By Vincent M. Santillo, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
The Wonder Drug that Works Wonders!
On March 21st, readers of the New York Times woke up to the headline “Studies Link Daily Doses of Aspirin to Reduced Risk of Cancer.” The author Roni Rabin stated that daily aspirin “may significantly reduce the risk of many cancers and prevent tumors from spreading.” Exciting news for those looking for some way to avoid a dreaded diagnosis, as well as those with cancer looking to prevent metastasis. The…
By Kevin Burns
Faculty Peer Reviewed
On December 22, 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Gardasil; Merck, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) for prevention of anal cancer and anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) for males and females 9 to 26 years old. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and the high-risk subtypes 16 and 18 are linked to development of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal malignancies. The FDA-approved uses for…
By Pansy Tsang MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
While your weekend may have been filled with Irish Soda bread, beer and college basketball, this week’s journals were heavy on the reproductive system and cancer screening and prevention.
With ever-changing recommendations, many doctors may find themselves confused when it comes to cancer screening in daily practice. As described in last week’s Primecuts, a recent paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed that many US doctors really do not understand cancer screening statistics.
Screening for prostate…
By Santosh Vardhana, MD/PhD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Ms. T is a 32- year-old woman with no past medical history who presents with a three month history of productive cough, shortness of breath, and a twenty pound weight loss. On review of systems, she also reports night sweats. On physical exam, she is cachectic. Pulmonary exam reveals dry bibasilar inspiratory crackles. Rapid HIV test is positive, and CD4 count returns at 46. Chest X-ray reveals bilateral increased interstitial markings at the lung bases as well as…
Please enjoy this post from the archives first posted on October 21, 2009.
By Ivan Saraiva MD
Case: A 68-year-old man, with a history of stable angina and end-stage renal disease treated by hemodialysis for the past three years, presents to the hospital with leg swelling and shortness of breath. He also complains of intermittent chest pain unrelated to exertion. Physical exam reveals bilateral pitting lower extremity edema, pulmonary crackles, and an elevated jugular venous pressure. Initial electrocardiogram is notable for some nonspecific repolarization abnormalities.…
By Mitchell Kim
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an acid-fast bacillus, is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), an infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. A highly contagious infection, TB is spread by aerosolized pulmonary droplet nuclei containing the infective organism. Most infections manifest as pulmonary disease, but TB is also known to cause meningitis, vertebral osteomyelitis, and other systemic diseases through hematogenous dissemination. In 2009, there were an estimated 9.4 million incident and 14 million prevalent cases of TB worldwide, with a…
By Lakshmi Tummala, MD
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Most readers are probably familiar with the Nurses’ Health Study cohort which provided the data for a possible relationship between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that was highlighted in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Participants self-reported NSAID and aspirin use every two years and were considered “regular users” if they took the medication at least twice per week. Forty-four percent were considered regular aspirin users…
By Marc O’Donnell
Faculty Peer Reviewed
Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ?30 kg/m2. The rate of obesity in the United States has skyrocketed over the last several decades, becoming a disease of epidemic proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 32 states had a prevalence of obesity of ?25%, while 9 of these states had a prevalence of ?30%. It has been estimated that the economic costs of treating obesity and its complications, including type…
