What is the lowest acceptable diastolic blood pressure (BP) in an elderly patient who is being treated for systolic hypertension?

A 38-year-old woman presented with bruising and pain of the lower extremities and dyspnea on exertion. She had had these symptoms for 3 weeks. She denied hematuria, melena, hematemesis, fever, or abdominal pain. Results of routine blood work showed a hemoglobin level of 6.4 g/dL (19 months earlier, this level was 15.8 g/dL).

David B. Nash, MD, MBA, the Dr Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy and founding dean of the Jefferson School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, provides an expert’s perspective on 2 issues in the current health care debate that are of particular concern to PCPs.

Time To Avoid Complacency: The Worst May Not Be Over Kaiser Family FoundationAlthough activity in North American is low, Dr Keiji Fukuda of the World Health Organization cautions that it is too soon to say the pandemic is over.

After Republican Scott Brown was elected into the US Senate in January, President Obama acknowledged that his health care reform bill could die on Capital Hill. As many Democrats looked to the White House for guidance about how to keep the bill on a forward path, President Obama seemed less than optimistic about the bill’s passage. At a fundraising event, the President stated “it’s very important for us to have a methodical, open process over the next several weeks, and then let’s go ahead and make a decision.” This statement was miles away from his previous exclamations of “Yes we can.”

Overdoses that are caused by prescription opioid may be on the rise.

Results of a large study showed that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) might be equally effective in both patients with unipolar depression and those with bipolar depression.1

Current guidelines for the management of bipolar depression are outdated because they are based on the definition and treatment of unipolar depression, accor

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be an effective therapy for treatment-resistant bipolar depression, according to the results of a recent pilot study led by Guohua Xia,

Although rapid-cycling bipolar disorder has been linked to the use of antidepressants, these treatments may still have a role in the management of patients with bipolar depression, said Stephen V. Sobel, MD, clinical instructor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, in a presentation at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas.1 Patients with bipolar disorder spend most of their time in depression, and antidepressants can alleviate the symptoms, he said.

This study investigated the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis from a managed health care systems perspective. An analysis was conducted of randomized clinical trials evaluating biologic and oral systemic medications and phototherapy for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.

Almost 90% of employers consider employee medication compliance to be a prime health management objective, according to a study by the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).1 The majority of study respondents reported that they are analyzing or have plans to analyze prescription data to determine medication compliance for select health conditions.

This discussion reviews the currently available antivirals and recommendations for their use in influenza prophylaxis and treatment. Because our understanding of 2009 H1N1 influenza is still evolving, some off-label use of medications is discussed and noted. Information on 2009 H1N1 is updated frequently, andreaders are encouraged to monitor advisories from federal, state, and local health agencies for up-to-date information. (Drug Benefit Trends. 2010;22:10-14)

Nearly $600 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) was awarded to 85 federally qualified community health centers to support major construction and renovation projects and help adopt electronic health record and other health information

The list of covered preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries has expanded to include screening for HIV infection, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This test will now be available to Medicare beneficiaries at increased risk for HIV infection, including women who are pregnant and any Medicare beneficiary of any age who requests testing.1

In a 3-2 decision, the Montana Supreme Court determined that nothing in Montana state law prevents physicians from assisting patients with suicide, making Montana the third state, following Oregon and Washington, to allow this practice.1

In a new law coined the “extra help” program, which is being promoted by Chubby Checker, more than 1 million low-income seniors will be newly eligible for nearly $4000 in prescription drug assistance.