Medical Knowledge

Diagnostic Safety, Part 3: The Patient’s Story

Diagnostic errors are among the top allegations in US medical malpractice claims. While it’s impossible to eliminate all errors, there are some actions that can reduce the risks of diagnostic mistakes. One such action is to focus on each patient’s…

Survival Benefit Associated With Participation in Clinical Trials of Anticancer Drugs – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Importance  Many cancer clinical investigators view clinical trials as offering better care for patients than routine clinical care. However, definitive evidence of clinical benefit from trial participation (hereafter referred to as the participation effect) has yet to emerge. Objective  To conduct a systematic…

Krill Oil for Knee Osteoarthritis – A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance  Knee osteoarthritis is disabling, with few effective treatments. Preliminary evidence suggested that krill oil supplementation improved knee pain, but effects on knee osteoarthritis remain unclear. Objective  To evaluate efficacy of krill oil supplementation, compared with placebo, on knee pain in people…

Federal Trade Commission Actions on Prescription Drugs, 2000-2022

Importance  The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) oversight role in the pharmaceutical market is critical to the health of patients and the health care system. This study characterized the FTC’s policy on the pharmaceutical market in recent decades, identifying the types of…

Causal Inference About the Effects of Interventions From Observational Studies in Medical Journals

Importance  Many medical journals, including JAMA, restrict the use of causal language to the reporting of randomized clinical trials. Although well-conducted randomized clinical trials remain the preferred approach for answering causal questions, methods for observational studies have advanced such that causal interpretations of…

Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer and Combination Treatment Outcomes – A Review

Importance  Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer is currently an incurable disease. Despite a high response rate to androgen-deprivation therapy, most cases progress to castration-resistant disease, the terminal phase. This review provides a summary of the most recent evidence for current and emerging…

Expanding Clinical Spectrum of Anti-GQ1b Antibody Syndrome – A Review

Importance  The discovery of the anti-GQ1b antibody has expanded the nosology of classic Miller Fisher syndrome to include Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome with ophthalmoplegia, and acute ophthalmoplegia without ataxia, which have been brought under the umbrella term anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome. It…

International Consensus Definition and Diagnostic Criteria for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis From the International Psoriasis Council

Importance  Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) lacks internationally accepted definitions and diagnostic criteria, impeding timely diagnosis and treatment and hindering cross-regional clinical and epidemiological study comparisons. Objective  To develop an international consensus definition and diagnostic criteria for GPP using the modified Delphi method….