Postgraduate Medical Journal articles from March 2004

Postgraduate Medical Journal archives from March 2004

Young onset dementia.(Review)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:125-139. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.011171 Young onset dementia is a challenging clinical problem with potentially devastating medical and social consequences. The differential diagnosis is wide, and includes a number of...

How to assess epidemiological studies.(Review)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:140-147. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.012633 Assessing the quality of an epidemiological study equates to assessing whether the inferences drawn from it are warranted when account is taken of the methods, the...

Analgesia for patients with advanced disease: I.(Review)(pain management in diseases like cancer)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:148-154. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.015511 This series of two articles explores the challenge of managing pain in patients with advanced malignant and non-malignant disease. Pain is a common symptom in advanced disease....

Fungal empyema thoracis complicating treatment of oesophageal carcinoma.(Images in Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A 56 year old man with locally advanced oesophageal carcinoma was admitted with neutropenic (0.6 X [10.sup.9]/1) sepsis 10 days after chemotherapy with etoposide, cisplatin, and capecitabine. At presentation there was evidence of marked...

Antiplatelet therapy in cardiovascular disease.(Cardiology Update)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:155-164. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.007062 Platelet activation and aggregation are considered to be central to arterial thrombus formation. Antiplatelet therapy is therefore important for both the treatment and prevention...

Painful Horner's syndrome caused by carotid dissection.(Images in Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... This 45 year old woman presented with 10 days of right sided neck and head pain. Figure 1 demonstrates a right Horner's syndrome, fig 2, taken with the curtains open, demonstrates the oculosympathetic miosis that is more easily seen in the...

How to avoid being sued in clinical practice.(Medicolegal Briefing)(doctors-legal matters-management)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:165-168. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.016279 Challenges to clinical management are a fact of professional life. Every doctor must expect to become embroiled in complaints and claims from time to time and be prepared to...

Implementation of British Thoracic Society guidelines for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: impact on quality of life.(Original Article)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:169-171. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.012831 Background: The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines have not been examined collectively for their impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether intensive...

Ten things I wish I'd known when I was 25.(If Only I'd Known)
March 1, 2004... (1) That everyone who tries to live forever eventually dies in the attempt. (2) That older folk--particularly those in charge--don't do what they do simply because they have lost their marbles along the way. (3) That giving patients...

Breast cancer recurrence: follow up after treatment for primary breast cancer.(Original Article)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80: 172-176. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.010728 Background: Breast cancer will affect one in 12 Australian women in their lifetime. After potentially curative treatment, it is usual for patients to be followed up for many...

Are we overusing ultrasound in non-traumatic acute abdominal pain?(Original Article)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:177-179. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.013805 Background: Ultrasound is being used increasingly in the assessment of acute non-traumatic abdominal pain as it is non-invasive and does not carry the risk of radiation. However,...

Providing treatment for hepatitis C in an Australian district centre.(Audit)
March 1, 2004... Postgrad Med J 2004;80:180-182. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.005017 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) poses a major public health problem world wide. The introduction of combined therapy (interferon and ribavirin) and the recent development of pegylated...

Nausea and vomiting in a patient with increased thirst.(Self Assessment Questions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A 65 year old women presented with a two week history of increasing nausea and vomiting despite an empty stomach. Systemic review revealed loss of appetite, increased thirst, and increased frequency of micturition. In addition she developed...

A rare cause of empyema in a non-immunocompromised case and successful combined treatment.(Self Assessment Questions)
March 1, 2004... A 36 year old man was admitted to our hospital with a one month history of pleuritic chest pain on the left hemithorax, productive cough, and fever. He had no known medical problems or drug addiction except a smoking history of 20 pack years....

Nausea and vomiting in a patient with increasing thirst.(Self Assessment Answers)(differential diagnosis)
March 1, 2004... Q1: Describe the finding on computed tomography and MRI and give a differential diagnosis Enhanced axial computed tomography of the brain with iodine based contrast (iodine 300 mg I/ml) demonstrates a 1.5 cm diameter enhancing lesion in...

A rare cause of empyema in a non-immunocompromised case and successful combined treatment.(Self Assessment Answers)
March 1, 2004... Q1: What abnormality was seen on the thoracic computed tomogram? Thoracic computed tomography demonstrated an irregular and thick walled cavity, 3 cm in diameter and a left pleural loculated collection including draining catheter on the...