OB/GYN Clinical Alert articles from March 2003

OB/GYN Clinical Alert archives from March 2003

The prevalence of interstitial cystitis in gynecologic patients with pelvic pain, as detected by intravesical potassium sensitivity.
March 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY THE POTASSIUM SENSITIVITY TEST (PsT) WAS ADMINISTERED TO 244 patients with pelvic pain and 47 control patients by enrolling gynecologists at 4 separate facilities. Previous work by these physicians had shown that the...

Effects of oral Androstenedione administration on serum testosterone and estradiol levels in postmenopausal women.
March 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: Acute oral administration of 50 mg and 100 mg of androstenedione to postmenopausal women increases serum testosterone and estrone but not estradiol. Source: Leder BZ, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab....

VBAC revisited again.(vaginal birth after cesarean)
March 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: Postpartum fever after cesarean delivery is associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture during a subsequent trial of labor. Source: Shipp TD, et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2003;101:136-139. ...

Anti-HER2 antibody, trastuzumab in patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinoma with overexpression of HER2.
March 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: The clinical value of single-agent trastuzumab in recurrent ovarian cancer is limited by the low frequency of HER2 overexpression and low rate of objective response among patients with HER2 overexpression....

Measuring testosterone. (Special Feature).
March 1, 2003... THERE ARE 2 IMPORTANT POTENTIAL USES FOR THE measurement of testosterone levels: 1) to monitor the dosage of testosterone supplementation; and 2) to diagnose hyperandrogenism, whatever the cause. Unfortunately, the measurement of testosterone...

The metabolic syndrome and total and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged men.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Source: Lakka HM, et al. JAMA. 2002;288:2709-2716. THE METABOLIC SYNDROME (MBS) HAS 2 currently popular definitions. According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, MBS exists when a patient has at least 3 of the following...

Amlodipine fosinopril combination on microalbuminuria in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Source: Fogari R, et al. Am J Hypertens. 2002;15:1042-1049. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE CON-firmed the role of ACE inhibitors in modulation of microalbuminuria. The data on effects of calcium channel blockers (CCB) have been conflicting,...

Relation between alcohol consumption and C-reactive protein levels in the adult United States population.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Source: Stewart SH, et al. J Am Board Fain Pract. 2002;15:437-442. EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA CONSISTENTLY indicate that moderate intake of alcohol (ETOH) is associated with reductions in cardiovascular mortality. Though the mechanism by which this...

Prostate cancer screening.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Source: Ransohoff DF, et al. Am J Med. 2002;113:663-667. IN CONTRAST TO SCREENING FOR breast and colon cancer, both of which have been demonstrated to reduce mortality, prostate cancer screening (PCS) has not yet been proven to favorably...

Can we trust home BP measurement?(blood pressure)
March 1, 2003... Source: Bachmann LM, et al. J Clin Hypertens. 2002;4:405-407,412. THE WINDOW OF OBSERVATION OF blood pressure as obtained in the typical office setting has important limitations, with both exaggerations (ie, "white-coat" hypertension), and...

Systolic and diastolic dysfunction.(congestive heart failure)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Source: Redfield MM, et al. JAMA. 2003;289:194-202. CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE (CHF) IS typically classified as systolic (ie, reduced ejection fraction), diastolic (normal ejection fraction, with impaired ventricular filling), or both....

Smallpox vaccination guidelines published by CDC.("Smallpox Vaccination and Adverse Reactions--Guidance for Clinicians")
March 1, 2003... The CDC published "Smallpox Vaccination and Adverse Reactions--Guidance for Clinicians" in the Jan. 24th edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The guidance is a thorough review of the smallpox vaccine with a well-illustrated...