Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Blood-Based Biomarkers in the Evaluation of Alzheimer’s Disease

At the present time, no blood-based biomarkers have been identified as reliable indicators of A-beta amyloid deposition in the brain.

Greater Weight Loss Later in Life Is Associated with Increased Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

In a population-based, prospective study of subjects 70 years of age or older, increasing weight loss per decade from midlife to late-life was associated with an increased risk of incident mild cognitive impairment.

Do Miller Fisher Syndrome, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and Bickerstaff Encephalitis Overlap?

All three of these syndromes — Miller Fisher, Guillain-Barré, and Bickerstaff encephalitis — occur following an acute gastrointestinal infection, with many cases of overlap syndromes, and deficits may progress during the first few days of illness.

Treatment of Glioblastoma in Elderly Patients

In a retrospective cohort study of elderly patients with glioblastoma, overall survival was superior with combined-modality therapy (radiation and chemotherapy) compared with chemotherapy alone or radiation alone.

Predicting the Success of Prone Positioning with Lung Ultrasound

Lung ultrasound may be useful in predicting which patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome would favorably respond to prone positioning.

Can Procalcitonin Predict Need for ICU Admission in Community-acquired Pneumonia Patients?

In a prospective cohort study of adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, higher serum procalcitonin levels on admission were associated with an increased risk of invasive respiratory and/or vasopressor support within 72 hours and improved the performance of pneumonia severity scores in identifying high-risk patients.

A Perspective on Tidal Volume Reduction in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Less than 20% of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients were treated at any point during mechanical ventilation with a tidal volume at or below the target used during the NIH ARDSNet trials.

Novel Oral Anticoagulants in the Critical Care Setting

While the risk of major bleeding complications seems less with novel oral anticoagulants, they present unique challenges in the ICU.

Effect of Antibiotic Resistance on Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

This interesting article from Teillant and colleagues (who is now doing some interesting work at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy in Washington, DC) highlights the threat of antibacterial resistance not only to our ability to fight active infection, but to prevent surgical site infection using perioperative antibacterials.

Assay for Detection of Zika Virus in Urine

Most patients with Zika virus have asymptomatic or subclinical infection. The CDC now offers a TrioPlex rRT-PCR assay for the detection of ZV in urine in select patients.