• Articles

    Obesity: Assessment and Management in Primary Care

    JAMES M. LYZNICKI, DONALD C. YOUNG, JOSEPH A. RIGGS, RONALD M. DAVIS

    Obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 kg per m2 or more. Basic treatment consists of a comprehensive approach involving diet and nutrition, regular physical activity, behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy.

    Valvular Heart Disease: Review and Update

    BENJAMIN SHIPTON, HANEY WAHBA

    Advances in surgical techniques and a better understanding of the proper timing for surgical intervention have increased lifespan and decreased morbidity in patients with valvular heart disease.

    Neurologic Complications of Scuba Diving

    HERBERT B. NEWTON

    Physicians need to be aware of the broad spectrum of neurologic complications that can occur during dive-related accidents and injuries to ensure early recognition, accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

    Fishhook Removal

    MATTHEW GAMMONS, EDWARD JACKSON

    Fishhook injuries are common, and most can be treated in the office. The choice of removal technique depends on the type of fishhook embedded, the location and the depth of penetration. Careful exploration of the wound is important to remove foreign bodies.

    Evaluation and Management of the AGUS Papanicolaou Smear

    JOYCE E. KAFERLE, JEAN M. MALOUIN

    AGUS Papanicolaou smears are often associated with significant clinical disease. Management includes colposcopic evaluation to rule out adenocarcinoma, high-grade preinvasive squamous disease and other invasive cancers. Following colposcopy, cervical conization should be...

    Inside AFP

    Putting Evidence into Practice: A New Tool for Family Physicians

    Janis Wright

    In this issue you will find a new department that is based on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in The Cochrane Library. The editorial “Helping Physicians Make Evidence-Based Decisions” by Lorne Becker, M.D. (page 2130) introduces the series, which begins on page...

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    Rosemarie Sweeney, Matthew Neff

    Two Family Physicians Are Named Deans of Medical Schools | Task Force Will Make Patient Safety Information Easier to Report | HHS Secretary Launches New Organ Donation Initiative | CDC Establishes New Center on Birth Defects and Disabilities | Former AAFP Director, Commission...

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    Sarah Morgan

    The spare tire you stow around your waist might someday replace your creaky knee. According to a study published in Tissue Engineering, stem cells from human fat can be turned into muscle, bone or cartilage. Fat, marrow and bone all develop from the mesoderm layer of...

    Editorials

    Helping Physicians Make Evidence-Based Decisions

    LORNE BECKER

    In the face of exploding medical information, family physicians continue to look for better ways to keep up and to provide patients with the best care based on the most reliable and up-to-date evidence. This issue of American Family Physician introduces a valuable tool in...

    Physicians Need Practical Tools to Treat the Complex Problems of Overweight and Obesity

    CLAUDE LENFANT

    The prevalence of overweight and obesity among American adults has been increasing for more than three decades. Approximately 97 million adults—or 55 percent of the adult population—are now considered overweight or obese.1 The increase appears to have occurred across all ages...

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    One of JTL's patients presented today requesting referral to a cardiologist to follow up on her mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The 43-year-old woman had been experiencing palpitations with increasing frequency and was concerned that she might be developing organic heart disease...

    Cochrane for Clinicians

    Should We Recommend Nicotine Replacement Therapy?

    SEAN P. DAVID

    Yes. The patient is highly nicotine-dependent, and for smokers with moderate to severe nicotine dependence, nicotine replacement therapy with or without bupropion should be offered as part of an intensive program of physician advice, counseling and follow-up. This answer is...

    Photo Quiz

    Sore Throat and Difficulty Breathing

    D.L. DINELLI

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

    Family Practice International

    Family Practice International

    Anne D. Walling

    (Canada—Canadian Family Physician, September 2000, p. 1817.) Although classic definitions describe seizures lasting 30 minutes, generalized convulsive status epilepticus is regarded by most modern experts as continuous seizures lasting at least five minutes or two or more...

    Practice Guidelines

    ACOG Practice Bulletin on Preventing Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism

    GENEVIEVE W. RESSEL

    The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has developed a practice bulletin on the prevention of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

    Clinical Briefs

    Clinical Briefs

    Monica Preboth

    AAP Technical Report on Irradiation of Food | Measurement of Trends in Childhood Asthma | Rates of Cigarette Smoking in the United States | New Resource Guides on Substance Abuse Issues

    Curbside Consultation

    Dealing with Adolescent Latino Patients

    GLENN FLORES, PAULINE SHEEHAN

    Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, so this scenario is one that many physicians are likely to face in their practices. How, in the face of substantial cultural and language barriers, can we effectively address adolescent health issues in this...

    Letters to the Editor

    PTSD After Spontaneous Abortion

    Tips from Other Journals

    Infant's Risk from All Sources of Passive Tobacco Smoke

    KARL E. MILLER

    Are Psychologic Factors Related to Coronary Disease?

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Signs that Suggest a Diagnosis of Rotator Cuff Tear

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    New Antimicrobial Combination for Patients with Babesiosis

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Managing Electrical Injuries in Family Practice Patients

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Diagnosing Diabetes Mellitus: Does Time of Day Matter?

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Conventional Antipsychotics Recommended for Schizophrenia

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Controlling Cardiac Rate or Rhythm in Atrial Fibrillation

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Fecal Occult Blood Testing to Screen for Colon Cancer

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Effect of IV Steroids on Dyspnea in Asthma

    KARLE. MILLER

    Managing Fever Without Source in Infants and Children

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Medical Problems of Recreational Scuba Diving

    Recreational scuba diving is defined as pleasure diving to a depth of up to 130 feet without decompression stops. Recreational scuba diving has become very popular in the past 20 years. There are almost 9 million certified divers in the United States alone.

    Using the Nicotine Patch, Nicotine Gum, Nicotine Nasal Spray or Nicotine Inhaler

    When you are ready to quit smoking, you may want to use nicotine replacement therapy to help you give up cigarettes. The cost of nicotine replacement therapy is about the same or less than the cost of cigarettes.

    Corrections

    Corrections

    Corrections



    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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