restart medications. This overview highlights 10 commonly used drugs, focusing on preventing complications and safely managing treatment: mdsc.pe/40Pvf5K