Can anyone tell me when is the release of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 17th Edition? Join discussion...

Orac (respectful insolence) has a post which provides another perspective on the guidelines issue which I have focused on this past week - How “evidence-based” is evidence-based medicine? Join discussion...

Surgeons at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston were among the first in the U.S. to implant a new, less invasive stent graft designed to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients treated for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects as many as 12 million Americans over the age of 50. The new graft, approved for use in the U.S. this month, is the first vascular stent graft available in the U.S. that has a blood thinner bonded to its surface to prevent clotting long term. It is also the only device of its kind to be implanted via a minimally invasive, catheter based procedure rather than requiring open surgery. Join discussion...

You didn't know there was such a thing as a philanthropy advisory firm--admit it! But there is and they're looking for help: Join discussion...

n important finding has been made by McMaster researchers about Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a sex-linked genetic disorder that affects approximately one in 4,000 males and one in 6,000 females. FXS is the most common genetic disorder associated with mental impairment. The affected gene (FMR1) leads to inactivation of the FMR1 gene product, known as the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Brain development in the absence of this protein leads to cognitive effects, learning and memory problems, attention deficit, hyperactivity and autistic behaviours. Many children go undiagnosed with Fragile X. Join discussion...

Mark L. Gostine, M.D., founder of Michigan Pain Consultants, PC, one of the nation's leading full-service pain management practices, and Lawrence Pawl, M.D., a recognized oncologist, released the results of a new study revealing that the under consumption of micro-nutrients - essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants- can accelerate pain and other complications associated with diabetic neuropathy, a peripheral nerve disorder caused by diabetes. Of the 20.8 million reported diabetics in the country, an estimated 70 percent, or 14.6 million, have or will develop some form of diabetic neuropathy. "While the over consumption of macro-nutrients, such as carbohydrates and fats, is recognized as a root cause of type 2 diabetes, we set out to determine if the under consumption of select micro-nutrients might be the cause of diabetic complications such as neuropathy," said Gostine. "What we found is that restoring a group of five dietary vitamins and minerals was very effective in alleviating a number of key symptoms, including burning, numbness and overall pain." Join discussion...

It goes beyond regular dictionaries by displaying an ontology context tree (MeSH based) and interactive network graph of related drugs, diseases and therapies. For example: a search for "psoriasis" will show a strong relationship with "Cyclosporine" and "Phototherapy" among other drugs and therapies. Join discussion...

I recently saw a very interesting patient. 20 year old male college student (whom I will call Mr. X) with no known past medical history was referred to the medical clinic by his dentist for high blood pressure. During the office visit, Mr. X did not complain of any symptoms and said that he felt fine. On pressing a little further he said that at times he had headaches for which he takes over the counter painkillers. Join discussion...

But the really big case of the week, and I do not use those words LIGHTLY, was the radical panniculectomy that was performed on the 300 kg human being. For some quick math, 300 kg would be about 670 pounds avoirdupois. Join discussion...

Two excellent points. I would like to see us stop referring to the patients as customers. They are not customers, they are PATIENTS. By forcing the doctors to give them want to keep them happy you are completely negating all the years of medical school and specialized training that doctors have to learn how to diagnose and appropriately treat people who are ill and injured. If all we want is for them to be happy we don't need doctors or nurses, we can just sit a housekeeper at the front desk with a stack of pre-signed prescriptions for Vicodin and antibiotics and work excuses and have them hand them out to whoever asks that way we will be taking care of the long wait also. Join discussion...