Quick Topic Researcher

5 minutes to topic mastery. This skill generates a focused research brief you can use immediately before recording a video or writing content.

Different from deep-researcher: That skill is comprehensive (5+ sources, file-based, 30+ minutes). This skill is FAST (5 questions, parallel search, 5 minutes).

When to Use

Use Case	This Skill
Prepping for a YouTube video	Yes
Writing a quick tweet thread	Yes
Refreshing knowledge on a topic	Yes
Before a podcast discussion	Yes
Comprehensive literature review	No → Use `deep-researcher`
Writing a formal editorial	No → Use `deep-researcher` first

How It Works

TOPIC: "GLP-1 agonists in heart failure"
DOMAIN: "Cardiology"

    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 1: Generate 5 Research Questions               │
│                                                      │
│ 1. Do GLP-1 agonists reduce heart failure           │
│    hospitalization in diabetic patients?            │
│ 2. Is there evidence of direct cardiac benefit?     │
│ 3. What are the key trials showing CV outcomes?     │
│ 4. Are there safety concerns in existing HF?        │
│ 5. What do current guidelines recommend?            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 2: Parallel Research (5 searches at once)      │
│                                                      │
│ [PubMed Q1] [PubMed Q2] [PubMed Q3] [Perplexity Q4] │
│ [Perplexity Q5]                                      │
│                                                      │
│ ~30 seconds total                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 3: McKinsey-Style Brief                         │
│                                                      │
│ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                    │
│ • Key finding with strongest PMID                   │
│                                                      │
│ ANALYSIS                                             │
│ • Theme 1: Trial evidence (PMIDs)                   │
│ • Theme 2: Mechanisms (PMIDs)                       │
│ • Theme 3: Guidelines                               │
│                                                      │
│ CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS                                │
│ • What this means for your content                  │
│                                                      │
│ KEY PMIDS TO CITE                                    │
│ • List of 5-7 citation-ready references             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Usage

Interactive Mode (Recommended)

Ask Claude:

Use quick-topic-researcher for [TOPIC] in [DOMAIN]

Example:

Use quick-topic-researcher for "SGLT2 inhibitors in CKD" in "Cardiology/Nephrology"

CLI Mode (Coming Soon)

python skills/cardiology/quick-topic-researcher/scripts/quick_research.py \
    --topic "GLP-1 agonists in heart failure" \
    --domain "Cardiology"

Research Sources

Primary (Citable)

Source	Tool	Purpose
PubMed MCP	`pubmed_search_articles`, `pubmed_fetch_contents`	All medical evidence
Guidelines	Direct URL fetch to ACC/ESC/ADA	Recommendations

Discovery (Not Citable)

Source	Tool	Purpose
Perplexity	`perplexity_ask` via MCP	Quick context, trend discovery
Web Search	`WebSearch`	Background, non-medical context

Rule: You can USE Perplexity to understand context, but you CITE only PubMed.

Output Format

The skill outputs a structured brief:

# Quick Research Brief: [TOPIC]

**Domain:** [DOMAIN]
**Generated:** [DATE]
**Time to Read:** 3 minutes

---

## Executive Summary

[2-3 sentences: What you need to know before recording/writing]

Key takeaway: [ONE sentence with strongest PMID]

---

## Research Questions & Findings

### Q1: [Question]
**Answer:** [Concise answer]
**Evidence:** [Study name, PMID, key stat (HR, CI, p-value)]

### Q2: [Question]
**Answer:** [Concise answer]
**Evidence:** [Study name, PMID, key stat]

[... Q3-Q5 ...]

---

## Clinical Context

### What Guidelines Say
[ACC/ESC/ADA recommendations with class/level]

### Practice Implications
[What this means for real patients]

---

## Content Hooks

For your video/content, consider these angles:
1. [Hook 1 based on findings]
2. [Hook 2 based on findings]
3. [Hook 3 based on findings]

---

## Citation-Ready References

1. Author A, et al. TRIAL-NAME. Journal. Year. PMID: XXXXXXXX
2. Author B, et al. Study Name. Journal. Year. PMID: XXXXXXXX
3. [5-7 total references]

---

## Gaps & Caveats

- [What the evidence doesn't cover]
- [Patient populations with limited data]

Integration with Content Pipeline

Before YouTube Script

1. Run quick-topic-researcher on your video topic
2. Review the brief (3 min read)
3. Open youtube-script-master with the brief in context
4. Script now has verified facts and PMIDs

Before Tweet Thread

1. Run quick-topic-researcher
2. Pick 1-2 key findings from the brief
3. Use x-post-creator-skill with specific PMIDs

Before Newsletter

1. Run quick-topic-researcher for quick take
2. If topic is complex, follow up with deep-researcher
3. Write with cardiology-newsletter-writer

Example Session

User: Use quick-topic-researcher for "colchicine in cardiovascular prevention" in "Cardiology"

Claude:

I'll research this topic rapidly using PubMed and generate a brief.

