Department of Medicine In the News

Experts debating the pressing issue of how to prioritize patients in the increasingly common scenario of loss of access or insurance coverage for anti-obesity glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs argued that comorbidities and obesity severity should strongly warrant continued coverage — while offering key strategies for getting and retaining approval from payers.

Nursing home residents could greatly benefit from expanded access to palliative care, but providers need more access to standardized tools, staff education and relationships with clinicians to make informed decisions about care, specialists say.

“One of the things we worried about was that the pandemic would make [burnout findings] look worse,” said lead author Dan Heppe, a hospitalist and associate director of the CU Internal Medicine Residency Program. “Anecdotally, residents may have had more support in our program than perhaps some other programs. Though they had long hours with very sick patients, we tried to keep going in a positive direction.”

Pregnant women are bombarded with advertisements — on social media, in childbirth classes, even in their doctors’ offices — urging them to bank the blood in their baby’s umbilical cord and gain “peace of mind.”

In the Middle Ages, plague killed millions in Europe, claiming perhaps up to 200 million lives, half the continent’s population. But it's not just a thing of the past.

4D-710, 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ (4DMT) gene therapy candidate for treating cystic fibrosis, showcased CFTR transgene RNA and protein expression in all 10 participants treated at the higher and lower dose levels with follow-up up to 12 months in the phase 1/2 AEROW clinical trial (NCT05248230).

Although combination therapy with the mTOR inhibitor sapanisertib and Aurora A kinase inhibitor alisertib (MLN8237) resulted in marginal clinical benefit among patients with advanced solid tumors, correlative analyses indicated that apoptotic response and tumor immune cell infiltrate may affect clinical outcomes.

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) has demonstrated its ability to yield durable complete responses in patients with heavily pretreated mantle cell lymphoma and was FDA-approved for this indication in May 2024.

No matter how worthy the cause, policy initiatives go nowhere without the help of legislator champions to fight for them. When it comes to addressing Colorado’s obesity and diabetes crises, we Diabetes Advocates are grateful to have state Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet in our corner.

Few topics echo in the doctors’ lounge across the country more often than physician burnout. It’s the hot topic of our time.

Awareness of the harms to patients caused by errors in diagnosis and treatment has been front and center for nearly 25 years. 

Last year, Colorado got hit hard by West Nile virus, leading the nation in deaths with 51, its highest number in more than two decades.

When it comes to Colorado's so-called "Red Flag" gun violence prevention law, where you live often dictates when it's used, if it's used at all.

An analysis of the online conversations of more than 1,000 health care professionals worldwide through May revealed positive reactions to the approval of three key treatment options for patients with cancer.

Given the slight uptick in concentrations of COVID-19 in local wastewater, we thought it would be a good time to check in with Dr. Anuj Mehta, a critical care physician at National Jewish Medical Center who advised the state on its COVID-19 response.

At least 12 people in eight states have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars and other mushroom edibles, including several who had seizures or lost consciousness and needed to be placed on ventilators. People also developed high blood pressure and abnormal heart rates.

This reduction in disabling stroke in the real world was supported by a secondary analysis using propensity score weighting (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.70-0.90), reported Neel Butala, of Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, both in Aurora.

In disease research, it's important to know gene expression and where in a tissue the expression is happening, but marrying the two sets of information can be challenging.

For decades, doctors have prescribed statins as an effective, safe, and low-cost medication for lowering cholesterol and decreasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening heart problems.

NCSD was first celebrated on June 5, 1988. It was established by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation to honor those who have survived cancer, inspire those recently diagnosed, and provide support to families and caregivers.

Long before people develop dementia, they often begin falling behind on mortgage payments, credit card bills and other financial obligations, new research shows.

People with asthma that also have underlying insomnia, depression and obstructive sleep apnea see a negative impact in asthma control, according to a study published in Journal of Asthma.

By the time Rena Barrow-Wells gave birth to her fourth baby in 2020, she was well-versed in caring for a child with cystic fibrosis.

Colorado is bracing for another bad mosquito season. The CDC reports Colorado had the worst West Nile virus outbreak in the U.S. in 2023 with 626 infections and 50 deaths, making it one of the deadliest years on record for the state.

In a 7 to 4 vote, an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the potential benefits of the investigational once-weekly basal insulin analog icodec (Novo Nordisk) don't outweigh the increased risk for hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes. 

Asynchronous care holds promise in extending care beyond traditional constraints, according to Stephen Fuest, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, and a co-moderator of the workshop. "By capitalizing on our experiences in designing and implementing systems for portal communication, we can find ways to optimize productivity and alleviate burnout," Fuest said.

Did you know that If you're critically ill and can't make decisions for yourself, your family can't automatically step into help?

A nationally representative survey showed high use of evidence-based technical interventions to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections in recent years; however, gaps remain in use of behavioral interventions.

When it comes to improving the lives of children with genetic conditions, medical research often focuses solely on the children.

