Primary Care Reports articles from January 2004

Primary Care Reports archives from January 2004

Allergies and allergy therapy--Part II.
January 1, 2004... Editor's Note--The field of allergy has its roots in the science of immunology, which was initially described as the body's host defenses against foreign objects. The allergic reaction (type I immediate hypersensitivity) is simply a host...

CME questions.
January 1, 2004... 1. Methacholine challenge has high specificity but low sensitivity in the diagnosis of asthma. a. True b. False 2. According to the NAEPP, the mainstay of chronic therapy for moderate to severe persistent asthmatics is: a. Short...

Vioxx might control postoperative knee pain.
January 1, 2004... Oral rofecoxib (Vioxx) may have a role in controlling postoperative pain patients undergoing knee surgery. Researchers in Chicago enrolled 70 patients who were undergoing total knee arthroplasty and randomized them to rofecoxib 50 mg the day...

Echinacea has no value for URIs.
January 1, 2004... Just in time for winter, another study showed that Echinacea has no value for reducing the duration or severity of upper respiratory tract infections (URIs). The herbal remedy is commonly used worldwide for this indication. In this study of...

Valsartan, captopril have similar benefits.
January 1, 2004... Valsartan and captopril have similar benefits in patients with myocardial infarction complicated by left ventricular systolic dysfunction, heart failure, or both, according to a new study. Previous studies have shown that ACE inhibitors reduce...

In-patients likely to continue lipid use.
January 1, 2004... In-patients who are started on lipid-lowering therapy following coronary intervention are 3 times more likely to continue on the drugs compared to patients who are started on the same therapy as outpatients. Using data from the EPILOG trial in...

More on metformin/lactic acidosis.
January 1, 2004... When it comes to the relationship between metformin and lactic acidosis, the emperor may have no cloths. The drug, which has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for more than 40 years, has always carried with it the stigma that it may cause...

FDA notes.
January 1, 2004... The FDA has approved tadalafil (Cialis), Eli Lilly and Icos Corp's entry into the lucrative phosphodiesterase inhibitor market. With the success of sildenafil (Viagra), and newcomer vardenafil (Levitra) already generating huge profits, Cialis...

St John's Wort and drug interactions.
January 1, 2004... Source: Markowitz JS, et al. JAMA. 2003;290:1500-1504. THE CYTOCHROME P450 SYSTEM IS responsible for the metabolism of the majority of currently prescribed medications. The 2 most common P450 pathways involved in drug metabolism are CYP 3A4...

Serum potassium and stroke risk among hypertensive adults.
January 1, 2004... Source: Smith NL, et al. Am J Hypertens. 2003;16:806-813. OBSERVATIONAL DATA INDICATE THAT of dietary potassium have both lowered blood pressure and reduced risk of stroke. This protective effect of dietary potassium intake is seen in both...

Skin cancer prevention and detection practices among siblings of patients with melanoma.
January 1, 2004... Source: Geller AC, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003;49:631-638. MORE THAN ONE-HALF MILLION Americans have invasive malignant melanoma (MEL), and the incidence of this disorder has risen an alarming 15-fold since World War II. Family members...

TZDs and HF in people with type 2 diabetes.
January 1, 2004... Source: Delea TE, et al. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:2983-2989. THIAZOLIDINEDIONES (TZDS) OFFER numerous potential benefits in diabetic patients, including improved insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, decreased insulin resistance, and favorable...

Exercise plus behavioral management in patients with AD.
January 1, 2004... Source: Teri L, et al. JAMA. 2003; 290:2015-2022. ALTHOUGH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) prompts clinicians to immediately address cognitive function, there is much less awareness of AD effect upon physical conditioning. AD patients have been...

Spironolactone in resistant HBP.
January 1, 2004... Source: Nishizaka MK, et al. Am J Hypertens. 2003;16:925-930. A COMMONLY ACCEPTED DEFINITION of resistant hypertension (r-HTN) is failure to obtain blood pressure control (ie, In the past, use of aldosterone antagonists like...