Internal Medicine
RSSArticles
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Progesterone in Acute Traumatic Brain Injury
ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY: Administration of progesterone after acute traumatic brain injury does not improve neurological outcome nor reduce mortality.
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The Clinical Spectrum of Encephalitis
Encephalitis is a serious neurologic condition caused by acute inflammation of the brain. Patients typically present acutely with any combination of confusion, fever, seizures, headache, focal neurologic deficits, and abnormal involuntary movements. Diagnosis is typically made by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and serologic studies on CSF and blood.
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Can Answering a Phone Call Give You Cancer?
In the past decade, cellular phone usage has grown exponentially worldwide, and this use is prevalent in all age groups, including children.
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Clinical Practice Guidelines for Platelet Transfusion
The American Association of Blood Banks has six recommendations of varying strengths based on the availability of quality evidence.
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Calcium & Vitamin D Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women
As a significant number of postmenopausal women supplement calcium and vitamin D for bone health, the possibility of over-supplementation is a concern.
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Benefits of NIV in COPD Supported in Routine Clinical Practice
In a large cohort study, COPD patients managed with noninvasive ventilation had lower inpatient mortality compared to those managed with invasive ventilation.
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Multicenter QI Project Results in a 23% Reduction in Medical Errors
Implementation of a quality improvement project focused on handoffs reduced medical errors by 23% and preventable adverse events by 30%.
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Intracranial Hemorrhage Risk: Are Novel Oral Anticoagulants Better Than Warfarin?
Clinicians have commonly overestimated the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) during anticoagulant therapy. Indeed, such misapprehensions have sometimes led to failure to employ warfarin (and probably other agents) when indicated for atrial fibrillation. There is little dispute that novel oral anticoagulants (apixiban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban) are simpler to use, since they do not require monitoring and are essentially free of food interactions. Clinical trials with novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have consistently documented that NOACs are associated with lesser risk of ICH, which is certainly a good thing … but how much of a good thing?
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Colon Cancer Screening by Stool DNA Testing
Recent guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society and American Society of Gastroenterology recommend colonoscopy as the preferred screening method for colon cancer, but wisely include the philosophy, “The best colon cancer screening test is the test you can get done!” — reflecting the relative reticence shown by many Americans to undergo colonoscopy. CT colonography compares very favorably colonoscopy, yet many insurers are not willing to pay for it.
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Long-term Payoff of Bariatric Surgery
The benefits of bariatric surgery are gaining new levels of respect as long-term evidence of favorable outcomes — other than cosmetic — continue to accrue. Indeed, in the population of obese diabetics, bariatric surgery is one of the only interventions documented to improve all-cause mortality.