Postgraduate medicine
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The clinical significance of small airway pathology makes these passages an important therapeutic target in asthma. Conventional chlorofluorocarbon-based formulations of inhaled corticosteroids for asthmatic inflammation produce aerosols with a relatively large particle size, and as such, offer poor access to the small airways. New corticosteroid formulations use hydrofluoroalkane propellants with a smaller average particle size, allowing better access to the distal lung. By extending the delivery of this medication to the peripheral lung and by increasing the efficiency of lung targeting, these new corticosteroid formulations provide more effective treatment at reduced drug doses.
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Postgraduate medicine · Oct 2002
ReviewVesicants and nerve agents in chemical warfare. Decontamination and treatment strategies for a changed world.
Vesicants and nerve agents have been used in chemical warfare for ages. They remain a threat in today's altered political climate because they are relatively simple to produce, transport, and deploy. ⋯ Nerve agents, such as tabun, sarin, soman, and VX, hyperstimulate the muscarinic and nicotinic receptors of the nervous system. Physicians need to familiarize themselves with the clinical findings of such exposures and the decontamination and treatment strategies necessary to minimize injuries and deaths.
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2002
Principles of suicide risk assessment. How to interview depressed patients and tailor treatment.
Suicide is a significant cause of death in the United States. Because many patients who commit suicide visit their primary care physician in the weeks before their death, physicians need to be familiar with suicide risk assessment techniques. In this article, Drs Frierson, Melikian, and Wadman discuss the demographics and risk factors of suicide and propose a methodical, practical approach to assessing and managing suicide risk in depressed patients.