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Why the iPad Will Not Be Used for Healthcare ITSome health care IT industry heavyweights have gone so far as to suggest that the iPad will be greatly utilized in the healthcare setting and revolutionize the way we do business. While I do think the iPad is incredibly shiny and is great computer replacement for your grandma, I think it's a bit of an exaggeration to suggest that it will ever be fully adopted by healthcare IT shops.
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Serdaxin Active Ingredient Found to Enhance Neurotransmitter ReleaseThe mechanism of action of clavulanic acid, the active ingredient in Rexahn Pharmaceuticals' Serdaxin, was investigated in a recent study.
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Nonischemic cardiomyopathy and implantable cardioverter-defibrillatorsWe assessed whether duration of nonischemic cardiomyopathy was related to the degree of benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) insertion. Subjects who had a recent diagnosis of nonischemic cardiomyopathy had at least a similar benefit from ICD insertion as did those with a remote diagnosis. These results indicate that ICD therapy should be considered in such patients as soon as they are diagnosed and once reversible causes of left ventricular dysfunction have been excluded.
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Incidence of death and MI associated with stopping clopidogrel after ACSRates of death and myocardial infarction were assessed for a national sample of acute coronary syndrome patients after stopping clopidogrel. In the first 90 days after stopping treatment, patients experienced a nearly twofold increased risk of adverse events compared with subsequent follow-up intervals for patients treated medically without stents and for patients treated with coronary stents. This suggests a possible clopidogrel rebound effect, but additional studies are needed to support this hypothesis and to identify strategies to reduce early events after clopidogrel cessation.
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Self-learning Clinical Medicine under the Guidance of a True TeacherThe standard methods of teaching clinical medicine are stated. Lectures are simply sources of information that may not always be understood or used by the listeners. Lecturers are not true teachers, because they have no feedback from the listeners. Certain aspects of self-learning are described. This method of learning, guided by a true teacher, should be mastered during internship and residency. Self-learning places patients at the center of the activity where doctors care for them and simultaneously learn medicine by asking themselves questions about their patients and searching for the answers. A clinician who learns medicine using this approach may know more about a problem than can be found in standard textbooks. Textbooks discuss the general rules about an illness, whereas the expert clinician may know the exceptions to such rules. The self-learner always correlates the data found by one technique with the data found using other techniques. This approach improves all skills, including thinking. The self-learner must teach. This discipline demands that trainees organize the data they collect and improve their skill of communication. Finally, trainees should learn early in their training that good doctors make many types of decisions about their patients, and such decisions must always be made in favor of the comfort and convenience of their patients.
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Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation-trends in the United StatesThe use of anticoagulation therapy for atrial fibrillation has slowly increased in the last decade, yet many patients at relatively high risk for thromboembolic events are still not receiving anticoagulants. Patients receiving therapy that is intended to maintain sinus rhythm may be at higher risk for underuse of anticoagulation therapy than those receiving rate control therapies. In addition, the increase in the use of anticoagulation therapy appears to have been particularly notable among patients for whom it may not be indicated and in whom safer, less expensive antithrombotic therapies would suffice.
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Managing Obesity Through PharmacologyObesity contributes to significant morbidity and mortality among primary care patients. This paper summarizes options for pharmacological management of obesity. Medications approved for obesity are Phenteremine/Topiramate, Orlistat, Lorcaserin, Naltrexone/Bupropion, Liraglutide.
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Eat Fiber: One Simple Message for Weight LossThis study was a randomized, controlled trial of 240 adults with metabolic syndrome who were assigned to follow either the single-component dietary recommendation of increased fiber consumption (≥30g/d), or the multi-component American Heart Association (AHA) dietary guidelines. The primary outcome measure was weight loss at 12 months.
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Acquired Angioedema: A Challenging DiagnosisAngioedema is a hypersensitivity disorder that presents as edema of the subcutaneous tissues and mucosa, typically involving the upper airways or gastrointestinal tract, and often accompanied by urticaria. Although this condition could be either hereditary or acquired, the causes often overlap, with similar clinical manifestations. Diagnosis requires laboratory testing to determine serum complement levels. Treatment must be directed toward the resolution of the acute symptoms and prevention of recurrence.
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Physicians to Take a Big Pay Cut from MedicareDear doctor, Congress is once again just kicking the can (your Medicare fees) further down the road.
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Folding@home: How Distributed Computing Is Unraveling the Mysteries of Protein FoldingIn October 2000, a team of researchers at Stanford University led by Vijay Pande, PhD, debuted a distributed computing project designed to simulate the protein folding process.
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An Open Letter to the Woman at the SupermarketA little small talk in the produce section illustrates the challenges of small-town doctoring.
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Comprehensive lifestyle modification and blood pressure controlLifestyle recommendations for the prevention and treatment of hypertension include weight loss, reduced sodium intake, increased physical activity, limited alcohol intake, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. The 18-month results of the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction: Events and Recovery (PREMIER) randomized clinical trial showed that individuals with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension can make and sustain many of these lifestyle changes over the long term, thereby reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Thoracic and abdominal aorticatherosclerosisIt was not until Virchow identified the cellular contributions to thrombosis that physicians began to visualize arteries as dynamic tissues.
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Predicting survival in elderly patients with heart failureOver a period of 14 years, we followed 282 patients aged 70 years or older who were hospitalized with heart failure. Median survival was 2.5 years, but 25% of patients died within 1 year, and 25% survived for at least 5 years following hospital discharge. A simple 7-item risk score based on data readily available at the time of hospitalization effectively stratified patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories for subsequent mortality.
