Table of Contents
From the Editor
- The internist, alphabet soup, and the hepatologist
Given the widening spectrum of viral hepatitis types and clinical syndromes, prompt referral to and consultation with a hepatologist are in our patients’ best interests.
Medical Grand Rounds
- What’s new in prostate cancer screening and prevention?
Two large trials of screening with prostate-specific antigen measurements came to seemingly opposite conclusions. Furthermore, a large trial of selenium and vitamin E found that neither has value in preventing prostate cancer.
Editorial
- The new data on prostate cancer screening: What should we do now?
Does screening have a benefit? We have new data, but do we have the answer?
Im Board Review
- A 35-year-old Asian man with jaundice and markedly high aminotransferase levels
The patient acquired hepatitis B virus at birth and was never treated for it. What is his present infection status?
Review
How menopause affects oral health, and what we can do about itAfter menopause, women become more susceptible to periodontal disease. The problem may stem in large part from estrogen deficiency.
1-Minute Consult
- Does measuring natriuretic peptides have a role in patients with chronic kidney disease?
Measuring them can help diagnose decompensated heart failure and predict the risk of death and hospitalization, but whether it helps in chronic kidney disease is unclear.
The Clinical Picture
- Recurrent pyelonephritis as a sign of ‘sponge kidney’
Intravenous urography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of medullary sponge kidney. Computed tomography and ultrasonography have limited ability to clearly show tubular ectasia.
Departments
- Pregabalin for fibromyalgia (April 2009)
Readers comment on an article on the use of pregabalin in fibromyalgia (April 2009).
Commentary
To identify those at high risk of fracture, we can use the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool, or FRAX. Patients who are prescribed a drug must also be educated about how and why to take it.