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🏥 General Internal Medicine News

Practice-changing research from NEJM, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, and BMJ — selected for the general internist and hospitalist.
September 9, 2026  ·  ESC Congress 2026
Statins adults over 70 STAREE
NEJM · Phase 3 RCT · Primary Prevention · Geriatrics
STAREE: Statins Cut Heart Attacks by 30% in Adults Over 70 — But Don't Add Years of Healthy Life
The STAREE trial randomized 9,971 adults aged 70+ without CVD to atorvastatin 40mg or placebo over 5.9 years. The primary endpoint — disability-free survival — was not met. Secondary MACE: HR ~0.70 (30% RRR). More muscle, liver enzyme, and diabetes events on atorvastatin. The data reframe primary prevention in older adults: MACE benefit is real, but total healthy life extension is not.
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August 16, 2026
Lung cancer screening EHR reminders
JAMA Internal Medicine · RCT · Cancer Prevention
Timed EHR Reminders Raise Annual Lung Cancer Screening Adherence by 28 Percentage Points
A JAMA Internal Medicine RCT in 1,837 patients due for repeat lung cancer screening found that automated EHR-triggered reminders to both physicians and patients significantly improved LDCT completion at 12 months — with a 28-point absolute increase over usual care. A systems intervention, not a new drug, that could meaningfully shift lung cancer stage at diagnosis.
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 Autonomous oxygen AI titration
JAMA Internal Medicine · RCT · Hospital Medicine
Autonomous AI Oxygen Titration Keeps Hospitalized Patients in Target Range Better Than Nurses
A JAMA Internal Medicine RCT of 300 adults at four US hospitals found that the O2matic PRO100 closed-loop device significantly increased time within SpO₂ 92–96% compared to nurse-adjusted titration. The device quantifies how much hyperoxia patients accumulate between nursing checks — and eliminates it.
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 CGM continuous glucose monitoring T2D
JAMA Internal Medicine · Meta-Analysis · Diabetes
CGM in Non-Insulin Type 2 Diabetes Reduces A1c by 0.5% — But Who Benefits Most Remains Unclear
A meta-analysis of 15 RCTs with 2,847 participants confirms CGM reduces A1c by ~0.5% in non-insulin T2D. Benefit is largest in those with baseline A1c ≥8.5%, attenuates beyond 6 months, and works through behavior change — not insulin titration.
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August 15, 2026
Hip fracture prevention secondary care
JAMA · Review · Geriatrics · Hospitalist Medicine
Hip Fractures Kill 1 in 5 Patients Within a Year. Most Are Getting Suboptimal Secondary Prevention.
A 2026 JAMA review of 14 million hip fractures annually finds fewer than 30% of survivors receive post-fracture osteoporosis treatment — the most straightforward secondary prevention gap in medicine, with a measurable downstream mortality cost.
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 GLP-1 SGLT2 combination therapy
CMAJ · Meta-Analysis · Pharmacology
GLP-1 Plus SGLT2 Inhibitor: Combining the Two Best Drugs Produces Surprisingly Little Additive Benefit
A CMAJ meta-analysis of 12 RCTs and nearly 1 million T2D patients found that GLP-1 RA + SGLT2 inhibitor combined mostly produces similar results to either drug alone — the two classes share overlapping mechanisms that limit additive CV benefit.
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Prior Evidence
Semaglutide higher dose STEP UP
Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · Phase 3b RCT · Obesity
Higher-Dose Semaglutide 7.2 mg Achieves 18.7% Weight Loss at 72 Weeks — Nearly 3 Points More Than Standard Dose
STEP UP: a higher 7.2 mg semaglutide dose pushes through the weight-loss ceiling of standard 2.4 mg in 1,407 adults with obesity — 18.7% vs 15.8% mean weight loss at 72 weeks.
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 Diabetes deprescribing older adults
JAMA Internal Medicine · RCT · Geriatrics
Pairing Physician Education with Patient Handouts Doubles Diabetes Deprescribing Rates in Adults Over 75
A JAMA Internal Medicine RCT of 450 older adults with T2D: targeted pharmacist-led de-intensification of sulfonylureas and insulin doubles deprescribing rates and reduces hypoglycemia by 54% at 6 months without clinically meaningful A1c worsening.
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