- Home>
- Specialties>
- General Medicine
General Medicine
The original Journal Watch. Readable summaries and practical interpretation of the most recent and most important research – all from the perspective of practicing physicians.
Sign up now for free twice-weekly e-mail alerts featuring the full text of one article and links to new articles on the most clinically relevant research, new guidelines and top news stories in General Medicine.
Featured Article

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE WATCH
Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for 2010
- February 9, 2010
- Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM
Few changes this year
- Reviewing:
- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Ann Intern Med 2010 Jan 5; 152:36
Recent General Medicine Articles
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Risk Index Is Adequate for Predicting Perioperative Cardiac Complications
- February 9, 2010
- Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM
But the RCRI is not so predictive for death or for complications of vascular surgery.
- Reviewing:
- Ford MK et al. Ann Intern Med 2010 Jan 5; 152:26
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Cultural Competence Training Isn't Associated with Better Diabetes Outcomes
- February 9, 2010
- Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM
Awareness of racial disparities didn't translate into better glucose, lipid, or blood pressure control.
- Reviewing:
- Sequist TD et al. Ann Intern Med 2010 Jan 5; 152:40
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Septic Shock, Insulin, and Steroids — RevisitedFree
- February 4, 2010
- Allan S. Brett, MD
Intensive insulin therapy did not lower in-hospital mortality in septic shock patients who received hydrocortisone.
- Reviewing:
- The COIITSS Study Investigators. JAMA 2010 Jan 27; 303:341
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Smoking Cessation and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
- February 4, 2010
- Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM
Excess diabetes risk in quitters is mediated partially by weight gain.
- Reviewing:
- Yeh H-C et al. Ann Intern Med 2010 Jan 5; 152:10
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Risks Associated with Androgen-Deprivation Therapy
- February 4, 2010
- Allan S. Brett, MD
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease occur significantly more often in men with prostate cancer who receive ADT than in those who don't.
- Reviewing:
- Keating NL et al. J Natl Cancer Inst 2010 Jan 6; 102:39
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Possible New Class of Drugs for CML
- February 4, 2010
- Anthony L. Komaroff, MD
Patients who develop resistance to imatinib might have a new alternative.
- Reviewing:
- Zhang J et al. Nature 2010 Jan 28; 463:501
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Gradual or Cold Turkey: When Stopping HT, Is One Better Than the Other?Free
- February 4, 2010
- Robert W. Rebar, MD
- Women's Health
Mode of HT discontinuation did not affect likelihood of hot-flash recurrence.
- Reviewing:
- Lindh-Åstrand L et al. Menopause 2010 Jan/Feb; 17:72
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Vitamin D Supplementation in Breast-Fed InfantsFree
- February 3, 2010
- Howard Bauchner, MD
- Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Physician recommendation was significantly associated with parents' decision to supplement.
- Reviewing:
- Taylor JA et al. Pediatrics 2010 Jan; 125:105
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Improving Outcomes in Toddlers with Autism
- February 3, 2010
- Howard Bauchner, MD
- Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
An early developmental and behavioral intervention resulted in gains in cognitive ability and adaptive behavior in toddlers.
- Reviewing:
- Dawson G et al. Pediatrics 2010 Jan; 125:e17
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Population-Based Benefits of Salt Reduction
- February 2, 2010
- Thomas L. Schwenk, MD
Daily intake of 3 g less per person could lower annual U.S. cardiac-related deaths by as many as 92,000.
- Reviewing:
- Bibbins-Domingo K et al. N Engl J Med 2010 Jan 20
Editor's Picks from across Journal Watch
CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE WATCH
Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infection: Diagnosis and Management
- January 27, 2010
- By Stephen G. Baum, MD
- Infectious Diseases
These guidelines update recommendations published in 2002 and 2003.
- Reviewing:
- Clin Infect Dis 2010 Jan 15; 50:133
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Soldiers' Wives Suffer Mental Health Effects of Deployment
- January 13, 2010
- By Peter Roy-Byrne, MD
- Psychiatry
The effect of war reaches beyond the soldier, according to this large records review study. CME
- Reviewing:
- N Engl J Med 2010 Jan 14; 362:101
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
How Rigorous Is the Premarket Approval Process for Cardiovascular Devices?
- January 20, 2010
- By Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
- Cardiology
A review of FDA data raises concerns about the strength of the evidence supporting the use of many approved devices.
- Reviewing:
- JAMA 2009 Dec 23/30; 302:2679
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Incidental Findings on CT Angiography for Evaluation of PEFree
- January 8, 2010
- By J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP
- Emergency Medicine
In a study of CT angiography in ED patients, incidental findings were more than twice as common as PE.
- Reviewing:
- Arch Intern Med 2009 Nov 23; 169:1961
Journal Watch General Medicine summarizes important medical journal articles about a wide variety of medical subjects including arthritis,asthma, diabetes, genetics, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, palliative care, pneumonia, and thrombocytopenia.
