There's no need to abandon abacavir as an option for AIDS treatment fearing adverse effects. This podcast features a new guideline that shows how to use easily ordered genetic tests to judge who can take the drug safely.

The Los Angeles county coroner’s office recently ruled that singer Whitney Houston drowned in her hotel bathtub but that other factors contributed to her demise. Did the 48-year-old have preexisting cardiovascular disease? Did cocaine abuse trigger a deadly cardiac event? Drs Payal Kohli and Christopher Cannon put the autopsy results and the pop star’s final moments in context.

A new study that showed a link between a yearly dental x-ray and meningioma must have sent a shiver down many a spine. Here, oral medicine specialist Dr Jeff Burgess offers guidance about what to think, and how to respond when a concerned patient asks.

With genetic tests rapidly entering medical practice, and some patients even ordering them on their own, the NIH has launched a Genetic Testing Registry to help doctors interpret and follow up on these tests. In this interview, the director of the new Genetic Testing Registry tells why you need it, and what's there for your reference.

Bariatric surgery nearly cures type 2 diabetes-at least that’s what results of a new study, presented at the recent ACC meeting, seem to imply.

It’s a known fact that regular consumption of red meat increases the risk of many chronic diseases-including diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Now, data from 2 large, long-term studies link daily consumption of red meat with death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Drs Kohli and Cannon discuss what to tell your patients.

A consortium called CPIC has issued a new guideline on genetic tests that can mean the difference between toxic reactions or unrelieved pain for some patients on codeine. Dr. Mary Relling tells why primary care doctors need good information right now about the links between genes and drug response, and where you can find it.

There’s a new way to lower LDL cholesterol levels-by approximately 60% to 80%. Studies unveiled at the 2012 ACC meeting found that an injectable monoclonal antibody, when added to statin therapy cuts LDL cholesterol levels far in excess of what can be achieved with statin therapy alone. Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli discuss.

The FDA will launch an intensive review of data on the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants in June, responding to yet more evidence that they present a high risk of failure and revision surgery. Listen as orthopedic surgeon William Maloney of Stanford University School of Medicine discusses the risks and the realities of hip replacement today.

Patients with type 2 diabetes should be receiving statin therapy, but many patients who would benefit from these agents are not taking them-and not reaching target lipid levels. A recent study shows that timing of statin initiation can make a difference. Here to put the issue into perspective are Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is known to cause weight gain and heightens the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here to put the issue into perspective are Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli.

Statins have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, heart disease and death. But this week, the FDA decided that the package inserts of the various statins must now include a warning that these agents may raise blood glucose levels and that they can cause memory loss. Here to put this issue into perspective are Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli.

Data from a long-term prospective study reveal that for many older women, the pace of bone mass deterioration takes place on the scale of decades, not single years. Here, the lead author of the study describes how to interpret the results to choose the date for your own patient's next bone density test.

In his second podcast, Dr Louis Kuritzky discusses the classes of incretin-based therapies now available for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Louis Kuritzky, MD, talks about this relatively new treatment option.

What exactly are the new guidelines for vaccinating boys against HPV infection-and why is this development good news for both men and women?

In many patients, episodic migraines increase in frequency and transform into a refractory pattern.

What are the factors that underlie the transformation of episodic migraine to refractory migraine? Dr Susan Hutchinson explains.

How does the chronic care model of diabetes care differ from the acute care model-and how might this approach work for you and your patients?