Jeannette Y. Wick, RPh, MBA, FASCP

Readmission because of complications from colorectal surgery has been a challenge for surgeons.

The opioid-induced deficiency worsens quality of life and body composition.

Recent research supports an aggressive bariatric BMI-based surgery selection.

Managing of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a full-time job.

Longer drug regimens increase the chance that patients will experience adverse drug effects or drug interactions.

Type 1 and 2 diabetes require patients to exercise vigilance and actively manage their conditions.

Experts caution duration of testosterone replacement therapy.

Maintaining glycemic control using insulin.

Surgeons can collaborate with pharmacists to reduce medication errors.

What should the new priorities be in congenital heart disease research?

From fish oil to acupuncture, a new study assesses the application and efficacy of popular alternative treatments.

A new article indicates that protein consumption promotes zinc bioavailability in patients on low energy diets. all participants were insulin resistant at baseline and zinc had the expected inverse associations with body fat percentage and fat-free mass index.

Innovators have implemented pay-for-performance mandates, value-based purchasing, electronic health systems, and meticulous reporting programs. But has the quality of care or patient satisfaction improved?

People may self-educate and seek support in others with similar diseases and disorders. This may be constructive (e.g., learning grounding techniques to help with anxiety) or harmful (e.g., pro-anorexia pages).

Overt clinical hypothyroidism increases placental abruption, gestational diabetes, premature membrane rupture, preterm birth, low birth weight, and perinatal mortality risk.

For those with type 2 diabetes who reside in rural communities, distance from large medical centers and research universities may limit their access to new ideas and programs. The result may be poorer disease management and less physical activity than is reasonable or necessary. Welcome: mobile apps.

So far, the 2016 hurricane season has been manageable, with most hurricanes either diminishing into tropical storms or blowing out to sea before they reach the continental United States. Natural disasters have long-term impacts on diabetic patients.

It's now crystal clear that sitting in front of an electronic device all day is bad for overall health. Building on previous studies in behavioral change that used text message-based interventions to stimulate change successfully, researchers from Western University, London, ON, Canada designed a study to use text messages to decrease sedentary behaviors in university students.

When SCD patients' presentation accelerates, clinicians need to look further, and consider endocrine problems as possible causes.

It's not easy to be a teen with diabetes. Many young adults struggle with competing academic, economic, and social priorities that may interfere with successful diabetes management. Coordinated healthcare can lessen the risk of suboptimal health care utilization; undetected or untreated diabetes complications; and psychosocial, behavioral, and emotional challenges.

H. pylori, a bacterial infection of the stomach, may have expansive systemic effects, and clinicians need to raise the index of suspicion when patients report symptoms suggestive of this infection.

Research indicates that insulin has wound-healing properties, and this is the subject of a new study. Based on findings that insulin increases wound collagen, granulation tissue, wound tensile strength, and local production of insulin-like growth factors by fibroblasts, the researchers looked at its potential in pressure ulcers.

A key finding was a dramatic change in how prescribers used insulin. They tended to use more rapid-acting insulin.

Good research has shown that diabetes is linked to heightened risk for brain atrophy, white matter abnormalities, and cognitive impairment. It's a risk factor for dementia, especially if the diabetes is classified as type 2.

Why target sugar-sweetened beverages? SSBs are the single biggest source of added sugars in American children’s diets. Unsurprisingly, studies show that children who consume SSBs will choose unhealthy foods over healthier choices.

The accumulation of debt by med school students is well documented, and although government programs exist to help alleviate some of that debt, the nature and reach of those programs may be changing. A study examines the average debt of American medical schools, how it impacts their careers, and ways it might be encouragingly alleviated.

It has become increasingly common for patients having experienced as few as three episodes of diverticulitis to opt for colectomy. A study examines the efficacy of younger, less frequent sufferers receiving the surgery earlier than guidelines typically recommend.

The looming threat of malpractice litigation greatly impacts neurosurgeons, who sometimes take passive or active approaches to try to mitigate their risk of being sued. The debate regarding the necessity and impact of defensive medicine, as it involves neurosurgery, is lively, and draws many conflicting opinions.

While many physicians recommend weight loss in advance of bariatric surgery, and many insurance provides require it, a wide-ranging study suggests that the benefits of such preparatory dieting may actually be negligible.

Studies conflict as to whether bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty can be as safe and effective as staged procedures, though researchers believe it may be suitable for some patient populations.