JAMA Clinical Reviews

Interest in space travel has increased since SpaceX’s first commercial launch to the International Space Station in May 2020 and with efforts to send humans to Mars. Jim Bagian, MD, a physician-astronaut who logged 337 hours in space between 1989 and 1991, is director of the Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety at the University of Michigan and discusses the effects of space travel on the human body and physiologic readjustments on return to earth. Related Content: Do Apollo Astronaut Deaths Shine a Light on Deep Space Radiation and Cardiovascular Disease?

Shyam Prabhakaran, MD, chairman of neurology at the University of Chicago, discusses the diagnosis and evaluation of patients who present with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke. Related Article: Diagnosis and Management of Transient Ischemic Attack and Acute Ischemic Stroke

Dr. Tom Wadden discusses the recent STEP trials and the effectiveness of semaglutide for weight loss. The podcast explores the role of GLP1 analogs in managing obesity, the effects of semaglutide on hunger and satiation, and its cardiovascular benefits. It also touches on managing expectations, ongoing trials, and the challenges faced by weight loss medications.

Performing repeated statistical comparisons on data can result in false-positive findings. Jing Cao, PhD, associate professor of statistics at Southern Methodist University, explains problems that can arise from multiple testing procedures and how to avoid making false conclusions. Related Article: Multiple Comparison Procedures

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a clinical syndrome of vague abdominal pain and cramping associated with diarrhea or constipation. IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and a variety of treatments can improve its symptoms. Michael Camilleri, MD, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, discusses recent advances in the diagnosis and management of IBS. Related Content: Diagnosis and Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Advance directives (ADs) allow patients to express their medical treatment preferences. Patients with ADs are more likely to receive medical care concordant with their wishes and are less likely to die in the hospital than patients without them, but use remains low in the US. Maria Silvera, MD, a palliative care physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, and Catherine Auriemma, MD, a fellow in pulmonary/critical care medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, discuss the importance of ADs and strategies to increase their uptake. Related Article: Completion of Advance Directives and Documented Care Preferences During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are the first of many being tested for widespread use. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program, reviews these and other vaccines likely to become available, including products that use inactivated, protein subunit, and viral vector immunization strategies. Related Content: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

The CDC coordinated a massive effort to immunize nearly all nursing home and long-term care facility residents in the US against COVID-19 infection in the month after vaccine approval. Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, MPH, CDC staff epidemiologist and Lieutenant Commander of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, describes how. Related Article(s): First-Dose COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Skilled Nursing Facility Residents and Staff Nursing Homes’ Next Test—Vaccinating Workers Against COVID-19

Highly effective B-cell therapies like rituximab and ofatumumab have changed the outlook for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Alexander Rae-Grant, MD, emeritus professor of neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, discusses recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of MS. Related Article(s): Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Progress in Multiple Sclerosis Research

This is Dr Howard Bauchner, Editor in Chief of JAMA and the JAMA Network. The podcast on structural racism based on the discussion between Dr Ed Livingston and Dr Mitch Katz has been withdrawn.  Comments made in the podcast were inaccurate, offensive, hurtful, and inconsistent with the standards of JAMA.  Racism and structural racism exist in the US and in health care.  After careful consideration, I determined that the harms caused by the podcast outweighed any reason for the podcast to remain available on the JAMA Network.  I once again apologize for the harms caused by this podcast and the tweet about the podcast.  We are instituting changes that will address and prevent such failures from happening again.