JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants articles from May 2007

JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants archives from May 2007

PA organizations meet to define missions.(FROM THE AAPA)(Physician Assistant)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... AAPA, the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), the National Commission on Certification for Physician Assistants (NCCPA), and the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) met last month in...

AAPA rallies support for Continuity of Care Act.(FROM THE AAPA)(American Academy of Physician Assistants)(Physician Assistants Continuity of Care Act)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... AAPA has asked members of Congress to cosponsor and support passage of the Physician Assistants Continuity of Care Act, which was introduced by Reps. Ed Towns (D-NY) mad Phil English (R-Penn). The bill would extend continuity of care for...

Genomics and competencies.(FROM THE AAPA)(conference of American Academy of Physician Assistants)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
May 1, 2007... Several representatives of the AAPA, along with representatives from NCCPA, PAEA, and ARC-PA, attended a March conference at the National Institutes of Health entitled Physician Assistant Competencies for Genomic Medicine: Where We Are Today...

Embracing the new world of personalized medicine.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... We are entering a time when the dream of personalized medicine will become a reality. Instead of treating patients in a one-size-fits-all fashion, clinicians will use information technology and medical genetics to provide a focused,...

New drug information.(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... FROM THE EDITORS OF THE PAPR PRODUCT: Brovana COMPANY: Sepracor PHARMACOLOGIC CLASS: Bronchodilator (long-acting beta2-agonist) ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Arformoterol 15micrograms/2mL; soln for inh. INDICATION: Long-term...

A rare ulcer with a common cause.(Dermatology Digest)
May 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] > CASE A 65-year-old woman presented to our primary care clinic with a lesion on her right superior abdomen. The patient reported that she first noticed the lesion approximately 2 months before this visit. The...

Atrial fibrillation: more help for the most common arrhythmia.(Clinical Watch)
May 1, 2007... Who should read this? Any physician assistant who provides medical care to adult patients, particularly to those 50 years and older. What's new? New guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF), developed collectively...

Guidelines for treatment of sport-related concussions: proper recognition, initial management, and long-term clinical decision making are important aspects of treating concussive injury and allowing for a safe return to play.(CME)
May 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sport-related concussion is a growing concern among health care providers in all specialties. The CDC reports approximately 300,000 sport-related concussions each year, (1) and some research suggests that these rates...

An unusual cause of pancreatitis in a young man.(The Surgical Patient)
May 1, 2007... Hyperparathyroidism (HPT) has long been a common reason for referrals to endocrinologists and general surgeons. Although patients often have no symptoms, clinicians should be familiar with the signs, symptoms, laboratory findings, and other...

Can cellular cardiomyoplasty cure heart failure? Cardiomyocyte regeneration through stem cell transplantation is a promising option for patients with a loss of functioning myocardium after myocardial infarction.(REVIEW ARTICLE)
May 1, 2007... Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 5 million people in the United States, with 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year. (1) The number of annual hospitalizations for this condition has increased from around 400,000 in 1979 to more than 1.1...

Reviewing prognostic factors in breast cancer management: ideally, breast cancer is managed by a multidisciplinary team who, by looking at the big picture, can give the patient the best possible prognosis and quality of life.(CME)
May 1, 2007... According to the most recent estimates, a woman's chance of developing breast cancer in the course of her lifetime is 1 in 8, and breast cancer accounts for one of every three cancers diagnosed in women in the United States. (1) More frequent...

CME posttest: expiration date: May 2008.
May 1, 2007... AAPA members: Please take this CME posttest online at www.aapa.org. SPORT-RELATED CONCUSSION 1. Which symptom may indicate a more serious injury if it lasts for more than 3 hours? a. Difficulty concentrating b. Nausea c....

TMI (too much information).(SOUNDING BOARD)
May 1, 2007... When I became a PA many years ago, I knew the acronym PA would present problems. I imagined facing a patient, or a stranger at a cocktail party, and hearing that person say, "And what exactly does that stand for?" I imagined explaining that PA...

Can B vitamin therapy help to prevent future vascularevents?(CAT Clinic)
May 1, 2007... A 70-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and MI (in 2000) is admitted to the hospital after experiencing difficulty speaking and fight hemiparesis upon awakening this morning. The symptoms have resolved by the time he...

Fluticasone plus salmeterol reduces mortality in COPD.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
May 1, 2007... Clinical question What is the best inhaled treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a steroid, a beta-agonist, or both? Bottom line The combination of inhaled salmeterol and fluticasone slightly reduces the risk of...

Three features distinguish PID from appendicitis.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(pelvic inflammatory disease )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Clinical question What clinical variables help distinguish pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) from acute appendicitis in women? Bottom line In this poorly described study, a clinical decision rule consisting of three variables helped...

H pylori treatment is effective in PPI users.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(proton pump inhibitor )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Clinical question Can eradication of Helicobacter pylori decrease symptoms and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use in long-term users? Bottom line Identification and eradication of Hpylori in long-term users of PPIs results in a small decrease...

When the patient asks.
May 1, 2007... Q: Should I get the HPV vaccine? More than 100 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) are known to exist, and more than 30 of them are sexually transmitted. HPV infection causes diseases ranging from common warts to invasive cervical cancer....

Patient information.
May 1, 2007... Q: Should I get the HPV vaccine? WHAT IS HPV? HPV is the common name for human papillomavirus. It is a virus that can cause many diseases. Scientists have found more than 100 types of HPV, called strains. Different strains cause...

A young man with acute onset of testicular pain.(Diagnostic Imaging Review)
May 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] > CASE A 23-year-old male presented to the emergency department with complaints of testicular pain on the right side. The pain had come on suddenly 4 to 5 days previously and had gotten slightly better since then,...

Case of the month.(Case study)
May 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] > CASE The patient is a 17-year-old male who sustained an accidental, small-caliber gunshot wound to his left hand 6 weeks ago. Sudden onset 2 days ago of pain, swelling, and warmth in the palm of the injured hand...