coRank: murali's Featured

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is the extreme manifestation of acute lung injury. Both these conditions complicate many medical and surgical conditions, not all of which affect the lung directly and are therefore encountered by clinicians working outside the critical care setting . . .

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Diagnosing atrial fibrillation in general practice

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

In this week's BMJ, Mant and colleagues and Fitzmaurice and colleagues present the results of the SAFE (screening for atrial fibrillation in the elderly) study. They assess how accurately general practitioners, practice nurses, and an interpretive computer program can diagnose atrial fibrillation on an electrocardiogram (ECG), and they report on the effectiveness of screening patients aged 65 and over for atrial fibrillation in British general practice.1 2 The prevalence of atrial fibrillation rises with age from 1.5% in people in their 60s to more than 10% in those over 90. People with atrial fibrillation have double the mortality and a four to fivefold higher risk of stroke than those without fibrillation. About a quarter of all strokes in elderly people are caused by atrial fibrillation. Strokes caused by atrial fibrillation are often severe and lead to high mortality and a low quality of life.3

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A 61-Year-Old Man with Recurrent Fevers

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

A 61-year-old man was admitted to this hospital because of recurrent fevers. He had been well until approximately 3.5 months earlier, when chills, fevers, and fatigue developed. He had no cough or production of sputum. He saw his primary care physician, who sent him to the emergency department of another hospital. A chest radiograph revealed a left basilar opacity, and a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia was made. A 5-day course of azithromycin was begun. His symptoms persisted, and he was admitted to the same hospital 5 days later. A chest radiograph . . .

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Maltese crosses

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

A 66-year-old man presented with edema, which had developed over the previous month. The urinary sediment showed fatty casts (Panel A), with typical "Maltese crosses" under polarized light (Panel B), and was otherwise unremarkable, with no sign of nephritis. Laboratory evaluation revealed hypoalbuminemia (2.2 g of albumin per deciliter), hypercholesterolemia (369 mg of cholesterol per deciliter [9.5 mmol per liter]), and a serum creatinine level of 1.0 mg per deciliter (88 µmol per liter); a spot urine sample showed a protein-to-creatinine ratio of 13. A diagnosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy was made on the basis of a renal biopsy and . . .

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Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

A previously healthy 12-year-old boy presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, and abdominal distention of 3 days' duration. On physical examination, hyperpigmented macules were seen on his lips (Panel A). A computed tomographic scan showed proximal jejunojejunal (Panel B, arrow) and ileocolic intussusceptions. Surgical exploration revealed dilatation of the small bowel and necrosis of the jejunal intussusceptum. Resection of this segment and a short ileal intussusceptum containing a large polyp was performed, followed by primary anastomosis. Pathological evaluation showed multiple hamartomatous polyps in the necrotic jejunum and an ileal polyp 3.5 cm in diameter. The diagnosis was Peutz–Jeghers syndrome, an autosomal

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Calcium supplements ward of pregnancy complication

nkharrufa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

Pregnant women who take calcium supplements reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia, sometimes called toxemia of pregnancy.

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Restless legs syndrome can affect kids too

nkharrufa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an intolerable internal feeling of itching or creeping sensations in the legs that forces the affected person to move his or her legs to get relief. It usually occurs at the end of the day in bed or when seated.

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NEJM -- Atherothrombosis -- Wave Goodbye to Combined Anticoagulation and Antiplatelet Therapy?

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

Atherothrombosis describes the occurrence of both atherosclerosis and thrombosis in an artery, a common feature of peripheral arterial disease.1 It is estimated that 1 in 16 U.S. residents who were at least 40 years of age in 2000 (approximately 8.5 million persons) had peripheral arterial disease.2 Although claudication is frequent in and seriously limits the lifestyle of patients with peripheral arterial disease, the most common cause of death in these patients is from coexisting atherothrombo

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First Detailed View Of Molecular Structure May Usher In New Class Of Cancer Drugs

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

High resolution views of a receptor molecule that is implicated in cancer offer a clear target for the development of a new class of cancer drugs, Yale School of Medicine researchers report July 27 in Cell. It is also anticipated that the new family of drugs may be applied for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cancers that are resistant to Gleevec and Sutent. Although these drugs would target the same receptors as Gleevec and Sutent, they would do so by a different mechanis

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Trials underway for 'essential' new TB vaccine

murali — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:23:07 GMT

Clinical trials are underway with the first new vaccine against TB in over 80 years. If successful, the tests will have major implications for TB control and could lead to the development of a new vaccine ready to use within eight years. The need to control TB has become more urgent with the resurgence of the disease in many parts of the world, including a 10% rise in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains. TB, which is caused by the M. tuberculo

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