Discoveries & Impact

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.

Sudden cardiac arrests represent a significant cause of disease in young people, with athletes being at higher risk. For athletes who have previously had cardiac arrest, an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) is the primary avenue to prevent a subsequent cardiac event.

Faculty from the Yale Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Infectious Diseases have recently contributed a clinical case to JAMA’s Clinical Challenge series. The case involved a patient with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, who presented to the emergency room with a one-week history of weakness.

A recent study conducted by Yale researchers focused on the intersection of unhealthy alcohol use and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The research, undertaken between February 2019 and July 2020, involved semi-structured interviews with 15 men who have sex with men in Providence, Rhode Island and New Haven, Connecticut, who were prescribed PrEP and had screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use.

Tick-borne diseases, primarily transmitted by Ixodes scapularis (black-legged or deer tick), are increasingly prevalent in the United States, surpassing diseases spread by mosquitoes. With over 490,000 annual cases, these diseases, including Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus, present significant public health challenges.

New research from a group of Yale physicians sheds light on the clinical reasoning strategies used by expert clinicians in handling complex medical cases.

The Anopheles mosquito species is the primary vector responsible for transmitting malaria, a potentially fatal blood-borne illness. Since previous studies have identified various factors influencing mosquitoes' ability to transmit malaria, Yale researchers in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Infectious Diseases sought to understand the factors affecting the resistance to malaria in mosquitoes lacking the mosGILT protein.

A novel interdisciplinary curriculum has been successfully implemented in Internal Medicine residency programs to enhance education in women's health, gender-affirming care, and health disparities. Led by Janet Henrich, MD, and created by a collaborative team of faculty from various disciplines, including Internal Medicine; Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences; Surgery; and community experts, this curriculum comprises half-day modules on interrelated topics, emphasizing health equity and interactive learning.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a key treatment for severe aortic stenosis, carries a concerning stroke rate of 2-3%, largely due to embolic debris. In the SafePass 2 study, Yale researchers evaluated the novel Emboliner device, which was designed to protect both cerebral and bodily vasculature from such debris.