JAMA Medical News

Vanessa Kerry, WHO Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health, discusses the impact of climate change on health and the urgent need for solutions. Topics include increasing disease, mental health issues, extreme flooding, and physician advocacy for climate change.

This podcast covers the approval of a pill for postpartum depression, the potential effectiveness of updated COVID vaccines against the new variant BA.2.86, and the development of a monovalent vaccine targeting the Omicron sub-variant EG.5. It also discusses the prevalence of postpartum depression, the limitations of current treatments, ongoing clinical trials, and the spike protein mutations of the variants.

Treating Long COVID’s Mental Health Symptoms in Primary Care; This Fall’s COVID-19 Vaccine Will Target Omicron XBB Subvariants—Who Needs to Get It; Avian Influenza Update Related Content: HHS Urges Primary Care Clinicians to Help Patients Manage Long COVID’s Mental Health Symptoms Vigilance Urged Against Bird Flu Amid Ongoing Outbreaks in Mammals This Fall’s COVID-19 Vaccines Will Target Omicron XBB Subvariants, but Who Needs Them Remains to Be Seen

Data on a new crop of hormone analogues for weight loss—including an oral version of semaglutide and the triple agent retatrutide—were recently presented at the American Diabetes Association’s annual Scientific Sessions. Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, the ADA’s chief scientific and medical officer, speaks with JAMA’s Jennifer Abbasi about this and other clinical data presented at the meeting. Related Content: New Weight Loss Drugs Make Headlines at Diabetes Meeting

The 2021 US maternal mortality rate is more than 10 times the rate of other high-income countries, according to a March 2023 CDC report. In this Q&A, JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, is joined by Monica McLemore, PhD, MPH, RN, University of Washington, Audra Meadows, MD, MPH, UC San Diego, and Joia Crear-Perry, MD, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, to discuss these concerning numbers and why preventable death rates are worsening in the US. Related Content: Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States Worsening US Maternal Death Rates US Maternal Mortality Is Unacceptably High, Unequal, and Getting Worse—What Can Be Done About It? Trends in Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity During Delivery-Related Hospitalizations in the United States, 2008 to 2021

The podcast discusses the new WHO guideline on sugar substitutes and their impact on weight control. It also highlights the risks associated with the use of sugar substitutes, including the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. The Surgeon General's advisory on the effects of social media on youth mental health is also discussed, emphasizing the role of physicians in mitigating the negative impacts by setting limits and educating about privacy settings.

JAMA Deputy Editor and JAMA Oncology Editor Mary (Nora) L. Disis, MD, speaks with Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, chair of the meeting’s Scientific Program Committee and associate chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Related Content: Highlights From the ASCO Annual Meeting—New Approaches to Cancers of the Blood, Brain, Lung, and More

JAMA Senior Editor Kristin L. Walter, MD, MS, speaks with Debra Boyer, MD, MHPE, about important research studies and keynote addresses presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in May 2023. Dr Boyer is a pediatric pulmonologist and chief medical education officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and was cochair of this year’s conference. Related Content: COPD Mortality, Goals-of-Care Conversations in Serious Illness, and Advocating for Climate Change Science and Gun Violence Prevention—Highlights From the American Thoracic Society Conference

What Clinicians Need to Know About “Tranq”; As Laws Restricting Health Care Surge, Some US Physicians Choose Between Fight or Flight Related Content: As Laws Restricting Health Care Surge, Some US Physicians Choose Between Fight or Flight Here’s What to Know About Xylazine, aka Tranq, the Animal Tranquilizer Increasingly Found in Illicit Fentanyl Samples Risk of Parkinson Disease Among Camp Lejeune Veterans

JAMA Fishbein Fellow Revital Marcus, MD, talks with American Academy of Neurology president-elect and meeting science committee chair Natalia Rost, MD, about hot topics at this year’s conference in Boston, including new Alzheimer disease drugs, long COVID and the central nervous system, and a nasal spray for migraines. Related Content: New Alzheimer Disease Drugs, Long COVID and the Central Nervous System, and a Nasal Spray for Migraines—Highlights From the 2023 American Academy of Neurology Conference