The American journal of medicine
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Interactive Tutorial
Primary Care Perspectives on Hepatitis C Virus Screening, Diagnosis and Linking Patients to Appropriate Care.
Enormous progress has been made in recent years toward effectively treating and curing patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, at least half of the possible 7 million individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the US remain undiagnosed. The formidable task of increasing the number of patients diagnosed, and subsequently linked to appropriate care has fallen to primary care clinicians, who are mandated by some US States to offer screening to individuals born between 1945 and 1965 (the Baby Boomer Generation). ⋯ The overall goal of this video roundtable discussion is to demonstrate that when provided with appropriate clinical knowledge, and aided by supportive collaborations with appropriate specialists, primary care clinicians should be able to effectively screen, diagnose, and link patients with hepatitis C to appropriate care. While patients need to be educated on the possible outcomes of a positive HCV antibody test, the significance of a positive HCV RNA test, and how to prevent further transmission, they should also be assured that currently available therapies have dramatically increased the chances of being cured. Appropriate education and the availability of excellent treatment options will hopefully quell fears and increase the morale of patients as they navigate the process of HCV screening and diagnosis.
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Letter Case Reports
Deadly Diarrhea: The Clever Disguise of Aortic Dissection.
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No large epidemiological study has been conducted to investigate the interaction and joint effects of periodontal pocket depth and hyperglycemia on progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with periodontal diseases. ⋯ Our study identified combined periodontal pocket depth and HbA1C as a valuable predictor of progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with periodontal diseases. While considering the interaction between periodontal diseases and hyperglycemia, periodontal survey and optimizing glycemic control are warranted to minimize the risk of worsening renal function.
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Appropriate management of pulmonary embolism patients with right ventricular dysfunction is uncertain. Recent guidelines have stressed the need for more data on the use of thrombolytic agents in the stable pulmonary embolism patient with right ventricular dysfunction. The objective of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that thrombolytic therapy in hemodynamically stable pulmonary embolism patients with right ventricular dysfunction is not associated with improved mortality. ⋯ Our data support the use of less aggressive treatment for stable pulmonary embolism patients with right ventricular dysfunction. These results argue against the reflexive use of thrombolytic agents in stable pulmonary embolism patients with right ventricular dysfunction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The Extent of Myocardial Injury During Prolonged Targeted Temperature Management After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent of myocardial injury by cardiac biomarkers during prolonged targeted temperature management of 24 hours vs 48 hours after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ This study of comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors showed no difference between the extents of myocardial injury estimated by hs-cTnTAUC of prolonged targeted temperature management of 48 hours vs 24 hours, although the CK-MBAUC was significantly higher during 48 hours vs 24 hours. Hence, it seems unlikely that the duration of targeted temperature management has a beneficial effect on the extent of myocardial injury after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and may even have a worsening effect.