Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Eculizumab Shows Benefit in a Treatment Trial of NOSD

In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of aquaporin-4 antibody-positive patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, eculizumab demonstrated a decrease in the risk of a relapse. Patients could continue their other stable-dose immune suppressive therapies while enrolled in the trial.

Osteoporosis Review

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder in which bone density and quality are reduced. Patients experience loss of bone mass, deterioration of bone tissue, and a decline in bone quality, which leads to increased bone fragility and a higher risk of fractures. It is imperative that primary care providers address this challenge by implementing practices to screen patients for onset of osteoporosis to prevent and/or treat the disorder.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

California Inmates With Cocci Lose Appeal; Tuberculosis Testing in Small Children

Omadacycline (Nuzyra)

Omadacycline was approved in 2018 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP).

Histoplasmosis — Expansion of Risk Areas and Need for More Standardized Practice

Histoplasmosis is increasingly seen beyond the previous risk areas of the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. Diagnostic and treatment practices vary widely.

Vancomycin for MRSA Pneumonia Following Influenza in Children

Coinfection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in children with influenza is associated with high fatality. Data support the addition of a second anti-MRSA antibiotic to vancomycin in severely ill children.

Is Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Superior to Fidaxomicin for Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection?

In a randomized clinical trial, researchers found the combination of oral vancomycin followed by fecal microbiota transplantation was superior to treatment with fidaxomicin or vancomycin alone for patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection.

Informed Consent for Cardiac Catheterization: Is Shared Decision-Making an Illusion?

Researchers studied how well patients retain the information imparted during the informed consent process for cardiac catheterization and concluded that shared decision-making as currently practiced is not particularly robust.

What Echo Measures Predict Progression of Mitral Valve Prolapse?

A study of patients with mitral valve prolapse and mild to moderate mitral regurgitation showed that over a 4.5-year follow-up period, only mitral annular diameter among several echo parameters predicted the development of severe mitral regurgitation.

When to Operate on Chronic Aortic Regurgitation Patients

A retrospective observational study of patients with moderate to severe aortic regurgitation followed for five years showed that symptoms or a left ventricular end-systolic dimension index > 20 mm/m² were multivariate predictors of death.