Clinics in occupational and environmental medicine
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The human hand is one of the most amazing instruments we possess. Ligament injuries to the hand and wrist are common occupational injuries. ⋯ When these injuries are discovered late, not only does treatment become more difficult but also traumatic arthritis frequently develops. A brief anatomic description follows each of the most common ligament sprains and strains of the hand and wrist and their evaluation and treatment.
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The tobacco control policy tools developed in a few rich countries in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s are currently being implemented widely in many poorer countries, thanks in part to the astonishing success of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). With smoking rates already high in most of the Third World, however, the projections for the twenty-first century are grim: up to 1 billion tobacco-caused deaths, which raises the issue of what more can be done, particularly to help people who already are addicted to nicotine. ⋯ This finding has sparked fierce discussions among anti-tobacco activists about the role of harm reduction in curbing death and disease. This article discusses whether harm reduction is possible with the tobacco industry subject to a largely unregulated environment for tobacco products.
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This article takes a snap-shot view of current tobacco control laws and where the nation is headed. Smoke-free workplace laws are highlighted, and the New York campaign experience is explained briefly. The article also creates a view into current trends in tobacco excise taxes; youth access laws, US Food and Drug Administration regulations of tobacco, tobacco control program funding, and other regulatory efforts in municipalities, individual states, and the nation as a whole.
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Clin Occup Environ Med · Jan 2006
ReviewUse of medications in the treatment of acute low back pain.
The prescription of medications continues to be one of the mainstays of treatment of acute low back pain episodes. The goals of the pharmacologic treatment for acute low back are reduction of pain and return of normal function. Often, nociception is a result of secondary inflammation and muscle spasm after acute injury of a structure of the spine, which may include muscle, tendon, ligament, disc, or bone. An understanding of the appropriate use of medications to address the underlying pain generator and the current evidence for using these medications is essential for any physician who sees and treats patients with acute low back pain.
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High-pressure injection injuries of the hand represent one of the most serious surgical emergencies of the upper extremity. It is imperative to understand the mechanism of injury and the parts that take place for this injury to occur (material, pressure, site of injury). Prompt recognition and treatment may alter the final outcome.