Issue: Summer 2021 Vol. 16 - Issue 2
      
 
From the Editor's Desk 
To Mask or Not to Mask: That is the Question
– Lawrence I. Bonchek, MD, FACS, FACC
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Top Tips from Family Practice 
Choosing Wisely XXXVI
– Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
The Choosing Wisely section covers recommendations about pediatric neurosurgery, and from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The expanded Top Tips section includes discussions of screening for carotid disease, smoking cessation, important guideline changes for primary care, COVID-19 vaccination with other medications, and more.
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Scientific Reports 
Immune Landscape of the CNS and Glioblastoma
– Kristine Dziurzynski, M.D.
This second in the series about glioblastoma (GBM) discusses the unique nature of the CNS immune environment, and glioblastoma’s mechanisms that prevent an anti-tumor immune response. Though immune therapy for GBM hasn’t demonstrated meaningful prolongation of survival overall, dramatic responses in certain cohorts provide opportunities for study.
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The High Cost of Prescripton Drugs in America: Is It Fair to Blame the Pharmaceutical Industry?
– Joshua Butler, DMSc, MMS, PA-C
Everyone knows that drug prices in the United States are higher than elsewhere. Big Pharma sets those prices, but prices are the result of multiple factors. This article presents both sides of the often acrimonious debate from an objective, data-driven perspective.
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Mega Doses of Vitamin C: Useful or Useless?
– Robert E. Brader, M.A., and Andrew B. Brader, M.S.
The possibility that mega doses of Vitamin C might have health benefits has long been cloaked in controversy. This comprehensive review of the literature provides a discussion of the relevant genetics, and an update about studies that suggest it may have distinct benefit in treating cancer.
 




 
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Perspectives: Update on Firearm Violence: The Scourge is Still with Us
– Chet A. Morrison, MD, FACS, FCCM
This comprehensive review of gun violence in the United States updates an article we published 4 years ago, and finds that little has changed in the interim. However, it offers three specific proposals to alleviate gun violence.
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Spotlight on Clinical Research
– Heather Madara and Roy S. Small, M.D.
This Spotlight focuses on investigations of new software to monitor and help manage exacerbations of COPD; an investigational ablation system for atrial flutter; and a collaborative care model for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) with depression, anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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