Journal of general internal medicine
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The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) was developed to predict intensive-care unit (ICU) resource utilization. This study tested APACHE II's ability to predict long-term survival of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted to general medical floors. ⋯ APACHE II score may be useful in predicting long-term mortality for COPD patients admitted outside the ICU.
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Editorial Comment
Prostate cancer and race: variation in diagnosis and treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A randomized controlled trial comparing internet and video to facilitate patient education for men considering the prostate specific antigen test.
Little is known about the relative advantages of video versus internet-based decision aids to facilitate shared medical decision making. This study compared internet and video patient education modalities for men considering the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. ⋯ Overall, the video was significantly more effective than the Internet in educating participants about benefits and risks of PSA screening.
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While the association between abuse in childhood and adverse adult health outcomes is well established, this link is infrequently acknowledged in the general medical literature. This paper has 2 purposes: (1) to provide a broad overview of the research on the long-term effects of child abuse on mental and physical health including some of the potential pathways, and (2) to call for collaborative action among clinicians, psychosocial and biomedical researchers, social service agencies, criminal justice systems, insurance companies, and public policy makers to take a comprehensive approach to both preventing and dealing with the sequelae of childhood abuse.
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We examined whether there were racial differences in initial treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer and investigated whether demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, or tumor characteristics could explain any racial differences. ⋯ African Americans with more aggressive cancers were less likely to undergo radical prostatectomy and more likely to be treated conservatively. These treatment differences may reflect African Americans' greater likelihood for presenting with pathologically advanced cancer for which surgery has limited effectiveness. Among men with less aggressive cancers-the majority of cases-there were no racial differences in undergoing radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy.