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A woman in her 70s who underwent mastectomy of the left breast forcancer some time ago.

I consider the FDA’s recent advisory committee recommendations to restrict acetaminophen products inappropriate.

These circular, erythematous lesions of varying sizes on a 45-year-old woman’s dorsal right hand and extensor surface of the right forearm are

Asthma is a prevalent disease that continues to be associated with significant health care costs. Kamble and Bharmal,1 for example, estimated that the annual direct medical expenditure attributable to the treatment of asthma in the United States was about $37.2 billion in 2007, which represents a significant proportion of health care resource use.

Many of my patients who use eyedrops have had great success with the following technique.

Patients are usually unaware of lesions that may have developed on their back.

To increase the cooperation of preschool children during an otic examination, try playing the “magic flashlight” game

A 61–year–old man presented to the emergency department with diffuse lower abdominal pain, nausea, and severe diarrhea (20 episodes within the past 12 hours). His symptoms began the night before and had gradually worsened. He denied fever. His medical history was significant for hypertension.

The purple-stained urine bags and tubing of 2 elderly patients are shown here. Neither patient received urine-discoloring medications.

Case studies of athletes with isolated axillary neuropathy provide an overview of this injury's anatomy and function, which are key to definitive diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Human infections with a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus were first identified in April 2009, with cases in the United States and Mexico. The epidemiology and clinical presentations of these infections are under investigation.

The results of a meta-analysis indicate that intensive glycemic control significantly reduces the risk of coronary events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The meta-analysis, conducted by Ray and colleagues,1 included 5 randomized controlled trials that compared intensive with standard glucose-lowering regimens in more than 33,000 patients. The general treatment protocols are shown in the Table.

Since the 2006 launch of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has required all Part D sponsors, including Health Net, to offer free medication therapy management program (MTMP) services to members at high risk for drug-related problems.

Many women who are taking antidepressants discontinue therapy during pregnancy because of safety concerns. However, a study conducted in Canada demonstrates that the costs of discontinuing antidepressants are considerable. O’Brien and colleagues1 analyzed the direct medical costs associated with the discontinuation of antidepressant therapy in pregnant women in Ontario. They estimated that a relapse of depression occurred annually in about 2953 pregnant women who discontinued antidepressant therapy.

I hear from my physician friends that the “hassle factor” to obtain health plan coverage of prescribed therapy is increasing exponentially and that many of them are thinking of retiring or cutting back their practices. That is my experience and reaction as well.

As the number of biologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-and rheumatologists’ use of these agents for RA and other rheumatological diseases-grows, getting coverage for RA treatment is taking an increasing investment of physicians’ staff time. However, the majority of respondents to a recent survey say it is an investment in patient care that is worth making.

Health care–associated pneumonia (HCAP) is a relatively new term used to describe pneumonia that develops in patients who have recently been exposed to nosocomial and drug-resistant pathogens as a result of hospitalization or residence in a nursing home, for example. A recent study found that about 25% of patients hospitalized with pneumonia had HCAP, and that the mortality rate was higher in those with HCAP than in those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is strongly backing the argument that the economy is better off with competing generic drugs. In “Authorized Generics: An Interim Report,” FTC analysts report that when 2 generics are on the market immediately after a patent on a branded drug expires, wholesale prices of the drug are 6.5% lower on average than when only 1 generic is available; retail prices are 4.2% lower on average.