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5-α reductase inhibitors and hip fracture in men; the effects of drug-reimbursement policy on outcomes; new guidelines for type 2 diabetes; beta-blocker-associated brady-cardia is linked to CVD events; FDA Updates.
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Soft-tissue rheumatism often is a challenging disorder for the primary care physicians. The patient's symptoms often are vague, and the physical examination and laboratory testing often do not give comforting confirmatory findings. This issue reviews common conditions that afflict many of our patients and that, although often not serious, cause significant distress and morbidity. With the proper history and attention to presenting features, effective and professionally rewarding treatments are available.
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The patient whose 12-lead ECG and rhythm strip is shown above had chest discomfort at the time this tracing was recorded. In light of this history, how do you interpret the tracing?
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Correlating the findings in the 13,331 adults 20 years or older in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) revealed that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease and is associated with increased all-cause mortality.
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Ongoing safety review of tiotropium; raloxifene reduces the risk of endometrial cancer; one-day treatment with famciclovir may be as effective as 3-day treatment with valacyclovir; new Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians regarding pharmacologic treatment for low bone density and osteoporosis; FDA Actions.
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Opinions on the consequences of marijuana use are wide-ranging: Some experts express grave concern that it may induce COPD, increase risk of lung cancer, promote the emergence of schizophrenia, and lead to "heavy drug" use; others essentially dismiss these (potential) adversities as inadequately established to permit accusations that marijuana has any commonplace serious adverse effects.
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The FDA has extended the approval for the Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent Recombinant Vaccine to include the prevention of vaginal and vulvar cancer. The vaccine, originally approved in 2006, is already approved for the prevention of cervical cancer and genital warts.
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Among almost 6000 patients with COPD who were using other classes of respiratory therapies, the addition of tiotropium, compared with placebo, was associated with improvements in lung function, quality of life, and exacerbations during a 4-year period, but did not result in benefits in the rate of decline in FEV1.
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Approximately 50% of b-cell function has been lost at the time of initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
