December 2013

A 60-year-old gentleman presented to a clinic with a large ulceration over his left tibia. The wound was friable, erythematous, and purulent, with necrotic involvement of the tibial tendon sheath. He reports that the lesion started 15 years ago and worsened after surgical debridement 10 years ago. High-dose prednisone helped in the past, but other medications have been of no help. Recently, the patient developed intense pain with occasional fevers, chills, and night sweats. He has type 2 diabetes mellitus, but denies any history of bowel difficulties, hepatitis, or arthralgias. What is your diagnosis?

Displaying the real-time costs of common laboratory tests through electronic health records (EHR) can help physicians cut back on excessive ordering.

Even if health information technologies (HIT) were only fully implemented in less than a third of all primary care offices, the overall demand for physicians would still fall by nearly 10% due to increased efficiency.

I find myself longing for the days when bags flew free on all airlines and when practices treated patients the same regardless of their willingness to pay an extra fee.

A 55-year-old married university professor has past medical history notable only for hypertension treated with hydrochlorothiazide, and no history of intravenous drug abuse or blood transfusions. Should this patient still be screened for hepatitis C?

The risk calculator tool and recommendations included in the new American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) hyperlipidemia guidelines are open to significant debate.

Compared to a low-fat diet, adherence to a Mediterranean diet has significant benefit in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients aged 55-80 years old at high baseline cardiovascular risk without cardiovascular disease.

While some low- to moderate-level evidence exists for the short-term use of opioids in low back pain, this well-done systematic review found no evidence to support their long-term use.

A study sheds some light on how a bedtime routine may play a role in childhood - and possibly adulthood - behavioral problems.

The risk for depression exists in the years prior to menopause, but declines as a woman approaches her final menstrual period (FMP) and decreases even further after FMP, according to one study.

The statement that there is no rule without exception is arguably more true in cases of sarcoidosis than in almost any other condition.