Browse Clinical Articles by Topic

Beta-blocker Dose More Important Than Heart Rate in Systolic Heart Failure

Beta-blockers reduce both morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Acetaminophen for Fever in the ICU

SYNOPSIS: Seven hundred ICU patients with fever and known or suspected infection were randomly assigned to receive acetaminophen 1 g IV or placebo every 6 hours until ICU discharge, resolution of fever, cessation of antimicrobial therapy, or death. Early administration of acetaminophen did not affect number of ICU-free days.

Clostridium difficile Infection — Back to the Future

SYNOPSIS: This study provides strong evidence that the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (as opposed to colonization) should be made on the basis of evidence of toxin production, not the mere presence of the organism as detected by glutamate dehydrogenase testing or the presence of toxin genes.

Efficacy and Safety of Very Early Mobilization After Onset of Acute Stroke

SYNOPSIS: The higher dose, very early (within 24 hours) mobilization protocol was associated with a reduction in the odds of a favorable outcome at 3 months after stroke occurrence.

To Cut Or Not To Cut

ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY: Here are the benefits and the downsides of doing an early cholecystectomy.

Collaboration with Community Pharmacies in the Patient Centered Medical Home

The sometimes rocky road toward comprehensive reform makes it tough to remember the goal: improve the quality of care while reducing costs system-wide.

Carotid Occlusion Rarely Develops from Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis

The risk of progression to carotid occlusion is well below the risk of carotid stenting or carotid endarterectomy, and intensive medical therapy appears to be preferred for the vast majority of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

Postmortem Evidence of Limbic, Neocortical, and Basal Ganglia Deficits in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia

Postmortem brain tissue from 15 individuals with Parkinson’s disease dementia was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and immunoassays, revealing widespread deficits in dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline innervation.

Selective Disruption of Thalamo-Cortical Connections in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness — a Possible Biomarker for Cognitive-Motor Dissociation

In this case-control, functional neuroimaging study, the authors developed a novel method to evaluate correlations between integrity of neural circuits involved in overt and covert motor behavior and apply the method to two patients: one with a dissociation of imaging-based vs bedside evidence of command following and one without.

Neonatal MRI Can Predict Future Academic Difficulties for Children Born Preterm

Neonatal brain MRI can identify structural changes that predict future difficulties in school performance for children who are born preterm.