December 15, 2013

The hallmarks of posttraumatic stress disorder include exposure to a traumatic event; reexperiencing the event; avoidance of people, places, or things that serve as a reminder of the trauma; and chronic hyperarousal symptoms. Self-report questionnaires can help identify…

Testicular torsion is a twisting of the spermatic cord and its contents. The condition is a surgical emergency that affects approximately 3.8 per 100,000 males younger than 18 years, and accounts for up to 15% of acute scrotal disease in children. Because there is a brief time…

This article addresses medically important arthropod bites, including those from black widow and brown recluse spiders, ticks, fleas, mites, and two-winged insects. Although many bites cause only local reactions, some contain venom or transmit disease. Treatment ranges from…

Smell and taste disorders can significantly affect a patient's quality of life. Common causes include sinonasal conditions, head trauma, neurodegenerative disorders, and medications. Because of the large number of potential etiologies, these disorders can also be difficult to…

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Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients with a life-threatening illness and for their families. Despite documented benefits, palliative care is underutilized in the management of advanced or terminal illnesses.

Breastfeeding duration, rather than exclusivity, may be the most important factor in prevention of atopic diseases. Earlier introduction of foods commonly associated with allergies may help prevent allergic and atopic diseases, but these data are inconclusive.

Ticagrelor is an alternative to clopidogrel for secondary prevention of cardiovascular death in patients with acute coronary syndrome. In an international study it was found to be more effective, but patients in the United States did not experience superior outcomes.

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

This study found little, if any, additional benefit to repeat BMD screening at four years beyond baseline BMD testing in older men and women. A recent similar study (Gourlay ML, Fine JP, Preisser JS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(3):225–233) recommended a baseline examination…

An organized exercise program for older patients, which may include strength training, endurance training, or both, may be helpful for some patients with symptoms of depression. The results will not be striking, but exercise is an option for patients willing to participate.

This large, well-designed trial failed to find a statistically significant improvement in patient-oriented outcomes in patients with diabetes, despite a fairly intensive lifestyle intervention and long-term follow-up.

Data suggest that upper endoscopy in patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is useful only in certain situations. To help physicians avoid the overuse of interventions that have little effect on health outcomes, the American College of Physicians (ACP…

Guideline source: American Heart Association

There is no single treatment that produces significant improvements in symptoms of the common cold. Intranasal ipratropium (Atrovent) can be given to reduce rhinorrhea. Oral zinc can be given therapeutically to shorten cold duration and severity, and can be taken…

Testicular torsion (tes-TICK-yoo-ler TOR-shun) happens when the testicle gets twisted within the scrotum. This decreases the flow of blood to the testicles. If it's not treated quickly, the testicle can die, or it can become damaged so that it doesn't work right.