We will discuss the use of azithromycin as a therapeutic option for patients with persistent symptomatic asthma despite controller maintenance therapy with inhaled corticosteroids and a long-acting bronchodilator.

Social media use is ubiquitous across American society. There has also been an increase in adolescent mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as teen suicidal behavior. Join us as we discuss the association between social media use and adolescent mental health.

The degree to which early exposure to gluten-containing foods affects the risk of developing celiac disease is controversial. Join us as we discuss a recent Norwegian study suggesting that the timing of introduction of gluten in the diet may be less important than the amount of gluten in the diet at 18 months of age.

Plantar fasciitis is a common and often unsuccessfully treated chronic, painful condition. Multiple interventions have been suggested with varying degrees of effectiveness. Corticosteroid injections are sometimes used, but the evidence for efficacy has been limited with significant bias present in many of the trials. A Cochrane review in 2017 found a small degree of short-term benefit. Since then, a number of additional trials have been performed, and a newer systematic review finds no benefit.

Patients with COPD frequently have exacerbations, often triggered by an acute upper respiratory infection (URI). C-reactive protein (CRP) testing is a new way of assessing whether or not antibiotics are needed to treat.

A recent scoping review revealed that nonprescription antibiotic use is a prevalent and understudied public health concern in the US. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and use has been a well-documented concern and these new findings only reinforce the need for more comprehensive approaches to this problem. Join us while we discuss the scoping review findings and some strategies for implementing antibiotic stewardship into your practice.

Alcohol consumption has been associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes, yet many clinicians still counsel patients that it is okay in moderation. Past observational studies have supported this idea, showing a dose-dependent relationship between alcohol consumption and the incidence of a-fib. In this episode we will explore the latest RCT out of Australia, which suggest that no level of alcohol intake is safe when it comes to a-fib.

There has been increasing interest in the use of endovascular reperfusion for patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) have jointly developed a nationwide registry to evaluate the benefits of these techniques on stroke outcomes. During this episode we will review a recent retrospective cohort study of almost 7,000 patients presenting with an acute ischemic stroke that demonstrates a significant benefit to endovascular reperfusion, even several hours after the onset of symptoms.