Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis in Adults: Part I. Evaluation

DEWEY C. SCHEID, ROBERT. M. HAMM

Acute rhinosinusitis is one of the most common conditions that physicians treat in ambulatory practice. Although often caused by viruses, it sometimes is caused by bacteria, a condition that is called acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. The signs and symptoms of acute bacterial...

Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis in Adults: Part II. Treatment

DEWEY C. SCHEID, ROBERT. M. HAMM

Although most cases of acute rhinosinusitis are caused by viruses, acute bacterial rhinosinusitis is a fairly common complication. Even though most patients with acute rhinosinusitis recover promptly without it, antibiotic therapy should be considered in patients with...

Tympanometry

EDWARD ONUSKO

Tympanometry provides useful quantitative information about the presence of fluid in the middle ear, mobility of the middle ear system, and ear canal volume. Its use has been recommended in conjunction with more qualitative information (e.g., history, appearance, and mobility...

Childhood Bullying: Implications for Physicians

JAMES M. LYZNICKI, MARY ANNE MCCAFFREE, CAROLYN B. ROBINOWITZ

Childhood bullying has potentially serious implications for bullies and their targets. Bullying involves a pattern of repeated aggression, a deliberate intent to harm or disturb a victim despite the victim’s apparent distress, and a real or perceived imbalance of power....

Common Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss

ROBERT B. SAPER, DAVID M. EISENBERG, RUSSELL S. PHILLIPS

Over-the-counter dietary supplements to treat obesity appeal to many patients who desire a “magic bullet” for weight loss. Asking overweight patients about their use of weight-loss supplements and understanding the evidence for the efficacy, safety, and quality of these...

Introducing the AAFP’s 2005 Annual Clinical Focus on Genomics

JANIS WRIGHT

The 2005 Annual Clinical Focus (ACF) of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) was launched last month at the Academy’s 2004 Annual Scientific Assembly in Orlando. The upcoming year’s focus is on genomics and the role that family physicians have in preventive,...

Newsletter

GENEVIEVE RESSEL

Manufacturer Will Not Ship Influenza Vaccine as Expected | SAMHSA Releases Findings of 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health | AAFP Supports Legislation on FDA-Sanctioned Drug Imports | AHRQ Releases Study on Medication Usage in Chronic Illness | Robert Graham Center...

Quantum Sufficit

SARAH EVANS

The nation is on its way toward meeting a national health objective. A study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that between 1999 and 2003, lifetime cigarette use (anyone who has ever tried smoking) declined from 70.4 percent to 58.4 percent....

Genomics and the Family Physician: Realizing the Potential

FRANCIS COLLINS

The dawning of the genome era is changing the scope of care for family physicians, with significant implications for the design of future health care delivery systems. Many consider the imminent introduction of genomics into clinical medicine to be the most significant...

Rhinosinusitis: What Is the Desired Outcome?

DAN MERENSTEIN

Antibiotics are no longer first-line treatment for many upper respiratory tract infections. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians are promoting new guidelines for treatment of acute otitis media, proposing that antibiotics...

Diary

TONY MIKSANEK

Donna never dreamed that one day she would be an organ donor. Of course, she never imagined that her mother, Isabell, would need a kidney transplant either. Despite heart problems most of her life, Isabell always gave a maximal effort. Her family bragged that she had the...

Interventions for Impetigo

JULIE SCOTT TAYLOR

A five-year-old girl presents with a 4-by-6-cm area of honey-crusted confluent papules of four days’ duration on her face. Your diagnosis is impetigo.

Cochrane Briefs

MARK H. EBELL

Donepezil in the Treatment of Vascular Dementia

Cochrane Briefs

MARK H. EBELL

NSAIDs vs. Opiates for Pain in Acute Renal Colic

Otitis Externa

DANIEL HAJIOFF

Topical Aluminium Acetate Drops (As Effective As Topical Anti-Infective Agents).We found no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared topical aluminium acetate with placebo. One RCT in people with acute diffuse otitis externa found no significant difference between...

Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse

CRAIG M. HALES, GURVANEET RANDHAWA

MN, a 25-year-old woman, visits your office for evaluation of insomnia. As part of her social history, she tells you that she is a “social drinker.” Further questioning reveals that she drinks about as much as she did during college. You want to better assess her alcohol use.

