In episode 283, Mike and James discuss the latest T2DM study showing that sitagliptin at least doesn’t cause much harm. We then veer off to discuss everything you need to know about diastolic and systolic blood pressure and how are they associated with CVD. Finally we discuss an n-of-1 study looking at statin-related myalgia. Bottom line – this was clearly a PREMIUM podcast.

Show notes

1) TECOS – Effect of Sitagliptin on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

N Engl J Med 2015; 373:232-242

2) Blood pressure and incidence of twelve cardiovascular diseases: lifetime risks, healthy life-years lost, and age-specific associations in 1·25 million people

Lancet 2014;383:1899-1911

3) N-of-1 (Single-Patient) Trials for Statin-Related Myalgia

Ann Intern Med 2014;160:301-310

In episode 282, James and the Mikes discuss the use of digoxin for systolic heart failure and atrial fibrillation. At the end we realize that if people would just use low doses and occasionally re-evaluate they would get into a lot less trouble with digoxin and maybe a few patients would benefit.

Show notes

1) Tools for Practice

Digoxin: Old friend or best left on the shelf?

2) Evidence Network

evidencenetwork.ca

In episode 281, James and Mike welcome back our friend and colleague Bruce Arroll to talk about a great study he and his colleagues recently completed looking at simple bedtime restriction for the treatment of primary insomnia – and the results were pretty impressive. So much so that Bruce had to wake us both up at the end of the podcast.

Show notes

1) Development, validation (diagnostic accuracy) and audit of the Auckland Sleep Questionnaire: a new tool for diagnosing causes of sleep disorders in primary care

2) A double-blind randomised controlled study of a brief intervention of bedtime restriction for adult patients with primary insomnia 

In episode 280, James and Mike continue on with Jon Ference about information mastery. Jon talks about hunting and foraging tools and how you can access tools that will work best for your practice. And at the end we all go out and hunt and forage and have a delicious evidence-based meal.

Show notes

Information Mastery Handout

In episode 279, James and Mike invite Jon Ference to talk all about how he works smarter and not harder to answer clinical questions. During the podcast Jon exposes Mike’s and James’ ignorance on a number of things but we tolerate it because based on the best available evidence he seems like a nice guy.

Show notes

Information mastery – the beginning

J Fam Pract 1994;38:505-13

J Fam Pract 1994;39:489-99

In episode 278, James and Mike get back to being PREMIUM podcasters and we discuss new studies around drugs for COPD, pneumonia, and smoking cessation. At the end we catch our breath and look back at how breathtaking this PREMIUM podcast all about lung issues truly was.

Show notes

1) Effect of roflumilast on exacerbations in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease uncontrolled by combination therapy (REACT): a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Lancet 2015;385:857–66 

2) Antibiotic treatment strategies for community-acquired pneumonia in adults.

N Engl J Med 2015;372:1312-23

3) Risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events associated with varenicline: systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ 2015;350:h1109

In episode 277, James and Mike finish off with the charming Adrienne Lindblad by discussing the issue of OCD and we discuss that it can be very debilitating and that some medications do have an effect but they also can cause side effects. At the end we all count to 100 backwards by 7s a dozen times – just for fun.

Show notes

In episode 276, James and Mike continue to enlist Adrienne Lindblad help with deciphering the literature surrounding anxiety medications. We discuss the evidence around buspirone and the benzodiazepines and wrap up the whole issue of what to use in GAD and at the end our anxieties disappear.

Show notes

SEE PREVIOUS PODCAST #275

In episode 275, James and Mike anxiously enlist Adrienne Lindblad to help us with deciphering the literature surrounding anxiety medications. We discuss the issue of anxiety scales in the studies, and look at the evidence around the use of antidepressants and antipsychotics for GAD.

Show notes

1) Tools For Practice

Atypical antipsychotics for anxiety: Worth worrying about?

Benzodiazepines in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Calm Your Nerves?

In episode 274, Mike and James for a change look at the evidence behind two new drugs – one for over active bladder and one for depression and find unfortunately that as usual new drugs are no better than what we already have.

Show notes

1) Over active bladder drug

Mirabegron

Int Urol Nephrol 2014;46:275-84

Eur Urol 2014;65:755-65

TFP #54: October 17, 2011

2) Depression drug

Vortioxetine 

BMC Psychiatry 2014,14:276

Sys Reviews 2015;4:21

J Psychiatry Neurosci 2015;40:174-86

J Psychiatric Research 2015;64:88-98