Clinical Briefs in Primary Care
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Managing Diabetes: First Things First, or Vice Versa
Certain attributes suggest glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists might be an appropriate initial treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus, supplanting metformin.
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Routine Preoperative Lab Tests for Elective Surgery
Historically, there have been an excessive number of pre-op tests performed that not only provide no benefit for patient outcomes, but actually may cause harm because of unnecessary expense as well as need for follow-up of incidental (usually irrelevant) abnormal findings.
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Observation vs. Surgery for Early Prostate Cancer
Clinicians are now encouraged to inform men 55-69 years of age about the relative risks and benefits of screening, and to individualize based on their informed decision.
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Tamsulosin for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Women
Decades of use of alpha-blockers to treat hypertension in both genders as well as the long-term data of benignity in men reassure clinicians that tamsulosin may be a valuable (though off-label) treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms in women.
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Simplifying Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis
The consequences of missing pulmonary embolism are grave, and numerous prediction methods have evolved to refine clinicians' ability to properly identify it.
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Updates on Diverticulitis Guidance
Much of the advice about treatment and prevention of diverticulitis and its recurrence has been based on opinion and/or low-quality evidence.
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The Mistaken ‘Penicillin Allergy’ Label
Although they should be applauded for their perspicacity in identifying drug allergies among their patients, the literature suggests clinicians have grossly overestimated the actual prevalence of penicillin allergies.
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Treating Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Seniors
Since subclinical hypothyroidism often is a stepping stone to overt hypothyroidism, it is tempting to offer treatment for it. But does treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism improve outcomes?
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The Potential Long-term Payoff of Good Initial Diabetes Control
The results of a recent study encourage clinicians to pursue the best control of type 2 diabetes they can attain without incurring significant adverse events.
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Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids Inversely Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy
It remains to be determined whether this isolated ingredient from fish, when taken as a single-entity intervention, will provide similar benefits.