The scene felt like something from a movie. Thick, skunky clouds of marijuana rose over Civic Center Park as thousands celebrated during Denver’s legal 4/20 celebration. 

During a presentation at the American College of Clinical Endocrinology annual meeting, Linda A. Barbour, professor in endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes and maternal-fetal medicine at University of Colorado, …reviewed the latest data and clinical recommendations for managing diabetes during pregnancy.

Colorectal cancer rates have been rising for decades among people too young for routine screening, new research finds.

Following military deployment, veterans who served in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan had poorer lung function if they experienced more intense inhalation exposures, according to results published in Respiratory Medicine.

Kayden Riley, a fifth grader at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Park Hill, loves basketball and, therefore, the Denver Nuggets of course — baseball cap and all.

As part of the University of Colorado Department of Medicine's annual Research Day, held on April 23, faculty member Christine Swanson, MD, MCR, described her National Institutes of Health-funded clinical research on whether adequate sleep can help prevent osteoporosis. 

Shortages of the popular injected weight-loss medicines Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) aren’t going to end any time soon, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A year ago, the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency officially ended, and with it came the phasing out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authorization to collect certain types of public health data.

At her sickest, maybe on a day she puked 70 times or when walking down a hospital hallway felt like the brutal training that made her a world champion triathlete, Siri Lindley visualized running up her favorite mountain trail in Lyons. 

“Better recognition and improved management of patients with the coincidence of gout and chronic kidney disease is essential to improve patient outcomes,” Richard J. Johnson, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and study co-author, told Healio.

A recent study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonpartisan health policy research organization, reveals that LGBTQ+ patients face discrimination at higher rates than non-LGBT patients.

Imagine your doctor diagnoses you or one of your family members with a significant health condition that if left untreated results in a sixfold higher risk of death and results in debilitating mental and physical health symptoms.

Gaping disparities in health care leaves Hispanic Coloradans experiencing the lowest health system performance when compared with other racial and ethnic groups in the state.

Findings from a recent study are calling attention to notable deficits in fluid cognition, dexterity, and total cognition among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), further detailing differences in cognitive function scores based on sex and CKD stage.

At work, he’s Dr. Jason Persoff. In his off-time, some people call him Storm Doctor.

Matt Kalaycio, MD, FACP, has been elected chair of National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s board of directors.

Weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have been hailed as miracle drugs for people struggling with obesity, and under a bill at the state Capitol, insurers would be required to cover them.

The concept of using stents to seal off non-flow-limiting vulnerable plaques, before they have a chance to rupture, worked out in the first major trial testing this provocative idea.

As the flu season ends, Colorado doctors are keeping an eye on the rise of measles cases nationwide.

The University of Colorado is preparing to begin testing gene therapies for ...

During the first three years Colorado’s “red flag” law was in effect, judges approved more than two-thirds of the petitions seeking the removal of guns from people believed to be dangerous, according to a study released Monday.

Denver’s weather has been nice lately, and naturally, Coloradans are getting outside. But sunshine and temperatures in the 60s mean allergy season has arrived.

Sarah Wartell first started noticing the signs in 2020. “I went to the ER a couple times, you know, being told it was food poisoning or, you know, a stomach bug,” said Wartell.

A Denver Health oncologist spoke with FOX31 about the importance of cancer screening and treatment after Princess Kate announced she has cancer.

If you’re diagnosed with high cholesterol, exercise and eating a healthy diet are generally the first line of attack.

Like many parts of the body, the lymph nodes are invisible laborers: We tend not to appreciate the work they do until they start acting up. Located throughout the body, these small, bean-shaped glands belong to the lymphatic system, a network of fluid-filled channels that are part of the immune system, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

Kris Koehler could tell something was wrong in the summer of 2013, when he started suffering unexplained abdominal pain and his bowels behaved differently.

The United States is knee-deep in what some experts call the opioid epidemic’s “fourth wave,” which is not only placing drug users at greater risk but is also complicating efforts to address the nation’s drug problem.

Of the many young people whom Cathy Eng has treated for cancer, the person who stood out the most was a young woman with a 65-year-old’s disease. 

In this first of four exclusive episodes, MedPage Today brought together three expert leaders in the field -- moderator Michael Wechsler of National Jewish Health in Denver [and professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine], is joined by Flavia Hoyte, also of National Jewish Health [and associate professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine], and Leonard Bacharie of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee -- for a virtual roundtable discussion on the encouraging new data from these dupilumab studies.

Joshua Barocas, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, urged parents to vaccinate their children if they had not yet done so. “If you are a parent who’s been on the fence, now is the time, given the outbreak potential and the outbreaks that we see, and I would also encourage healthcare workers to welcome people with open, non-judgmental arms,” he said.

For patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) receiving standard care, benralizumab is noninferior to mepolizumab, according to a study published in the March 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Michael Fiore, the outreach coordinator for Voices for Awareness and Project Facing Fentanyl, remembered selling drugs to support his addiction and skating through the system before getting clean — after serving a prison term in New York.