Step 1: Generating 5 research questions...

Does colchicine reduce major cardiovascular events in CAD patients?
What are the key RCTs (COLCOT, LoDoCo2, CLEAR SYNERGY)?
What is the proposed anti-inflammatory mechanism?
What are the safety concerns and contraindications?
What do current guidelines recommend?

Step 2: Parallel research...

[Executes 5 PubMed searches in parallel] [Fetches key article abstracts] [Searches Perplexity for context]

Step 3: Generating McKinsey-style brief...

Quick Research Brief: Colchicine in CV Prevention

Domain: Cardiology Generated: 2026-01-01 Time to Read: 3 minutes

Executive Summary

Low-dose colchicine (0.5mg daily) reduces cardiovascular events in patients with established coronary artery disease through anti-inflammatory mechanisms. COLCOT and LoDoCo2 showed consistent benefit; CLEAR SYNERGY was neutral but in a different population.

Key takeaway: In stable CAD patients, colchicine 0.5mg daily reduces CV events by ~25% (HR 0.69-0.77) (PMID: 31733140, 32865377)

Research Questions & Findings

Q1: Does colchicine reduce major CV events?

Answer: Yes, in stable CAD Evidence: LoDoCo2: HR 0.69 (0.57-0.83), p<0.001 for CV death/MI/stroke (PMID: 32865377)

Q2: What are the key trials?

Answer: COLCOT (post-MI), LoDoCo2 (chronic CAD), CLEAR SYNERGY (post-PCI) Evidence:

COLCOT: 0.5mg, HR 0.77 for composite (PMID: 31733140)
LoDoCo2: 0.5mg, HR 0.69 for composite (PMID: 32865377)
CLEAR SYNERGY: Neutral for primary endpoint (PMID: 37634428)

Q3: What is the mechanism?

Answer: NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, IL-1β reduction Evidence: Reduces hsCRP; targets residual inflammatory risk (PMID: 29724838)

Q4: Safety concerns?

Answer: GI side effects, myopathy with statins, CKD dose adjustment Evidence: NNH for GI: ~50; avoid with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (PMID: 31733140)

Q5: Guidelines?

Answer: Class IIb in ESC 2024 for chronic CAD Evidence: ESC 2024 CCS Guidelines, consider in patients with elevated hsCRP

Clinical Context

What Guidelines Say

ESC 2024: Class IIb, Level A - "Colchicine 0.5mg may be considered to reduce CV risk in chronic coronary syndrome"

Practice Implications

Best candidates: Stable CAD with elevated hsCRP despite optimal therapy
Less certain: Immediately post-MI (COLCOT positive, but smaller effect)
Probably not: Post-PCI without other CAD (CLEAR SYNERGY neutral)

Content Hooks

"The inflammation hypothesis finally has a drug - and it's ancient"
"0.5mg for 50 cents - the cheapest CV prevention we've ignored"
"Why the cardiologist's gout drug became a heart drug"

Citation-Ready References

Tardif JC, et al. COLCOT. NEJM. 2019. PMID: 31733140
Nidorf SM, et al. LoDoCo2. NEJM. 2020. PMID: 32865377
Jolly SS, et al. CLEAR SYNERGY. NEJM. 2024. PMID: 37634428
Ridker PM. Residual inflammatory risk. JACC. 2018. PMID: 29724838
ESC CCS Guidelines 2024

Gaps & Caveats

No RCT in primary prevention (only secondary prevention studied)
Unclear benefit in patients with normal hsCRP
Long-term safety (>3 years) data limited
CLEAR SYNERGY challenges universal applicability

Ready for your video! You now have verified facts, PMIDs, and content hooks.

Comparison with Other Skills

Skill	Time	Depth	Use Case
quick-topic-researcher	5 min	Surface + key trials	Video prep, quick refresh
`deep-researcher`	30-60 min	Comprehensive	Editorials, literature review
`pubmed-database`	2 min	Single search	Specific question
`perplexity-search`	1 min	Trend only	Discovery, non-citable

Technical Implementation

Dependencies

PubMed MCP (existing)
Perplexity MCP (existing)
Claude (default model)

Parallel Execution

The skill uses Claude's ability to make multiple tool calls simultaneously:

# These run in parallel (single message, multiple tool calls)
pubmed_search_articles(queryTerm="colchicine cardiovascular RCT", maxResults=10)
pubmed_search_articles(queryTerm="colchicine mechanism inflammation", maxResults=5)
perplexity_ask(messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "colchicine cardiology guidelines 2024"}])

Output

Markdown brief (displayed in terminal)
Optional: Save to ~/research_briefs/{topic}_{date}.md

This skill gets you from "I need to know about X" to "I can confidently speak about X" in 5 minutes.