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A woman comes into your office and says she wants to use an oral contraceptive (OC) for birth control. After confirming that she is a good candidate for the method, when do you start her on her first pack of pills?
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While pills remain a popular birth control choice, more women are selecting long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), say respondents to the 2011 Contraceptive Technology Update Contraception Survey. More than 80% of respondents say they have seen an increase in LARC methods.
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Combination oral contraceptives (OCs) are the most common form of hormonal contraception used by sexually active females ages 15-19, with 56% of this group reporting ever having used OCs, and 30% reporting use at last intercourse.
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A post-stroke analysis of more than 20,000 patients in 35 countries showed that the lowest risk systolic blood pressure (BP) range is 130-139 mmHg. There is a J-shaped curve of risk with an increase in recurrent stroke among patients with a systolic BP below 120 mmHg and above 140 mmHg.
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The prevalence of Lyme meningitis among children with nonspecific aseptic meningitis occurring from April through December in the years 2006 through 2009 in an endemic area for Lyme disease was 13.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3%-25.1%).
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Common specific causes of fever in Finnish returned travelers were Campylobacter, malaria, bacteremia, HIV, and influenza; they included a significant proportion of potentially life-threatening infections, and more than one diagnosis. Evaluation of such fevers should be systematic and thorough.
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In this study of a statewide administrative database, among 138,720 adult patients admitted to an ICU, uninsured patients had a 25% higher likelihood of death within 30 days compared with privately insured patients, differences that persisted after multiple adjustments for demographics, severity of illness, and site of care. Uninsured patients received central venous catheterization, acute hemodialysis, and tracheostomy significantly less often than insured patients.
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A post hoc analysis of patients with bacteremia due to ESBL-producing E.coli (ESBL-EC) from 6 published cohorts was performed. Treatment with B-lactam/B-lactamase inhibitors (BLBI) vs. carbapenems did not show any difference in mortality or length of hospital stay.
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Women who carry a deleterious germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a substantially higher lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer.
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In this retrospective study of young women performed in New Zealand between 2005 and 2009, 57% of 452 patients with biopsy-proven cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 were treated immediately whereas 157 (35%) met the criteria for conservative management.