Journal of general internal medicine
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The Research Project Grant (R01) is the oldest grant mechanism used by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Receiving an R01 award is often taken as a sign of scientific success. We presented normative data on multiple productivity and impact metrics for a more objective assessment of funded grants' scientific success. ⋯ Numbers of publications, citations, and h-indices vary greatly among funded R01 grants. When used together, these metrics provide a more complete picture of the productivity and long-term impact of a funded grant.
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In 2015, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) revised clinical recommendations to more broadly recommend abnormal blood glucose screening and more clearly recommend referral to behavioral interventions for adults with prediabetes. ⋯ The 2015 USPSTF abnormal blood glucose guideline had little to no effect on abnormal blood glucose screening or referral to behavioral interventions in North Carolina practices. Potential interventions to improve these rates could include clinical decision tools embedded in the electronic health record and better referral systems for community-based diabetes prevention programs.
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The inflammatory cascade is the main cause of death in COVID-19 patients. Corticosteroids (CS) and tocilizumab (TCZ) are available to treat this escalation but which patients to administer it remains undefined. ⋯ The prescription of CS alone or in combination with TCZ should be based on the degrees of inflammation and reserve the CS plus TCZ combination for patients at high and especially very high risk.
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High blood pressure is the most common chronic condition among US veterans. Blood pressure control is essential to preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases. While depressive symptoms are a known risk factor for uncontrolled blood pressure and veterans experience high rates of depressive symptoms, no research has examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and blood pressure control among US veterans. ⋯ US veterans with moderately severe-to-severe depressive symptoms were less likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure than veterans with none-to-minimal symptoms. Future research should examine factors unique to veterans that may explain findings opposite of the hypothesized relationship between depressive symptoms and blood pressure control.