Screening Mammography in Women 40 to 49 Years of Age

MARK D. LISBY

Does screening with mammography reduce breast cancer mortality in women 40 to 49 years of age?

The Value of Tongue Laceration in the Diagnosis of Blackouts

SELIM R. BENBADIS

A 32-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department because of a blackout episode. This is her third visit in five months. She recalls nothing unusual before the episode, and had no warning symptoms. As with previous blackouts, she found herself on the floor and...

Vitamin E Has No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

Trial of Labor After Cesarean Section Is Relatively Safe

LINDA FRENCH

Anemia Not Prevented by Iron in Infants

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

Donepezil Ineffective in Long-Term Dementia Therapy

HENRY BARRY

Treatment for Moderate Lead Exposure Is Ineffective

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

Renal Colic: NSAIDs vs. Opioid Analgesics

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

Ultrapotent Topical Steroids for Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus

MARK EBELL

One Elevated Blood Pressure Reading Is Worrisome

HENRY BARRY

Treatment of Bronchiolitis in Infants and Children

KARL E. MILLER

Additional Medications to Improve Glycemic Control

KARL E. MILLER

Statins, Beta Blockers Improve Outcomes After MI with CHF

RICHARD SADO SKY

Depression in Men with Age-Associated Hypogonadism

KARL E. MILLER

Combination Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

ANNE D. WALLING

Effectiveness of Varicella Vaccine in Children

CAROLINE WELLBERY

Esophagitis Symptoms May Not Match Severity of Disease

RICHARD SADOVSKY

Reducing Television Viewing by Preschool Children

KARL E. MILLER

Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy

KARL E. MILLER

Quality-of-Life Impairment in Healthy Young Smokers

KARL E. MILLER

Does Use of Antibacterial Products Reduce Infections?

RICHARD SADOVSKY

Brace, Physical Therapy, or Both for Lateral Epicondylitis

KARL E. MILLER

Oral Combination Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes

KARL E. MILLER

Aortic Stenosis: Complications in Noncardiac Surgery

KARL E. MILLER

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide for Evaluation of Acute Dyspnea

BILL ZEPF

Chlorine Gas–Coated Gloves to Cut Bacterial Contamination

BILL ZEPF

ACC/AHA Release Guidelines on Management of Patients with STEMI: Prevention and Management in the Emergency Department

MATTHEW J. NEFF

The American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines recently issued a joint executive summary of guidelines for the management of ST-elevation myo-cardial infarction (STEMI). This “Practice Guideline” will focus on two...

Management of Postterm Pregnancy

CARRIE MORANTZ, BRIAN TORREY

The Committee on Practice Bulletins—Obstetrics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has released a new guideline entitled, “Management of Postterm Pregnancy.” The guideline appears in the September 2004 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is available...

Completing and Signing the Death Certificate

DAVID NOWELS

Recently, one of my patients with severe asthma died at her home. I had not seen her in a month or two and learned of her death only when a representative from the coroner’s office arrived at my door with a death certificate in hand. He insisted that I sign it even though I...

Nontreponemal Test Titer Printout for Patients with Syphilis

SANTIAGO MACHIN HAMALAINEN, MARIA DE LOS ANGELES GOMEZ MEDINA

Use of Diuretics to Treat Hypertension in Diabetic Persons

Sinus Infections

Sinuses are open spaces behind the bones around your nose and eyes. The walls, or linings, of the sinuses make mucus. When you breathe air in through your nose, the mucus adds moisture to the air in your nose, traps dust, and helps fight infections.

Bullying

A bully is someone who does or says mean things to get power over another person. Bullying is not just hitting, shoving, or kicking. A bully might call someone names or say bad things about them. A bully also might leave people out of activities on purpose or refuse to talk...

Correction

The Letter to the Editor, “Tolerance and Dependence Risk with the Use of Carisoprodol,” by Craig Heacock, M.D., and Mark S. Bauer, M.D. (April 1, 2004, page 1622), incorrectly stated that meprobamate is a schedule IV barbiturate with a long history of abuse. The second...