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An 88-year-old man presents with a 2-month history of a non-healing ulcer on his right lower limb.

Twenty years ago, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) introduced the following clinical criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) . . .

William Carlos Williams is part of an honorable tradition in the history of medicine - the physician/poet.

And if solo practice if going away, does that mean physician-patient connection is getting lost, too?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is less likely to develop in persons with high levels of sun exposure and vitamin D, reported Australian researchers in the journal Neurology. This finding confirms the results of previous studies that showed MS occurs more frequently at latitudes farther from the equator

During the past year, a 48-year-old man has had joint pain as well as this worsening rash on his hands. He is a construction worker, and he attributes the symptoms to his occupational exposure.

Endoscopic evaluation of a 61-year-old man hospitalized with a 4-month history of rectal bleeding, mucus discharge, and change in bowel habits revealed this large, sessile villous adenoma.

Extensive diverticulosis was found throughout the length of the colon of an 84-year-old woman, who depended on a weekly dose of magnesium citrate to have a bowel movement.

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A 56-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 1-week history of dark-colored urine and acholic stools followed by 3 days of intermittent right upper quadrant abdominal pain and overt jaundice. He had been healthy and did not smoke or drink alcohol. His family history was unremarkable. He recently lost 15 lb and experienced early satiety and intermittent night sweats.

Young children are usually fearful of the otoscope and tongue depressor in the hands of a physician. To ease their fears, I give the otoscope to their mother and stand close behind her and examine the throat.

Slightly altering Dr Michael W. Kahn's article for hospital-based physicians, "Etiquette-Based Medicine," for the outpatient setting helps me develop rapport with patients.

Here's a tip for dealing with patients who are hard of hearing and either don't have hearing aids or don't have them in at the time, usually while they are inpatients in the hospital. Take your stethoscope and let them wear the earpieces.

Incision and drainage of an abscess is painful, but it is also painful to pack and repack until the site has healed. I have found that after the initial packing is removed, instilling lidocaine without epinephrine using a syringe without the needle lessens the discomfort and anxiety of repacking considerably.

Systemic inflammation has been identified as a risk factor for the development of heart failure in population studies. In the 5-year prospective MESA study, researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore recorded a baseline nonspecific marker of systemic inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP).

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston presented results from the PROTECT (ProBNP Outpatient Tailored Chronic Heart Failure) study. NT-proBNP (b-type natriuretic peptide) is a biomarker released from myocardial tissue in response to high levels of wall stretch and has been studied as a marker for decompensated systolic heart failure.

Are persons with asthma at risk for other proinflammatory disorders? Yes, say researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn, who found that asthma is associated with the development of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. However, there was no association between asthma and rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease.

In the next few minutes, nationally recognized expert, Dr Robert Schoen, will discuss the latest findings on Lyme disease.