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Infectious Diseases
The total number of new TB cases remained stable in 2007 and the percentage of people becoming ill with TB continued to decline. But 25% of TB deaths were HIV-related, twice as many as previously estimated, according to a new WHO report released today.
World Health Organization - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.who.int
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General medicine
Since Hippocrates, a dozen precepts have provided guidance for medical education and professionalism. Not so any more. The UK's General Medical Council (GMC) has specified 300 standards for undergraduate education and behaviour in two reports. The first, Medical students: professional values and fitness to practise was published on March 11. The second—an update of Tomorrow's Doctors—is available for consultation until March 27 and will be published in the summer. Standards for professionalism, safety, and diversity are important. However, with so many requirements, the relative merit of each point is lost, as is the broader goal of education.
The Lancet - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.thelancet.com
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Oncology
March has been declared “Colon Cancer Awareness Month” in the USA. In synchrony with this, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) has released new screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The new guidelines continue to endorse the advice from the American Gastroenterology Association that everyone over 50 years should have a colonoscopy once every 10 years. But, in light of research published in 2005, the ACG now also recommend that screening begin at 45 years in African Americans.
The Lancet - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.thelancet.com
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Psychiatry
New NICE guidance being published on 25 March will outline the best way to treat and manage adults with schizophrenia in primary and secondary care. This is an update of NICE’s first ever clinical guideline. New recommendations include treatment with arts therapy and tailoring treatment for disadvantaged groups.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.nice.org.uk
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Oncology
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued final guidance recommending the use of sunitinib as a first-line treatment option for people with advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma who are suitable for immunotherapy and who are well enough to tolerate the treatment.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.nice.org.uk
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Internal medicine
Most alcohol-related damage occurs after moderate consumption, according to a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet on the association between alcohol and injury.
Karolinska Institutet - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&l=en
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Oncology
In the United States, most men over the age of 50 years have had a prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) test,1 despite the absence of evidence from large, randomized trials of a net benefit.
New England Journal of Medicine - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.nejm.org
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Infectious Diseases
Three landmark randomized, controlled trials conducted in South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya from 2005 through 2007 demonstrated that adult male circumcision reduced the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by 50 to 60%.
New England Journal of Medicine - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.nejm.org
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Diabetology
For the past decade, hospitals have focused on the inpatient management of hyperglycemia, particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU). Extensive observational data have shown a consistent, almost linear relationship between blood glucose levels in hospitalized patients and adverse clinical outcomes, even in patients without established diabetes.
New England Journal of Medicine - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.nejm.org
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Rheumatology
In a randomized controlled trial, early treatment with etanercept and methotrexate led to significantly greater improvements in patient-reported outcomes vs treatment with methotrexate alone.
Medscape - Fri, 27 March 2009
http://www.medscape.com