Browse Primary Care/Hospitalist Articles by Topic

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Brief Review for the Primary Care Physician

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic polyarticular form of inflammatory arthritis of unclear etiology. It primarily involves the synovial joints and is commonly symmetric in presentation.

Treating Latent Tuberculosis Infection

Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a common reason for referral to infectious disease specialists. For the past few decades the standard therapy in the United States has been isoniazid for 9 months.

ID Grand Rounds — Stanford: Female, 52, with Fever and Progressive Weakness

A 52-year-old woman with no significant past medical history presented to Stanford Hospital in July, 2014, with fever and progressive weakness. She had been in her usual state of health until the day prior to admission, when she began to feel fatigued with subjective fevers and “restless legs.”

Dalbavancin — Formulary Considerations

Dalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide antibiotic for intravenous administration with activity against Gram-positive organisms, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus that is distinguished by its extraordinarily long serum half-life that allows once weekly dosing.

Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Use in Infancy Sets Table for Early Childhood Obesity

From 2001 to 2013, Bailey and colleagues studied 65,480 children in a primary care network affiliated with Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania that covered urban and suburban parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Infectious Disease Updates

Declining rates of response to standard treatment for non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) may prompt changes in accepted treatment strategies.

Emergency Medicine Reports - Full November 2, 2014 Issue in PDF

Needle (or Laser) the Knee for Relief from Chronic Osteoarthritis Pain?

Synopsis: In people with chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis, needle and laser acupuncture fared no better than sham laser acupuncture for a variety of parameters at 12 weeks and 1 year.

Yoga and Vasomotor Symptoms: Does a Meditative Movement Practice Improve Menopausal Symptoms?

Synopsis: In a randomized controlled trial, the implementation of a regular yoga practice was not shown to significantly improve vasomotor symptom frequency or bother at 6 and 12 weeks. However, it was associated with a significant improvement in Insomnia Severity Index.

Diagnostic Testing for Lyme Disease

In August 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 300,000 cases of Lyme disease (LD) are diagnosed each year and that the 30,000 reported cases is 2008 are a gross underestimation.