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A systematic review shows that the three classical symptoms of paroxysmal cough, post-tussive emesis, and inspiratory whoop are helpful for the diagnosis, but cannot be relied upon to rule in or rule out pertussis as the cause of a chronic cough.
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A recombinant, polyethylene glycol (PEG) mammalian urate oxidase (uricase) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of hyperuricemia. Uricase metabolizes urate to allantoin, a water-soluble metabolite, which is cleared renally. Pegliticase is marketed by Savient Pharmaceuticals as Krystexxa™.
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The incretin class of medications (exenatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, saxagliptin) all share the favorable quality of not being associated with weight gain.
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A Canadian study reveals that while a majority of elderly patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty did not receive home care upon discharge, those that did had longer short-term survival.
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The ECG above was obtained from an 87-year-old woman in for her first doctor visit in several years. She reports no recent symptoms. She is on no cardioactive medications. What are your concerns?
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HDL-cholesterol concentrations are not predictive of residual vascular risk among patients treated with potent statin therapy who have attained very low concentrations of LDL-cholesterol.
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Calcium supplementation without vitamin D supplementation is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction.
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A new emergency contraceptive has been approved by the FDA that is effective up to 5 days after unprotected intercourse. Ulipristal acetate is a selective progesterone receptor modulator with partial agonist and partial antagonistic effects. It is licensed from Laboratoire HRA Pharma in France and marketed by Watson Pharma as Ella™.
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FDA-approved pharmacologic treatments for fibromyalgia (FIB) include duloxetine, milnacipran, and pregabalin. Although each of these agents has shown both statistically significant and clinically relevant impact, few patients are relieved of all problematic symptoms. Hence, additional treatment paths for FIB are sought.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global alert and response regarding the use of antivirals for pandemic H1N1 flu, reiterating that antivirals should be used to prevent severe illness and death in children and adults.
