Table of Contents
From the Editor
- C-reactive protein: It’s back
Who would have thought that CRP, long used in rheumatology, would be a marker of coronary disease?
1-Minute Consult
When should digoxin be used in patients with diastolic dysfunction?Treatment with digoxin must be individualized.
- Is glucosamine an effective treatment for osteoarthritic pain?
Glucosamine shows promise, but studies had flaws that render much of the data inconclusive.
Medical Grand Rounds
- The promise and reality of nitric oxide in the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease
Extensive research has shown mixed results.
- Microbial drug resistance and the roles of the new antibiotics
Indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as vancomycin and quinolones is promoting antibiotic resistance.
Review
- Inflammatory myopathies: Narrowing the differential diagnosis
How to differentiate inflammatory myopathy from other causes of muscle weakness.
- C-reactive protein: A ‘golden marker’ for inflammation and coronary artery disease
Elevated levels of CRP are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
Editorial
- C-reactive protein elevation can be caused by conditions other than inflammation and may reflect biologic aging
CRP elevations are a sensitive test for inflammation, hut are not specific.
- Evidence of smoke and atherosclerotic fire
Why it is premature to extend the clinical use of the highly sensitive CRP assay as a test for coronary disease.
Review
- It’s a rave new world: Rave culture and illicit drug use in the young
New and potentially dangerous illicit drugs are popular among young people today.
Patient Information
Emerging Infections
- West Nile fever: Here to stay and spreading
Most cases are asymptomatic, but some patients develop encephalitis or even die. Public health measures are paramount.
Im Board Review
- Anticoagulation therapy in an elderly woman with atrial fibrillation
What is the cause of this patient’s symptoms? A self-test on a clinical case.
Review
- Using aspirin and ACE inhibitors in combination: Why the hullabaloo?
What is the cause of this patient’s symptoms? A self-test on a clinical case.
