Table of Contents
From the Editor
- Insurance, risk, and genomics
Genomics is an area where knowledge of what we can do has preceded a clear understanding of what we should do.
Editorial
- Genetic testing and health insurance: Can they coexist?
Many people are ambivalent about genetic testing, but the issues are fundamentally the same with any test, including a low-tech history and physical examination.
Review
- New fibrinolytic agents for MI: As effective as current agents, but easier to administer
Ease of administration is important. Many patients who might be candidates for fibrinolytic therapy are not getting it, and the complicated regimens of the current drugs may partly account for their underuse.
1-Minute Consult
- Should nursing home residents with atrial fibrillation be anticoagulated?
Anticoagulation is underused in long-term care patients with atrial fibrillation; most would benefit.
Review
Whole-body CT screening for cancer and coronary disease: Does it pass the test?Computed tomography (CT) is not an ideal screening tool, but neither is any other test. Since CT screening is already in use, we should set standards for it, based on scientific criteria.
- How to use statins in patients with chronic liver disease
Statin-induced liver disease is uncommon, and there is little evidence to suggest that it is more likely in patients with chronic liver disease.
- The preoperative evaluation: Use the history and physical rather than routine testing
The cornerstone of the preoperative evaluation is a thorough history and physical examination, not routine laboratory testing.
Commentary
The right to privacy of one’s most intimate biological secrets must be affirmed.