Pathology & Lab Medicine Clinical Briefs

• Panel Revises Guidelines on Assessment of AD CME/CE A panel from the United States and Europe has completed updating the 1997 consensus guidelines for the neuropathologic assessment of Alzheimer's disease.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, February 2012
• Subsequent Exams Help Diagnose Youth Affected by Sexual Assault CME In the first published study on the subject, follow-up examinations helped accurately diagnose and treat children and teenagers being evaluated for suspected sexual abuse and assault.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, February 2012
• FDA Approvals: Breakthrough Drug for a Rare Form of Cystic Fibrosis CME/CE The US Food and Drug Administration approved ivacaftor for patients 6 years and older who have a rare form of cystic fibrosis and carry the G551D mutation in the CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, February 2012
• Accuracy of Rapid Oral HIV Test Yields Mixed Results CME An HIV test using oral fluid-based specimens has a 2% lower sensitivity but a similar specificity vs HIV tests using blood-based specimens in high-prevalence vs low-prevalence setting.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• ADA Revises Standards of Diabetes Care CME/CE A new American Diabetes Association standards of care statement addresses screening, diagnostic, and treatment interventions known or thought to improve health outcomes of patients with diabetes.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• More HIV Prevention Talks Needed to Increase Teen Awareness CME Because less than one fourth of sexually active adolescents have been tested for HIV, clinicians should talk more with their teenaged patients about the need for testing and prevention efforts.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Elevated Adiponectin Levels May Increase Dementia Risk in Women CME New data from the Framingham Heart Study suggest that increased adiponectin levels may be an independent risk factor for all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease in women.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Intervention Helps Curb Antibiotic Use for Lower RTI in Primary Care CME A fairly simple intervention helped reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for lower respiratory tract infections, especially acute bronchitis, in primary care.
  Reuters Health Information CME, January 2012
• Guidelines Recommend Blood Glucose Testing in All Hospitalized Patients CME A new clinical practice guideline from The Endocrine Society calls for blood glucose testing for all patients on admission to the hospital, mainly those who do not require intensive care.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Cognitive Decline Detectable Even in Middle-Aged Adults CME In a longitudinal study, average performance in various cognitive domains declined in all age groups in a period of 10 years, including persons 45 to 49 years old.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Allergy Tests Should Only Verify Diagnosis in Children CME Reviewing benefits and limitations of blood tests and skin-prick tests, 2 allergists recommend that allergy tests be used only to confirm a diagnosis made on the basis of symptoms and medical history.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Ovarian Cancer Findings Support Antitumor Effects of Oral Antidiabetic CME Women with ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes survived longer if they took an oral antidiabetic vs women with diabetes who did not take this drug and women without diabetes.
  Reuters Health Information CME, January 2012
• Risk for Cancer Increased in Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy CME In a database of Swedish and Danish patient registries, patients identified with myotonic muscular dystrophy were at increased risk for cancer overall and at specific sites.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Clinical Prediction Tool Shows Accuracy in Lyme Meningitis CME A simple clinical prediction tool called the Rule of 7's is useful and reliable in identifying children with cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis who are at a low risk for Lyme meningitis.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• CMS Programs Promoting Healthcare System Change Begin to Show Results CME As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shifts to paying for quality instead of volume, what are the implications for care providers?
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Anticoagulation Self-Monitoring Reduces Thromboembolic Risk by Half CME Self-management of oral anticoagulation, in which patients self-tested INRs themselves and were trained to self-adjust the warfarin dose based on these results, was superior to self-testing alone.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Hospital-Acquired C difficile Infection Prolongs Length of Stay CME Patients with hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infections spent a median of 6 days longer in the hospital than patients without infections, according to an analysis of hospital admissions.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Antioxidant-Rich Diet May Reduce Stroke Risk in Women CME In women who consumed the most antioxidants, there was a 17% lower risk for stroke in those without heart disease and a 45% lower risk for hemorrhagic stroke in those with heart disease.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Moderate Glycemic Control May Work in Diabetes With CKD CME In patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, hemoglobin A1c of 7% to 9% may be associated with decreased risk for adverse outcomes, but levels above or below this range may increase the risk.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Repeated Use of Acetaminophen Can Be Fatal CME A large, single-center cohort study shows that staggered overdose of acetaminophen can result in liver, brain and kidney problems and a greater risk for death than a single overdose.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011