More articles from From the editor
- Born again: The many lives of metformin
Repurposing old drugs for new indications is not a new drug-development strategy.
- To prophylax or not to prophylax for endocarditis: Still a question
Give prophylactic antibiotics before invasive dental procedures? On the surface, it may seem sensible. But we have more to learn about the successful clearance of bacteria from the bloodstream and why protective mechanisms occasionally fail.
- Unexplained pathology is not always autoimmune
Our success in understanding well-defined autoimmune diseases may make us too willing to attribute yet-unexplained conditions to autoimmunity simply because they share symptoms.
- Celiac disease in the ‘nonclassic’ patient
Adherence to a strict gluten-free diet is not easy, and even strict adherence does not guarantee relief of all symptoms. We need to be as certain as possible that trying the diet makes sense—and that is the real challenge.
- Aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular events: Key questions remain
Are we done with the issue of aspirin in primary prevention? Not quite yet.
- Chronic centralized pain syndromes: A rheumatologist’s perspective
Centralized pain syndromes are vexing for patients and clinicians. In this issue, Volcheck and colleagues present a framework for understanding chronic centralized pain and for developing an actionable treatment plan for patients.
- Viruses change; we can, too
As we learn more about the mpox (formerly monkeypox) virus, Sossai et al in this issue of the Journal discuss how our understanding of its link to variola has led to therapeutic and prophylactic vaccination options.
- Myasthenia gravis: An update for internists
Recognizing the spectrum of the disease in patients’ complaints enhances our clinical reasoning skills when faced with the extremely commonly expressed symptom of “fatigue.”
- Some complexities of diabetes and the heart
Patients with diabetes are at greater risk of coronary artery disease than their peers without diabetes. That’s straight and simple. But there the simplicity ends.
- Test ordering: Balancing the good for the many with the good for the one
Three articles this month address how we order clinical tests, one on the question of treating the patient with asymptomatic bacteriuria, the others on the advantages and disadvantages of standing orders for “daily labs” for inpatients.