Authors

Michael Anderson

Latest:

Loving Littleton and the Glory of the Granite State

Romeo L. Quilatan, Jr, MD, Lincoln Medical

Roberto Pili, MD1

Ann M. Aring, MD, Curtis Gingrich, MD, ABFM, Riverside Methodist Family Medicine Residency, Columbus, Ohio

Rebecca Ryan, MD

Latest:

Dark, Itchy Leg Lesions in a Middle-Aged Man

This 44-year-old man presented to a clinic with multiple dark lesions on his lower extremities. When the lesions first appeared eight months ago, they were slightly raised, pink in color, and intensely itchy, but after repeated excoriation, they have become increasingly dark. The patient reports that a biopsy was inconclusive and creams and an oral medication have not helped his condition. In addition to his leg lesions, there is some involvement of the thigh, buttocks, and penis. He denies any past medical history or other medications. What condition does this man have?

Sakti Mookherjee, MD

Susan Kim, MD, Isaiarasi Gnanasekaran, MD, FACP

Tanja S. Meyer, MD1

Latest:

Noninvasive assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts with 64-slice computed tomographic angiography

We evaluated the accuracy of the 64-slice computed tomography (CT) angiography scanner in subjects who were scheduled to undergo invasive angiography for possible stenosis in coronary artery bypass grafts. Results showed that the improved resolution of CT scanners with 64-slice technology allowed for a precise delineation of bypass graft occlusion or stenosis. It permitted an accurate noninvasive assessment of bypass grafts, even in subgroups of subjects with suboptimal scan conditions, such as those with arrhythmias or higher heart rates.

John Authers

David Mobley, MD, FACS & Neil Baum, MD

Latest:

Overactive Bladder: When and How to Treat and When to Refer

Overactive bladder is a common, debilitating condition. Patients often feel uncomfortable or unwilling to mention the symptoms, and physicians should ask relevant questions to elicit the history of patients at risk. The most important part of the evaluation is the medical history, which is used to identify any of the numerous conditions that can cause overactive bladder or contribute to the symptoms. Anticholinergic medications are the cornerstone of therapy, with the newer, extended-release formulations generally having fewer side effects. Behavioral therapy to modify abnormal voiding patterns is a valuable therapeutic adjunct.

Michael A. Steck, OD

Latest:

Opinion: Lifesavers Are Killing With Costs

The market price for gene therapy greatly exceed the costs of the gene editing development and the equipment required for the task.

Karen Canella

Steven Borzak, MD, is at Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University

Latest:

Assessing risk through "inspired" care

This retrospective subanalysis of the Adenosine Sestamibi SPECT Post-Infarction Evaluation (INSPIRE) trial shows that early adenosine sestamibi stress testing is not only safe early after myocardial infarction (MI), but can also be very useful to identify patients at very low risk for events in the first year after discharge.

Babu Makkena, MD, University of Illinois at Chicago

Richard J. Katz, MD, is Bloedorn Professor of Cardiology

Latest:

Drug-eluting stents and diseased saphenous vein grafts: Long-term risk in RRISC

Progressive disease in saphenous vein grafts remains a major short-term and long-term clinical challenge after surgical revascularization.

Colin Crawford

Latest:

Apple's iPad an Impressive Product in Need of Tweaking for Healthcare Success

Apple's iPad is sleek, innovative, and should change the landscape of the tablet computer market going forward. But for all the things they got right, Apple has a few things to learn if it wants to become the the healthcare industry's tablet leader.

Shirley M. Mueller, M.D.

Latest:

Stress and Burnout: A New Approach

As every practitioner knows, it is difficult to support staff while deliberately seeing fewer patients to save one’s own soul.

New Fed Chairman's Inflation Targeting Defined

Frank J. Domino, associate professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, highlights the best resources available to physicians at the bedside.

David M. Herrington, MD, MHS1

Latest:

C-reactive protein and hypertension

We assessed whether C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations predicted future risk of hypertension in a cohort of young adults. Results showed that CRP levels do not independently predict risk of incident hypertension after accounting for body mass index. Further research is needed in the area of inflammation and hypertension, with a special focus on the effect of obesity and age-related changes on this process.

Raban V. Jeger, MD

Latest:

Revascularization in patients 75 years or older with diabetes mellitus and angina pectoris

We analyzed the results of the Trial of Invasive Versus Medical Therapy in the Elderly with Chronic Coronary Artery Disease (TIME) in which invasive treatment was compared with optimized medical treatment in patients with chronic angina aged 75 years and older. Patients with diabetes had higher mortality than nondiabetic patients, but revascularization improved overall survival similarly in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

Katherine B. Paal