Alzheimer disease (AD) is more than twice as likely to develop in elderly persons with orthostatic hypotension (OH) as in those without OH, according to a new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

An 88-year-old man who had left hip repair after a fracture a few months earlier is now admitted to behavioral hospital because of implacable refusal to take medications, and because of poor food intake and ongoing refusal of rehabilitation. Ambulated with a walker before fracture but now barely ventures out of wheelchair even with rolling walker and therapist guidance.

How often has this happened to you? You are searching online for the answer to a clinical question, and you find what looks like a promising article. But when you try to access the article on the journal’s Web site, a message pops up stating that a subscription or payment is required.

It seems that every mother operates from a standardplaybook.

An all-terrain vehicle-ATV-is described by the American National Standards Institute as one that "travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, and with handlebars to be used for steering."1 By this definition, an ATV is designed for interactive riding by a single operator. Drivers are able to shift their weight freely in all directions depending on the situation and terrain. According to ATV safety standards and recommendations, children younger than 6 years are never to be on an ATV of any size-alone or with someone else.

Prolonged exposure to high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the dysplastic effects that HPV exerts on cells of the squamocolumnar transitional junction of the anal canal lead to anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN), which is a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA).1 Anal HPV infection is present in 93% of HIV-positive men who have anoreceptive intercourse.2 Furthermore, anal dysplasia of any grade has been reported in 56% of HIV-infected men who participate in anoreceptive intercourse.3,4

Anal cancer has become one of the most common non–AIDS-defining tumors in HIV-infected persons.1,2 The incidence of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is also markedly increased in HIV-positive men,3 particularly those who have sex with men (MSM), despite the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy.4

Elderly persons with essential tremor (ET) are almost twice as likely to have dementia as those without ET, according to a new study from Elan Louis, MD, professor of neurology, and colleagues at Columbia University in New York.

Sleep disorders are common in persons older than 70 years, according to a large community-based study of age-related diseases and cognitive functioning. The most common disorder, sleep-related leg cramps, occurred in 32% of the study participants, according to investigator Jennifer Molano, MD, a behavioral neurology fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Physicians are failing to diagnose HIV infection among older patients,

Researchers have identified 2 gene variations that are resistant to interferon ß therapy. This finding could lead to a biomarker for determining when IFN-ß is appropriate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Prevalence of migraine is higher in men and women who have total body obesity (TBO) or abdominal obesity (Abd-O), according to the results of a study by Lee B. Peterlin, DO, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, and colleagues at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

As Indiana native John Mellencamp might say, “Ryan White was born in a small town.” Kokomo, Ind, in 1971 indeed was a thriving, relatively small community in America’s Heartland. A town founded on family values, hard work, and a full belief in the American Dream,

Health care reform, the patient-centered medical home, and the impact of environmental change on global health are just a few of the topics to be discussed at the Internal Medicine 2009 Medicine 2009 in Philadelphia this week.

Nearly one-fifth (19%) of US employers are taking steps to discontinue providing health care benefits during the next 3 to 5 years, up from just 4% in 2008, according to results of The Road Ahead: Emerging Health Trends 2009, a survey conducted for Hewitt Associates by project leader Jeffrey D. Munn. The team interviewed benefit executives at 343 large employers representing more than 5 million employees in December 2008 and January 2009.

An estimated 5 million US adults, or about 2% of the adult population, have fibromyalgia (FM), according to 2005 data collected by the National Arthritis Data Workgroup (Figure 1). FM is a chronic condition of unknown etiology characterized by widespread muscle pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and often psychological distress and is considered a form of arthritis. The workgroup also reported that the only study on the prevalence of primary FM in the United States-which included 3006 adults 18 years and older-showed that prevalence was significantly higher among women than among men (3.4% vs 0.5%; approximately a 7:1 ratio). In women, prevalence of the condition rose sharply in middle age, to 7.4% among those aged 70 to 79 years, and then declined. Prevalence of FM in men similarly peaked between 70 and 79 years but was only slightly more than 1% among men in this age-group. The CDC notes that the condition can also develop in children.

Persons with chronic pain who participated in a collaborative care program with primary care physicians and psychologists showed improvement in depression, pain severity, and pain-related disability compared with those who received treatment by primary care physicians only, according to a study published in the March 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The media is full of alarming stories about veterans who return from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with various behavioral health issues, notably posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and alcohol abuse. Let’s review the professional literature data on the prevalence of these conditions in war veterans.

A total of 50 health care professionals, including 25 health plan medical directors, 20 health plan pharmacy directors, and 5 pharmacy directors for pharmacy benefit management companies were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the value of 3 novel cancer therapies. The physicians and pharmacists were asked to estimate the monthly average wholesale price of each therapy, overall survival benefit of bevacizumab for treatment of persons with advanced colorectal cancer and erlotinib for treatment of persons with non–small-cell lung cancer, and progression-free survival benefit of sunitinib malate for treating persons with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Most respondents overestimated drug costs and underestimated survival benefit associated with these treatments. Mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for all drugs studied was approximately $170,000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Cost-effectiveness ratios were lower than the $300,000/QALY cited by oncologists in another study but significantly higher than those for many other costly interventions. Our study findings reflect the need for a better understanding of the value of the clinical benefits of novel cancer therapies in an environment of product innovation but with resource constraints. (Drug Benefit Trends. 2009;21:120-130)

The number of physicians using health care information technology in their practices has increased dramatically in the past 5 years, as have their frustrations with the available software. Results of the second Health Care Technology Survey conducted by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) found that 64.5% of physicians use electronic medical records (EMRs), up from 33.1% in 2004. The 2009 survey was open from November 15 to December 20, and 950 ACPE members participated.