Internal Medicine
RSSArticles
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Anticoagulation Decisions in Atrial Fibrillation
Using the Delphi method of arriving at a consensus among clinicians concerning for which patients with atrial fibrillation should oral anticoagulants be recommended, the risk of stroke, the risk of hemorrhage, and patient-specific factors emerged. Many of these factors are not included in the guidelines and should be studied further.
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Treating Depression in Epilepsy: To Medicate or Not?
Epileptic patients with major depression were randomized to either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or sertraline. Depression and related secondary health outcomes were analyzed in both groups. Sertraline and CBT were found to be equally efficacious with improvement in mood in more than half of patients.
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Optimism Could Increase Odds of ‘Exceptional Longevity’
An analysis of 10-year follow-up data from the Nurses’ Health Study and 30-year follow-up data from the Veteran Affairs Normative Aging Study revealed a significant association between baseline levels of higher optimism and longevity, even when data were adjusted for health behaviors and psychosocial factors.
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The Health Effects of Magnesium: Part 2
Prospective outcomes studies are demonstrating that individuals are not meeting their daily magnesium intake needs and this may be contributing to a number of chronic health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, short sleep, and some pain conditions.
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Childhood Gluten Intake and Risk of Celiac Disease
Data analysis from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, to evaluate risk of celiac autoimmunity and celiac disease in children who screened positive for at-risk human leukocyte antigen genotypes, demonstrated increased risk for both outcomes in genetically predisposed children correlating with increasing quantities of daily gluten intake during the first five years of life.
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Eat Nuts, Gain Less Weight
A long-term, large-scale prospective study reveals an association between increased consumption of nuts, decreased weight gain, and decreased risk of obesity.
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Does a Repeat Course of IVIg Help in Severe Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
In an open-label, non-randomized clinical trial using a second course of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) to treat patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, no benefit was observed. A single course of 2 g/kg of IVIg should be administered. No additional treatment is helpful.
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Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the Treatment of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations
In this comprehensive review of studies comparing treatments for cerebral cavernous malformations, there were no randomized or blinded outcome trials, and the most effective treatment remains uncertain.
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Submentalis REM Sleep Muscle Activity: A Potential Biomarker for Synucleinopathy
Objective findings during polysomnography (REM sleep without atonia), as diagnosed with submentalis EMG recordings, may be a biomarker for synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy.
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Fluctuating Cognition: An Often-Neglected Feature of Lewy Body Dementias
Clinical identification of fluctuating cognition is challenging. A better understanding of potential etiological mechanisms can allow for optimization of clinical assessment tools and targeted therapeutic approaches.