Back in December we reported on the FDA cautioning practioners about the use of gadolinium (an mri contrast agent) in patients with chronic kidney disease. The FDA is now requesting a black box warning stating “that patients with severe kidney insufficiency who receive gadolinium-based agents are at risk for developing a debilitating, …

Category: Systems
Clinical Correlations
Not So Rosi…
Commentary by Seagram Villagomez MD, Chief Resident
Since its approval in 1999, nearly 1 million Americans have used the thiazolidinedione (TZD) rosiglitazone (Avandia – GlaxoSmithKline) for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. However, in a drug class which seems …
Mystery Quiz #3-The Answer
May 15, 2007Before you read the answer you should read the orginal post form last week
The Final Poll Results (26 votes): metastatic disease (26%) , mycobacterial disease (22%) ,fungal disease (22%), bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (boop) (13%), septic emboli (9%) ,vasculitis, e.g. wegener’s (4%), thromboembolic disease (4%), sarcoid (0%)
The HPV vaccine: Recommended in the U.S., but required in Virginia
May 8, 2007Commentary By: Marshall Fordyce, PGY-3
Now that the dust has settled in Texas and Virginia, let’s clarify the role of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in our clinics. An excellent article in last week’s JAMA by its Editor-In-Chief, Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, and Lawrence …
Mystery Quiz
May 3, 2007Posted By Robert Smith, MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Division Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
The patient is an 81 year old male with severe obstructive lung disease who was referred to the pulmonary service for an abnormal chest x-ray prior to femoral-popliteal bypass surgery. The patient complained of chronic dyspnea …
Is the PPD obsolete?
May 1, 2007In February of this year the New York City Department of Health released a new policy paper indicating that they will no longer use the PPD as a screening tool for tuberculosis in their clinics.They have switched to the QuantiFERON-TB Gold, (QFT-G), a …
Statin Pleiotropy: Unique Roles for a Common Medication
April 26, 2007By: Melissa Freeman, MD, PGY1
For over a decade now, statins, or 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, have facilitated millions of patients in the management of their atherosclerosis. Statins are known for their ability to reduce hepatic lipoproteins, up-regulate …
How Do You Estimate Stroke Risk After a Transient Ischemic Attack?
April 24, 2007By: Alana Choy-Shan, MD PGY-3
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are known to be a harbinger of stroke, however it is difficult for physicians to estimate individual stroke risk. Previously, the two systems used to predict short-term risk of stroke after a …