Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Désirée Ratner, MD Dr. Désirée Ratner, director of dermatologic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, discusses Mohs micrographic surgery, at technique developed by Frederick Mohs to allow complete visualization of high-risk skin cancer margins for complete removal. Learn how this procedure, initially developed with zinc floride paste to tag cancerous lesions, is now practiced. How does this surgery relate to standard frozen section histology and immunostaining techniques with which physicians are more familiar? Dr. Mary Leuchars hosts.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Ori Brafman Guest: Rom Brafman, PhD How often have you seem seemingly rational and experienced clinicians do something completely irrational and out of character? Like overlook an obvious diagnosis? Ori and Rom Brafman authors of Sway join host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss the irresistible pull of irrational behavior.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Bruce Walker, MD Chronic viral infections can manifest in two different ways: one group, such as Epstein-Barr virus, are immunologically contained after the acute infection. The other group, including HIV, lead to persistent viremia and progressive clinical disease. Are there patients who are able to escape the latter without antiviral medications? The director of the Center for AIDS Research at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Bruce Walker, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss these so-called "elite controllers."

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Roger McIntyre, MD It is reported that up to a fifth of bipolar disorder patients will commit suicide, yet there are few studies looking at clinical risk factors in this population. What is the latest research? Host Dr. Leslie Lundt welcomes Dr. Roger McIntyre, associate professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto School of Medicine, to discuss his latest research investigating childhood abuse with adult bipolar suicide rates.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Stuart McGill, PhD How might back pain be prevented? Dr. Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics and chair of the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, shares his research with host Dr. Leslie Lundt regarding the mechanisms of back injury. A greater understanding of these mechanisms can help patients prevent back pain and injuries. They discuss twisting, lifting, disk hydration and stabilization. In addition, Dr. McGill talks about spine research observing athletes and their spines as they come in and out of the game.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Stuart McGill, PhD Each year, 40 to 60 percent of American adults suffer from chronic back pain. More than one million spine surgery procedures are performed annually in the US, with medical costs to treat back pain approaching $24 billion per year. Dr. Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics and chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to talk about cost-effective treatments for back pain.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Stuart McGill, PhD At some point nearly 85% of your patients below age 50 will present with back pain and nearly all of them will have at least one recurrence. Host Dr. Leslie Lundt welcomes Dr. Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics and chair of the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo to review the primary causes of back pain.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Matthew W. Johnson, PhD It used to be common for researchers to study the potential medicinal uses for hallucinogenic drugs, including psilocybin, ecstasy, and LSD; however, the 60's left a blemish on legitimate research and it grinded to a halt. Host Dr. Leslie Lundt welcomes Dr. Matthew Johnson, a psychopharmacologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who is studying psychoactive drug effects in human participants.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Peter R. Breggin, MD Our guest Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist now in private practice in Ithica New York has been convinced by the weight of scientific evidence and his years of clinical experience that psychiatric medications frequently cause patients to lose their judgment and their ability to control their emotions and actions. Needless to say, he is a controversial figure in our field. He joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss why he believes that psychotropics "spellbind" patients.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Peter Farrell Point-of-care testing has evolved in the last decade, allowing for immediate diagnostic testing at a patient's bedside. But a new study points to perhaps some usages and healthcare benefits not previously realized, particularly in the emergency room. Peter Farrell, divisional vice president of marketing and clinical affairs for Abbott Laboratories Point of Care business tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the importance of point of care testing, which essentially puts diagnostic testing in the physicians' hands.