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Articles

Diagnostic Imaging of Acute Abdominal Pain in Adults

SARAH L. CARTWRIGHT, MARK P. KNUDSON

The causes of acute abdominal pain range from benign to life-threatening, and imaging is often required for diagnosis and treatment. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria can assist physicians with choosing the most suitable imaging method based on the...

Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

ANDREW GARRISON

Gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, such as preeclampsia, shoulder dystocia, and macrosomia. Asymptomatic women should be screened after 24 weeks of gestation using one of two acceptable oral glucose test approaches. Initial...

Common Questions About the Diagnosis and Management of Fibromyalgia

CHARLES KODNER

Most patients with fibromyalgia have muscle pain and tenderness, cognitive problems, and functional limitations. Fibromyalgia is diagnosed using an updated set of clinical criteria that no longer depend on tender point examination. Laboratory testing may rule out other...

AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

AAFP News: AFP Edition

AAFP Joins Unified Effort on Gun Violence, Free Speech Rights for Physicians | IOM Recommends Renaming, Redefining Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Register Now for April 9 ICD-10 Webinar | AAMC Predicts Significant Primary Care Physician Shortage by 2025 | Primary Care, Family...

AFP Journal Club

Thrombolysis for DVT: Has the Time Arrived?

MARK A. GRABER, ROBERT DACHS, JILL ENDRES

Catheter-directed thrombolysis for proximal DVT is experimental but may be considered in a patient with phlegmasia and resulting compartment syndrome.

Editorials

Introducing Medicine by the Numbers: A Collaboration of The NNT Group and AFP

JAY SIWEK, DAVID H. NEWMAN

Wouldn't it be nice if every intervention improved a patient's outcome? Obviously, that's not the way it works. It is surprising how seldom some interventions help—for example, lipid-lowering drugs. Hundreds of low-risk patients might need to be treated with statins for years...

FPIN's Clinical Inquiries

Exercise and Pregnancy Loss

ADRIENNE PARAD, ELIZABETH LEONARD, LARA HANDLER

Regular exercise for up to seven or more hours per week (including low-intensity and high-intensity aerobics, jogging, cycling, and swimming) is not associated with increased rates of miscarriage in the first to mid-second trimesters. Patients may continue bending and lifting...

Graham Center Policy One-Pager

Smaller Practices Are Less Likely to Report PCMH Certification

MELANIE RAFFOUL, STEPHEN PETTERSON, MIRANDA MOORE, ANDREW BAZEMORE, LARS PETERSON

Despite efforts to achieve broad transformation of primary care practices into patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), certification rates have lagged in small and solo practices. The challenges these groups face with the transformation and certification processes should be...

Close-ups Cochrane for Clinicians

Magnesium Sulfate for Prevention of Preterm Birth

DEAN A. SEEHUSEN, SCOTT P. GROGAN

Magnesium sulfate does not delay delivery when used in patients with preterm labor. Although magnesium sulfate is not associated with any serious adverse maternal outcomes, it may be associated with an increase in total fetal, neonatal, and infant mortality.

Immediate-Release Methylphenidate for the Treatment of ADHD in Adults

JARED KOCHER, PHILLIP ADAMS

In adults with ADHD, immediate-release methylphenidate improves symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness compared with placebo. Short-term adverse effects such as weight loss and decreased appetite do not appear to be serious. However, larger studies of...

Curbside Consultation Photo Quiz

Exophytic Growths on the Back

EFSTATHIOS RALLIS, ATHANASIOS ARVANITIS

A man with a history of significant acne presented with exophytic growths on his back and extensive scarring on his chest.

POEMs

CIN Treatment May Increase Miscarriages but Does Not Affect Fertility

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

In this analysis of 15 observational studies (it would be difficult and unethical to do randomized research on this topic), excision using any method for CIN did not affect fertility, although second trimester miscarriages were more likely. A study published at the same time...

Optimal Treatment of Acute Venous Thromboembolism

DAVID SLAWSON

This complex network meta-analysis of eight treatment regimens for acute venous thromboembolism found that a combination of unfractionated heparin and vitamin K antagonists is associated with the least effective strategy with the highest risk of recurrent events.

Practice Guidelines U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Medicine by the Numbers


Disclosure

All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


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