General Information
Announcement
CME Instructions
SMJ // November 2013, Volume 106 - Issue 11
Editorial
The Problem with Parsimony (and the Prioritization of Prudence)
Estimates suggest that nearly one-third of total healthcare expenditures can be attributed to nonbeneficial practices.1 In response, ethical debate about the physician’s role in cost containment has shifted from the allocation of scarce resources to the avoidance of waste.2 This evolution underscores the crucial distinction between eschewing unnecessary tests and…
Invited Commentary
Commentary on “Accessibility and Effectiveness of Sources of Information about HIV/AIDS in a Rural Population”
The conversion of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) from death sentence to chronic disease stands as a triumph of modern medicine. Although information regarding HIV/AIDS is widely available, many studies have shown no decrease in HIV incidence with increased education.1–3 The continued burden on society of HIV/AIDS, particularly on…
Original Article
Geriatrics (Women’s Health Series)
As women age, they face challenging health issues. Their average life expectancy is longer than their male counterparts, yet they often have multiple chronic, ongoing health problems that complicate their care, accentuate their infirmity, and reduce their quality of life. Often, they fail to receive the same quality or amount…
Original Article
Troponin Elevations Following Vascular Surgery in Patients Without Preoperative Myocardial Ischemia
Objectives: A normal preoperative myocardial perfusion-imaging (MPI) test in advance of vascular surgery predicts a low risk of postoperative clinical events at 30 days. Among patients undergoing vascular surgery with a normal preoperative MPI, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevations are common and predictive of a poor long-term outcome. Methods: The…
Original Article
Accessibility and Effectiveness of Sources of Information about HIV/AIDS in a Rural Population
Objectives: To determine the accessibility and effectiveness of different sources of information about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in a rural population. Methods: A total of 152 (58.6% women, 76.2% nonwhite) respondents living in rural southeast Louisiana completed a questionnaire assessing demographics, exposure to information about HIV/AIDS, and prevalence…
Review
Routine HIV Screening in North Carolina in the Era of the Affordable Care Act Update on Laws, Reimbursement, and Tests
Eighteen percent of the 1.2 million human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals in the United States are undiagnosed, with North Carolina accounting for the eighth largest number of new HIV diagnoses in 2011. In an effort to identify more HIV-infected individuals by reducing physician barriers to HIV testing, the Centers for…
Invited Commentary
Commentary on “Effect of Patients’ Awareness of CVD Risk Factors on Health-Related Behaviors”
During the last several decades, there has been a large and steady drop in the age-standardized death from cardiovascular disease. These advances have come largely from improved diagnostic and treatment technologies that positively affect patients with established disease. Nevertheless, there are limits of treating established disease and to continue the…
Review
Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy (Women’s Health Series)
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death generally and the most common cause of death during pregnancy in industrialized countries. Improvement in early diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease has increased the number of women with such conditions reaching reproductive age. The growing prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity,…
Original Article
Electrocardiographic Changes in Patients Responding to Treatment with Group I Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Background: Various changes in conductivity as reflected in the electrocardiogram (ECG) have been associated with the onset and progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Little data exist as to whether the ECG can be used to identify patients responding to treatment. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed by…
Original Article
Effect of Patients’ Awareness of CVD Risk Factors on Health-Related Behaviors
Objectives: In 2010, the American Heart Association unveiled a strategic plan to reduce cardiovascular deaths by targeting seven components of ideal cardiovascular health. Although education is a sensible first step, it is not known whether awareness correlates with healthy behavior. The objective of the study was to examine the association…
Review
Approaching Chronic Sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis is a common disease that encompasses a number of syndromes that are characterized by sinonasal mucosal inflammation. Chronic sinusitis can be defined as two or more of the following symptoms lasting for more than 12 consecutive weeks: discolored rhinorrhea, postnasal drip, nasal obstruction, facial pressure or pain, or…
