April 17th 2024
Tirzepatide reduced OSA symptoms and body weight in study participants with severe OSA and obesity, regardless of use of positive airway pressure therapy.
Drug Choices for Different Seizures Get Clarification
March 23rd 2007LIVERPOOL, England -- Lamotrigine (Lamictal) should be the drug of choice for patients with partial-onset epileptic seizures while valproate (Depacon) heads the list for generalized and unclassifiable seizures, two major studies have found.
Bewildered Computer Clocks May Bedevil Hospitals at 2 a.m. on Sunday
March 9th 2007ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has warned all hospitals about a possible unanticipated fallout from an act of Congress -- the three-week-early shift to daylight savings time. All medical events triggered by computer clocks could chime an hour out of whack on Sunday.
Kids With Asthma Lose Fewer School Days on Leukotriene Antagonist
February 15th 2007MELBOURNE, Australia -- For children with intermittent asthma, a short course of Singulair (montelukast), a leukotriene antagonist, given at the first sign of an episode may reduce acute care visits, reported Australian investigators.
First Time May Be Charm for Anti-Epileptic Drugs
February 5th 2007GLASGOW, Scotland -- About half of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy will have good control of their seizures with the first medication tried, and a majority of responders will be seizure-free at the lowest dose, reported European investigators.
What caused these findings in a patient with atrial fibrillation?
February 1st 2007A 69-year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, asthma, and obstructive sleep apnea presented to the emergency department for evaluation of dyspnea and light-headedness. He had been treated for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation over the past 5 years; fairly good control had been achieved with metoprolol and amiodarone. However, over the past several months, he had been experiencing intermittent episodes of atrial fibrillation.
Plantar Fasciitis: Office Management
February 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Heel pain that occurs with the first several steps in the morning and diminishes as walking continues is the classic symptom of plantar fasciitis. Assessment of risk factors, such as improper footwear, a change in physical activities, and a new running surface, is important. Radiographs are rarely useful. Plantar fasciitis is generally self-limited; symptoms typically take 6 to 18 months to resolve. Conservative measures may include relative rest, stretching, strengthening, shoe modifications, orthoses, night splints, NSAIDs, and ice therapy. A corticosteroid injection may be warranted in resistant cases. If extensive conservative treatment is unsuccessful, referral to an orthopedic surgeon may be indicated.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Rational Therapy
January 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, and constipation or diarrhea; the pain is typically relieved by defecation. The diagnosis is not one of exclusion; it can be made based on the answers to a few key questions and the absence of "alarm" symptoms. Fiber therapy, the elimination of particular foods, and regulation of bowel function can help relieve symptoms. Tegaserod or polyethylene glycol can be used to treat IBS with constipation. Loperamide and alosetron are of benefit in IBS with diarrhea (although the latter carries a small risk of ischemic colitis). Low-dose tricyclic antidepressants may be used to treat the abdominal pain associated with IBS. Probiotic therapy or rifaximin may help reduce bloating. Psychological therapies seem to improve well-being in patients with IBS.
5-Year-Old With Fractured Femur and Multiple Bruises
January 1st 2007A 5-year-old boy was referredfor evaluation of afemur fracture. A day earlier(while his mother was atwork), the boy had jumpedoff the back of his father’spickup truck, which wasparked in the driveway. Theboy’s older and youngerbrothers were present andreported the incident to thefather. The father found the childsitting on the ground; the child toldhis father that his leg hurt and thathe wanted to go to sleep. Apparently, the father putthe child to bed. The mother reported that on the morningof admission, the child was wearing the sameclothes as when she had left for work the previous day.The child could not walk, although he was able to bearsome weight; his mother brought him to the hospital.There was no other history of acute trauma involvinghis leg.