Internal Medicine

The World Health Organization continued its efforts to battle the ongoing Ebola outbreak with a second meeting of its Emergency Committee tackling the virus.

Counseling at-risk teens and adults to change risky behavior is an effective way to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The group is updating its guidelines for primary care physicians to recommend they offer appropriate patients such behavioral advice. The task force also calls for routine screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea for sexually active teens and women up to age 24. Older women who are pregnant or may be at risk of infection due to a variety of sexual behaviors-such as having multiple partners or exchanging sex for money or drugs-should also be screened, the USPSTF said.

Advances in knowledge surrounding gastrointestinal conditions have paved the way for improvements in Crohn's disease (CD) treatment. To aid clinicians in managing patients with CD, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) created a clinical decision tool to effectively guide gastroenterologists throughout their decision-making process.

Results from a 12-week study show that treatment with once-daily, single-entity hydrocodone formulated with abuse-deterrent properties is safe and effective compared with placebo.

Although methadone accounts for only 2% of opioid prescriptions, it caused nearly one in 3 prescription opioid overdose deaths in 2012, a 6-fold increase from 2009, according to the CDC.

Because there is no objective test for pain, and because each patient's experience of his or her painful condition is subjective and unique, physicians who treat these patients must process a variety of symptoms, signs, and cues to determine whether they can trust their patient's narrative.

Despite the best tests, procedures, and medications that modern medicine has to offer, chronic pain is still a major cause of disability. Could a more holistic approach to pain management lead to improved quality of life for individuals with chronic pain?

Study results show that patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia often discontinue treatment. Those that do not frequently augment their initial treatment regimen with one or more additional medications, including some that are not recommended by current guidelines.

The patient-reported painDETECT questionnaire has been shown to accurately and reliably identify neuropathic pain across a range of conditions.

Knowledge of dietary supplement properties, uses, and contraindications is highly relevant to any health care practitioner that treats patients with chronic pain. Data shows that the top four reasons for supplement use are back pain, neck pain, joint pain, and arthritis.

Research indicates that there are probable etiologies of low back pain that can affect treatment outcome and that ignoring pain can possibly cause chronic neurological changes.

Researchers are learning more about the ways in which gut microbiota interact with the central nervous system and the role this can play in pain management.

Although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, opioid-induced hyperalgesia occurs in some patients on higher doses of opioids. Treatment options include reducing, rotating, or completely tapering the opioid regimen.

Magnetic resonance is an effective alternative to biopsy for identifying and quantifying fats in the liver, according to results from a study led by a research team at the University of the Basque Country.

In this issue of Cardiology Review, we cover a wide variety of topics while saying goodbye to the summer of 2014.

In this edition of Clinical Forum, we asked 3 Cardiology Review editorial board members to comment on the role of renal denervation following the publication of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial results.

In their recent article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vivek Y. Reddy, MD, and Jeffrey W. Olin, DO, noted "there are few areas in medicine that have gained as much prominence as quickly, or have been as widely dismissed as quickly, as catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation for the treatment of resistant hypertension.

The 74th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) brought together more than 17,300 attendees from more than 121 countries. This year's program included 96 symposia, 50 oral abstract sessions, 10 interest group discussions, 18 meet-the-expert sessions, and 10 special lectures and addresses. Cardiology Review is covering 6 of the top sessions.

The optimal duration of DAPT following PCI with drug-eluting stents remains dubious.

The presence of coronary collateral circulation should be cardioprotective and beneficial, but the demonstration of such benefit has been more challenging.

This interesting study compared the effectiveness of human-led versus website-based counseling to reduce CHD risk.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus tripled in the last 20 years. What has that meant for rates of complications?

The use of various dietary supplements by patients will probably continue, so medical practitioners must be able to advise patients about potential harms and benefits.

New questions about the risks of flying and the responsibilities of airlines have followed reports of anaphylaxis cases on two international flights in less than a month.

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have long known the benefits of ease and convenience that comes with using an insulin pump instead of relying on multiple daily insulin injections to control their condition. A recent study has shown that using a pump is also associated with positive effects on long-term cardiovascular risk and mortality.

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recently released the results of a study that identified a protein that could play a key role in a variety of diseases.

Stendra (avanafil) is now the only FDA-approved erectile dysfunction (ED) medication indicated to be taken as early as approximately 15 minutes before sexual activity.

Experts have discovered a possible correlation between treatment with isotretinoin and decreased risk of inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association Dermatology.

Recent studies looking at neural response in patients with fibromyalgia have shown that people with this condition may have hypersensitivity to non-painful stimuli.