Age has been called into question ahead of the 2024 presidential election. We took those questions to a geriatrics expert at the University of Colorado to see how — or if — a candidate's age can impact their ability.

 Surprising new data shows that of all the cancer deaths in people under age 55, colorectal cancer is now a top killer.

The Office of Saving People Money on Health Care’s Annual Report for Long COVID was just released – and as it turns out, it’s affecting more Coloradans than expected.

An estimated 700,000 to 1,000,000 falls occur in hospitalized patients in this country every year, with one-quarter to one-third of the falls leading to injuries.

Mass shootings. Bioterror attacks. Natural disasters. Wars. There’s seemingly no shortage of potential mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) that can lead health care professionals, including hospitalists, into response roles. 

When Dr. David Kao tells patients they have atrial fibrillation – an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm that can lead to stroke, blood clots or other health issues – their first question is usually "Do I have to give up coffee?"

A 4 + 4 block schedule (four inpatient weeks plus four outpatient weeks) is associated with improved resident burnout scores, according to a study published online Feb. 28 in JAMA Network Open.

 Gregory G. Schwartz, MD, PhD, chief of the cardiology section at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, is leading the VA-IMPACT trial. Despite metformin's long history and widespread use, he said his study is the first placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcomes trial of the drug.

Iwas 28 years old when I came out to my mom. When I told her I was a lesbian, she cried. Hard. As her tears kept falling, I said: "Can you please tell me why you're crying?"

You have, right now inside you, a gene known as UGT1A1. But that’s so formal. Let’s just call it Eugene.

The publication of full trial results from the MANDARA trial further underlines the potential of benralizumab (Fasenra) in the ability to help adult patients achieve remission of relapsing or refractory eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

A dearth of coordination or integration between rehab teams and palliative care teams routinely forces some patients into a cycle between the hospital and the nursing home in their last year of life.

An important new study indicates that for some sufferers of chronic back pain, retraining the brain’s perception of pain may yield greater relief than treating the back only as the site of the pain.

Cumulative safety data from three trials testing the reversible direct factor XIa inhibitor asundexian in patients at risk for stroke or recurrent cardiovascular events suggest a better bleeding profile compared with apixaban (Eliquis; Bristol Myers Squibb) in a variety of patient types.

Chances are you or someone you know has gotten sick over the past few weeks or months. 

Colorado University Cancer Center member Sunnie Kim, MD, emphasizes knowing the risk factors and recognizing the symptoms.

Benjamin Franklin famously wrote: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

When the topic of what causes stomach cancer comes up, what is often discussed are the risk factors that predispose someone to get the fifth most common type of cancer in the world — like age (being over 60), sex (male), and a family history of the disease.

Patients who haven’t been able to start taking the weight loss drug Wegovy due to shortages may find it’s easier to access the medicine this year.

Patients with type 2 diabetes and their clinicians may not share the same priorities when it comes to choosing a second-line drug after metformin, new research suggested.

CU Anschutz oncologist Dr. Wells Messersmith said Colorado will see more than 29,000 cancer cases this year.

How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life’s experiences.

Rashid Sayles, 53, unfurled his legs in the Denver Health hospital bed and stretched them—left and right, left and right.

If you’re a woman with a thyroid condition, could getting vaccinated against COVID-19 make it worse? 

In the time before COVID-19, Danielle Mortell was biking, hiking, and snowboarding her way through life.

Typically, a patient with liver failure from alcohol use is an older man with a long history of heavy drinking, but in recent years, more women and people under 40 are showing up in need of transplants, said James Burton, [professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine] who takes care of patients before and after liver transplants at UCHealth in Aurora, but doesn’t perform the surgeries.

Folks with life-threatening chronic illnesses can receive effective support over the telephone as they manage their condition day by day, a new clinical trial finds.

With the cold weather, allergies are not something you think of this time of year, but health experts say that allergies and other issues can affect your lungs when it’s cold and dry out.

Colds and illnesses are back in northern Colorado this year, and there’s a new player in the winter season mix, according to a UCHealth doctor: COVID.

In survey results published in 2021, 82 percent of physicians admitted they believed people with significant disabilities have a worse quality of life than those without impairments. Only 57 percent said they welcomed disabled patients. “It’s shocking that so many physicians say they don’t want to care for these patients,” said Eric Campbell, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.

Fresh off the holidays, and now in the heart of winter, respiratory viruses are making their seasonal rounds through Colorado. And much like a lingering guest, the crud is sticking around longer than anyone wants.

Academic hospital medicine was a different job back in the day.

The holidays are behind us, but the aftermath just won't leave us be.

Some people 11 News spoke with say nearly their entire family was sick over the holiday season. Others say they went to the doctor right when they started feeling symptoms to try and stop the illness as soon as possible.

Curative potential at a longer follow-up, logistics and patient risk and eligibility are all important considerations when sequencing bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for advanced large B-cell lymphoma.

It’s the season when many people set New Year’s resolutions for the year ahead, and these goals are often related to physical health.