This article reviews a variety of options that are available to aid in caring for patients who refuse blood transfusions, ranging from tranexamic acid to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. With the use of these treatments, patients who decline blood transfusion can be safely managed in situations ranging from elective surgery to stem cell transplant to pregnancy.

Although melatonin is sold primarily in the United States as a sleep supplement, there may be evidence that it also boosts memory. In a new study, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) in Japan have shown that melatonin and two of its metabolites help memories stick around in the brain and can shield mice, and potentially people, from cognitive decline.

MedPage Today shares the story of Cleavon Gilman, MD, an emergency room physician working at a hospital in Yuma, Arizona. His tweet? “No more ICU beds in the state of Arizona,” referring to his concern about the lack of available ICU beds on Nov. 22 despite the Governor and the Department of Health saying that same day there were more than 100 ICU beds.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are extremely common: Almost 50% of physicians aged 55 and older have been sued. Of the 7% of the medical liability claims that eventually did go to trial, 88% were won by the defendants. In other words, suits are common but wins by plaintiffs are uncommon. What are most doctors being sued for? Here is a list of the seven top causes of medical malpractice lawsuits.

According to the results of a new clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), a simple treatment that combines four heart medicines in one pill—a “polypill”—was able to cut the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events by 21% in people at risk of heart disease, and by 31% when taken with aspirin. But is it a “terrible idea,” as one physician puts it?

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be arriving in a few weeks, both of which use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to induce an immune response. Biologically, mRNA is transcribed from DNA and travels into a cell’s cytoplasm where it is translated by ribosomes into proteins. For those who want more information on the history and science of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, here’s a primer.