Latest Internal Medicine News

Meet Yale School of Medicine clinical fellow Oyunbileg Magvanjav, MD, PhD, who became a physician to positively impact people's lives.

Many patients receive a standardized lipid panel as part of a yearly physical that includes testing of their “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) and “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein). However, most people are unfamiliar with another type of cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a). This type of lipoprotein is not included in the standard lipid panel but is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In the following Q&A, Yale clinicians and researchers share background about Lp(a), guidance for caring for patients with elevated levels, and new approaches to improve testing.

“Overall, luspatercept led to durable and clinically meaningful responses beyond the achievement of the primary end point, supporting its use as the treatment of choice over ESAs in patients with transfusion-dependent lower-risk MDS–associated anemia who are ESA naive,” lead study author Amer Zeidan, MBBS, of Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut, and coauthors, wrote in a poster of the data.

Older adults often take multiple medications, some of which may interact with each other to cause adverse effects. Physicians address this problem through “deprescribing,” which involves systematic discontinuation of medications where the risks outweigh the benefits.

Individuals in nursing homes with severe dementia are experiencing an increasing trend toward receiving high-intensity medical treatments despite the limited potential benefits and distress they cause. Yale investigators sought to understand the factors influencing this increasing trend.

James Shepherd, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (Infectious diseases) at Yale School of Medicine, discusses whether the dengue virus can mutate like the coronavirus.

A recent study conducted by scientists at Yale Cancer Center demonstrates that spatial gene signatures can significantly enhance the prediction of immunotherapy outcomes in patients with melanoma.

Six Yale Department of Internal Medicine faculty members—many of whom are athletes in their own right—discuss evidence-based ways to enhance sports performance.

Introducing Raj Alappan, MD, FACP, FASN, former resident and fellow in Yale Department of Internal Medicine. Alappan completed internal medicine residency training in 1995 and fellowship in Nephrology in 2000.