Are we lowering LDL cholesterol sufficiently?
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Noninvasive modalities, including duplex ultrasonography, renal scintigraphy, CT angiography and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), may usefully contribute to diagnosis and treatment planning in patients with suspected renal artery stenosis. Important technical developments have increased the accuracy and feasibility of MRA for the detection of renal artery stenosis. A number of different MRA techniques can be applied to the study of renal arteries, but contrast-enhanced MRA represents the most valuable approach; several studies corroborate the high diagnostic accuracy of this technique, especially for the detection of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. A combined MRA protocol, which might include angiographic information provided by contrast-enhanced technique in addition to renal flow information derived from phase-contrast imaging, could help in classifying patients appropriately. Limitations of renal MRA include low accuracy in the evaluation of renal fibromuscular dysplasia and in the assessment of patients who undergo stenting of the renal arteries. This review describes the MRA techniques applied to the study of renal artery stenosis, including the technical features of current approaches and forthcoming developments. An overview of the clinical role of MRA, in conjunction with the other diagnostic modalities, in the identification and management of patients with renal artery stenosis, is also presented.
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Vascular and angiogenic processes provide an important target for novel cancer therapeutics. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is being used increasingly to noninvasively monitor the action of these therapeutics in early-stage clinical trials. This publication reports the outcome of a workshop that considered the methodology and design of magnetic resonance studies, recommending how this new tool might best be used.
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The last Heelsum workshop agreed that general practitioners should concentrate on dietary advice for treatment or secondary prevention, though nutritional advice for health is part of the doctor's work with pregnancy, infants and the very old. Nutrition prescriptions contrast with drug prescriptions. For drugs information is authoritative, evidence-based and easily available. Drug prescriptions are potentially liable to litigation. Dietary prescriptions are less serious and more the patient's responsibility. Nutrition information comes in a plethora of different forms, some of it unscientific, some out of date, some commercially biased. While waiting for some system (?authoritative, ?electronic) that can help general practitioners (GPs) organise nutrition information, there are three modern books that have been written by nutrition specialists for GPs in the English language (there may be others in North America) and another was written for practice nurses. As well as general books like this most large countries have expert reports on some nutritional topics by government committees available for reference. In relating foods and food components to disease, most of the reliable evidence is about their effect on risk factors-plasma cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure or body weight. A smaller amount of evidence relates food intake data from large cohort studies to incidence of disease. Very few randomised controlled trials (the ultimate evidence-based medicine) have been achieved for nutrition. Dietary recommendations may have to change with time because of new research-and drugs. Advice for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease is shown as an example of this.
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The ETS-domain transcription factor family can be divided into a series of subfamilies. Elk-1 represents the founding member of the ternary complex factor (TCF) subfamily. By focusing on the TCF subfamily, we can demonstrate the complexities that exist in the function and regulation of ETS-domain transcription factors. This article focuses on Elk-1 in detail and summarizes the functions of other TCFs. The key themes covered include the domain structure of the TCFs, the mechanisms of complex formation with serum response factor, regulation of TCFs by mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, and transcriptional regulatory properties of the TCFs. Finally, the emerging role of the TCFs in vivo is discussed. A picture is developing indicating that, while these proteins exhibit significant sequence and functional conservation, key differences in their structure and regulation are being identified which may relate to unique functions of these proteins in vivo.
This paper introduces the concept of risky drinking and considers the potential of alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) to reduce alcohol-related problems in medical practice and in organized systems of health care. The research evidence behind this approach is reviewed. Potential strategies for the dissemination of SBI to systems of health care are then discussed within the context of a public health model of clinical preventive services. There is an emerging consensus that SBI should be promoted in general healthcare settings, but further research is needed to determine the best ways to achieve widespread dissemination. In an attempt to provide an integrative model that is relevant to SBI, dissemination strategies are discussed for three target groups: (1) individual patients and practitioners; (2) health care settings and health systems; and (3) the communities and the general population. Dissemination strategies are considered from the fields of social change, social science, commercial marketing and education in terms of their potential for translating SBI innovations into routine clinical practice. One overarching strategy implicit in the approaches reviewed in this article is to embed alcohol SBI in the more general context of preventive health services, the utility of which is becoming increasingly recognized as a critical supplement to more traditional clinical medicine.
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A study involving 2738 patients in 15 hospitals in the United Kingdom was undertaken to evaluate the effect of simple methods of pain assessment and management on postoperative pain. The study consisted of four parts: a survey of current practice in each hospital; a programme of education for staff and patients regarding pain and its management; the introduction of formal assessment and recording of pain and the use of a simple algorithm to allow more flexible, yet safe, provision of intermittent intramuscular opioid analgesia; and a repeat survey of practice. One hospital from each of the former health regions of England and Wales was selected for inclusion in the project. Hospitals included representatives of different size units (university, large and small district general hospitals). As a result of the study, there was an overall reduction in the percentage of patients who experienced moderate to severe pain at rest from 32% to 12%. The incidence of severe pain on movement decreased from 37% to 13% and moderate to severe pain on deep inspiration from 41% to 22%. Similar decreases were seen in the incidence of nausea and vomiting. There was also a slight reduction in the incidence of postoperative complications. This study shows that simple techniques for the management of postoperative pain are effective in reducing the incidence of pain both at rest and during movement and should form part of any acute pain management strategy.
A questionnaire survey of dermatologists practising in Scotland was carried out to assess strategies for the management of women prescribed isotretinoin for acne. The results of the study suggested that the prevention of pregnancy during treatment is of considerable concern to dermatologists: over 90% routinely asked women about sexual activity and 97% routinely gave both verbal and written advice on the need to avoid pregnancy during treatment. However, clinical practices which might place women at risk of pregnancy were identified: only 30% of trainees and 51% of consultants routinely carried out pregnancy tests before treatment, and when tests were carried out, there was a tendency to rely on potentially insensitive urine assays. Additionally, there was an apparent lack of recognition of the possibility of sexual activity in girls aged under 16 years. Suggestions for the management of women prescribed isotretinoin include taking a sexual history from all women; providing clear information on the need to avoid pregnancy during treatment; obtaining informed consent prior to treatment; recommending the use of effective contraceptive measures; and exclusion of pregnancy prior to treatment by means of a suitably timed blood or urine sample and sensitive assay technique.
The object of this study was to evaluate whether an integrated training package improved the consistency and accuracy of advice about breast cancer to callers of Cancer Information Services (CIS) in Australia. The study followed a pre-/post-evaluation design and the participants were all CIS officers from the state-based CIS. A computerized database was used which contained the current best advice about breast cancer combined with a 1-day interactive training workshop for all officers of participating CIS. The proportion of responses that accorded with predetermined model answers for each of five scenarios employed by simulated callers during normal working hours at pre-and post-evaluation were then calculated. There were 95 simulated calls during pre-evaluation, and 104 calls post-evaluation. In some cases, such as breast reconstruction, accordance with model answers was high at both pre- and post-test. The proportion of responses on an item that related to a description of lymphoedaema differed from pre-to post-test with P = 0.007; while an item on the appropriateness of discussing genetic testing with general practitioners differed from pre-to post-test with P = 0.003. There was less concordance, both pre- and post-test, for issues related to surgery, hospitalization, familial aspects and Tamoxifen. We concluded that the intervention presents a method of disseminating consistent information across a number of independent CIS. Some areas were identified that require more targeted intervention.
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