• Articles

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Otitis Media

    KALYANAKRISHNAN RAMAKRISHNAN, RHONDA A. SPARKS, WAYNE E. BERRYHILL

    Diagnostic criteria for acute otitis media include rapid onset of symptoms, middle ear effusion, and signs and symptoms of middle ear inflammation. Observation is an acceptable option in healthy children with mild symptoms. Antibiotics are recommended in all children younger...

    The Physical Therapy Prescription

    SCOTT E. RAND, CHRIS GOERLICH, KRISTINA MARCHAND, NATHANIEL JABLECKI

    Various modalities are used to accompany therapeutic exercise and manual techniques in physical therapy. A working knowledge of these interventions will facilitate physical therapy prescribing.

    Evaluation of Back Pain in Children and Adolescents

    ROBERT M. BERNSTEIN, HAROLD COZEN

    An underlying pathology is usually present in children and adolescents with back pain. The physical examination and history guides treatment decisions and the need for radiologic and laboratory studies.

    Chronic Pancreatitis

    RAJASREE J. NAIR, LANIKA LAWLER, MARK R. MILLER

    Chronic pancreatitis is the progressive, permanent destruction of the pancreas resulting in exocrine and endocrine insufficiency and, often, chronic disabling pain. Management begins with lifestyle modification and dietary changes. Before proceeding with endoscopic and...

    Inside AFP

    Reader Services Information; AFP Seeks Editing Fellow

    JOYCE A. MERRIMAN

    If you're like me, you can get so used to seeing a regular feature in a publication that you don't even notice it after awhile. So, I would like to point out a few regular features that appear in each issue of AFP. Most of them are listed under “Reader Services” in the Table...

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    Budget Fight Could Affect Funding for Some Title VII Health Programs | Chronic Diseases Coalition Impacting 2008 Presidential Campaigns | Senate Debates One-Year vs. Two-Year Medicare Physician Payment Update | PCPCC Announces Certification Plan for Patient-Centered Medical...

    AFP Journal Club

    NSAIDs vs. Acetaminophen for the Treatment of Ankle Sprains

    ROBERT DACHS, ANDREA DARBY-STEWART, MARK GRABER

    Are NSAIDs better than acetaminophen for ankle sprains? Extended-release acetaminophen provides equivalent analgesia and return to activity as an NSAID in patients with mild to moderate ankle sprains. All NSAIDs have equivalent analgesic effect.

    Editorials

    Clinical Diagnosis and Evaluation of Sinusitis in Adults

    MARTIN C. MAHONEY, RICHARD M. ROSENFELD

    The guideline from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery on managing sinusitis in adults1 provides physicians with a clear definition of rhinosinusitis. The term rhinosinusitis is preferred because sinusitis almost always involves the nasal cavity.

    Cochrane for Clinicians

    Aspirin Combined With Clopidogrel (Plavix) Decreases Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

    CHRISTOPHER W. WALKER, COURTNEY A. DAWLEY, STACY F. FLETCHER

    A combination of aspirin and clopidogrel decreased cardiovascular events in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease and in those with acute coronary syndrome. However, the risk of major bleeding events outweighed the benefits in all high-risk patients except those...

    Patient-Controlled Analgesia for Postoperative Pain

    MARK H. EBELL

    Patient-controlled opioid analgesia is safe and provides a statistically significant improvement in analgesia in postoperative patients, but the clinical significance of the improvement is marginal.

    U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

    Screening for Chlamydial Infection: Recommendation Statement

    This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection and the supporting scientific evidence.

    Clinical Evidence Handbook

    Obesity In Children

    DAVID E. ARTERBURN

    What are the effects of lifestyle interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity?

    FPIN's Clinical Inquiries

    Group Medical Visits for the Management of Chronic Pain

    CHRISTOPHER H. GAYNOR, CHRIS VINCENT, SARAH SAFRANEK, MARTHA ILLIGE

    Improvements of possible practical significance were seen for various clinical measures in studies of group treatment sessions for patients with back pain, arthritis, and rheumatic disease. However, studies on group treatment for patients with nonspecific pain are lacking,...

    Photo Quiz

    Erythematous Annular Lesions

    OLIVER J. WISCO, STEVEN B. SLOAN, RYAN P. JOHNSON

    A 59-year-old man presented with a six-week history of erythematous plaques with dusky, scaly centers (see accompanying figure) on his neck, torso, and extremities. The lesions were nonpruritic and appeared simultaneously. Hydrochlorothiazide (Ezide) was the patient's only...

    Tips from Other Journals

    Diagnosing DVT and PE: New Guidelines

    AMY CRAWFORD-FAUCHER

    Treating DVT and PE: New Guidelines

    AMY CRAWFORD-FAUCHER

    Treating Sexual Difficulties in Menopause

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Practice Guidelines

    Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Rhinosinusitis in Adults

    AMBER HUNTZINGER

    New guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery are aimed diagnosing and treating patients with uncomplicated rhinosinusitis.

    Practice Guideline Briefs

    AAP Releases Recommendations on Overuse Injuries and Overtraining in Child Athletes

    CARRIE ARMSTRONG

    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released guidelines to assist in identifying and counseling children at risk of overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome.

    Letters to the Editor

    Case Report: Amelanotic Melanoma Located on the Lower Extremity

    ANGELES VALDES, ANN MARIE KULEKOWSKIS, LUKE CURTIS

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Ear Infections in Children: What You Should Know

    Ear infections often happen in children with a cold, sore throat, or allergies. These cause the nose and throat to swell and block the tube that drains fluid out of the middle ear (see drawing). Fluid backs up behind the eardrum, and germs spread to the middle ear. This can...

    Chronic Pancreatitis: What You Should Know

    Chronic pancreatitis (PAN-kree-ah-TIE-tis) is when your pancreas (PAN-kree-us) is inflamed. Your pancreas is an organ near your stomach and liver that helps you absorb and digest food. Pancreatitis can damage your pancreas, but there are medicines that can help control your...

    Corrections

    Correction

    The “Answers to This Issue's CME Quiz” located at the end of Practice Guidelines (November 1, 2007, page 1402) were incorrectly formatted. The CME Quiz for this issue contained 13 questions, and the answer box incorrectly listed answers to 14 questions. The correct answer box...



    Disclosure

    All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


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