The American journal of medicine
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Each year, patients are bombarded with diverging and even contradictory reports concerning the impact of certain additives, foods, and nutrients on cardiovascular health and its risk factors. Accordingly, this third review of nutrition controversies examines the impact of artificial sweeteners, cacao, soy, plant-based meats, nitrates, and meats from grass compared to grain-fed animals on cardiovascular and other health outcomes with the goal of optimizing clinician-led diet counseling.
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Multicenter Study
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation in Young Adulthood and Future Respiratory Health: The CARDIA Lung Study.
There are limited data on the relationship between neighborhood level factors and their association with lung health independent of individual socioeconomic status. We sought to determine whether baseline neighborhood level socioeconomic deprivation in young adults is associated with greater 20-year decline in lung function and higher risk of future lung disease, independent of baseline individual income, education, and smoking status. ⋯ Residence in neighborhoods with greater socioeconomic deprivation in young adulthood, independent of individual income and smoking, is associated with greater 20-year decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second and higher risk of future emphysema.
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Review
Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) - a call for new research standards and updated clinical management.
Prolonged fever of 38.3°C or higher for at least 3 weeks' duration has been termed fever of unknown origin if unexplained after preliminary investigations. Initially codified in 1961, classification with subgroups was revised in 1991. ⋯ Advances in diagnosis and management and diagnostic testing over the last 3 decades have prompted a needed update to the definition and approaches. While a 3-week fever duration remains part of the criteria, a lower temperature threshold of 38°C and revised minimum testing criteria will assist clinicians and their patients, setting a solid foundation for future research.
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Management of acute pancreatitis and its complications has rapidly evolved in recent years. The earlier pillars of management that included prolonged bowel rest, empiric intravenous antibiotics, and early surgical intervention for complications such as pancreatic necrosis have become much less common. ⋯ Even in complex cases, when surgical interventions may be indicated, there is an expressed preference for minimally invasive techniques. We review the changes that have evolved rapidly over the past decade in this common clinical problem.