Doctor Column
Type 2 Diabetes: ‘Must-Know’ Lab Tests
June 15, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition where the body does not use insulin properly, or does not produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body effectively use glucose (sugar) from food we eat, making it possible to enter cells for energy.
Measles Snapshot: “It’s like Déjà Vu All Over Again”
June 5, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
In the year 2000, Measles was declared “eradicated” in the United States. This was a remarkable scientific achievement!
Alzheimer’s and Blood Tests: Narrowing the Gap Between Early Detection and Treatment
May 15, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
“Far more than a senior moment, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the “Long Goodbye.” The disease is not a part of normal aging. It is a gradual, deadly assault on memory, reasoning and behavior. It cripples a person’s emotional, mental and physical health.
“Subesity” — Understanding the Dangers of Being Severely Underweight
May 5, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
A severely underweight person is as worrisome as a person being morbidly obese. Extremely underweight individuals are malnourished, and when the low body weight is persistent, it can have tragic consequences. Consider the situation with Karen Carpenter.
Tumor Biomarkers and Angellina Jolie
April 25, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
“I choose not to keep my story private, because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options,” said Jolie.
Biomarkers Are Essential Medical Tools
April 15, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
A biomarker, in medicine, is anything that can be used to measure the health status of a person. A wide range of biomarkers is available to determine whether a person is healthy or sick. For instance, some are as simple as taking your pulse, body temperature, or measuring your blood pressure. Other biomarkers can be more complex, such as biological molecules used to identify genetic changes in cancer cells.
“Snapshot” — Medicare’s $35 Out-Of-Pocket Insulin
April 5, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Over 3.3 million Americans on Medicare use insulin. In August 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which included caps on out-of-pocket insulin costs to $35 per month for each insulin product covered by a person’s Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, or Medicare Advantage plan.
Norovirus The Viral Invader of the Gut
March 25, 2025
Dana is a 29 y/o marketing executive who woke up one winter morning “feeling sick.” She told her husband, “I feel tired, nauseated, and have mild stomach cramps.” It wasn’t long afterwards, she suddenly experienced the onset of vomiting, and diarrhea. Her husband encouraged her to drink liquids, but it only caused her to vomit more. The miserable morning led to dehydration, and by early afternoon she was receiving intravenous fluids in the Emergency Department of her local hospital.
Diabetes Insipidus—DI Eric’s Story and the Need to Change DI’s Name
March 5, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
“Several weeks before we took Eric to the doctor, we noticed that he was thirsty, I mean he was drinking a lot more water than usual” Mom said. “Also, I would wake up in the morning at my usual time, open the refrigerator door to get milk for my coffee, and realized that he drank almost a full carton of orange juice in the middle of the night.
FDA Puts on Hold All Infant RSV Trials Due to Safety Concerns
February 25, 2025
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
On December 12, 2024, the FDA in a briefing document “put on hold” all clinical trials of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants. The FDA said it was notified by Moderna, in July 2024 that their findings from a clinical trial signaled safety concerns in infants. The two vaccine candidates were being evaluated during Phase 1 trial which primarily evaluates the drug’s, or vaccine’s safety and dose range.
