All articles by Brian S. Alper, MD, MSPH, and Cynthia Brown, MD
Influenza A (H1N1)
The information (including management guidelines) for influenza A changes almost daily. Look here for the most recent findings.
Perioperative beta blockers reduce rate of nonfatal MI
But increase stroke and may increase mortality
Risk of prostate or other cancers in men unaffected by selenium or vitamin E
Neither selenium nor vitamin E, alone or in combination, reduced the risk of prostate cancer or other cancers in men.
Pneumovax may not be effective
But Prevnar may decrease meningitis and pneumonia hospitalizations.
Low risk of colorectal cancer five years after negative screening
The risk of colorectal neoplasia is low five years after negative screening.
t-PA increases intracranial hemorrhage, but functional outcomes are inconsistent
Level 1: Likely reliable evidenceThe randomized placebo-controlled European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study III (ECASS III) evaluated alteplase (Activase, tissue-type plasminogen activator [t-PA]) in 821 patients aged 18-80 years with acute ischemic stroke (N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1317-1329). Alteplase 0.9 mg/kg (up to 90 mg) or placebo was given IV within 3-4.5 hours of non-severe stroke…
Exercise reduces pain and improves function in patients with knee osteoarthritis
Level 1: Likely reliable evidenceTherapeutic exercise of the knee (strength training in particular) reduces pain and improves physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis, based on two systematic reviews. A Cochrane review of 32 randomized trials compared land-based therapeutic exercise vs. nonexercise (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008[4]:CD004376). Exercise reduced knee pain in a meta-analysis with…
Early insulin infusion vor VLBW infants may increase mortality and hypoglycemia
Level 2: Mid-level evidenceEarly continuous insulin infusion in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants aged 1-7 days is associated with significantly increased mortality at 28 days and increased hypoglycemia, based on an open-label randomized trial involving 389 participants (N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1873-1884). In infants receiving insulin, mortality at 28 days was 11.9% (vs. 5.7% with standard care);…
CT colonography identified 90% of asymptomatic adults with polyps >10 mm
Level 1: Likely reliable evidenceA prospective cohort study evaluated 2,600 participants aged 50 years and older who had colon cancer screening with multidetector CT colonography and same-day colonoscopy (N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1207-1217). Analysis included 2,531 participants (97%) with complete colonographic and colonoscopic results. The reference standard was colonoscopy with histologic confirmation. Prevalence of lesions…
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