Internal Medicine Alert – January 15, 2020
January 15, 2020
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Optimism Could Increase Odds of ‘Exceptional Longevity’
An analysis of 10-year follow-up data from the Nurses’ Health Study and 30-year follow-up data from the Veteran Affairs Normative Aging Study revealed a significant association between baseline levels of higher optimism and longevity, even when data were adjusted for health behaviors and psychosocial factors.
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Treating Depression in Epilepsy: To Medicate or Not?
Epileptic patients with major depression were randomized to either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or sertraline. Depression and related secondary health outcomes were analyzed in both groups. Sertraline and CBT were found to be equally efficacious with improvement in mood in more than half of patients.
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Anticoagulation Decisions in Atrial Fibrillation
Using the Delphi method of arriving at a consensus among clinicians concerning for which patients with atrial fibrillation should oral anticoagulants be recommended, the risk of stroke, the risk of hemorrhage, and patient-specific factors emerged. Many of these factors are not included in the guidelines and should be studied further.
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Minocycline Topical Foam (Amzeeq)
Minocycline topical foam is indicated to treat inflammatory lesions of non-nodular moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris in patients ≥ 9 years of age.
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Can You Interpret This Rhythm?
The long lead II rhythm strip in the figure was obtained from a middle-aged woman with syncope and hypotension. What can you say about the rhythm?