There is ample opportunity and scope for gynaecology in prim ary care in general practice. Many conditions and problems can be managed successfully in this context without referral to hos pital and specialist care. The first aim of this book is to deal with common problems that are referred for consultant opinion and specialist management to the average District General Hospital by analysing problems of presentation and diagnosis on a symptom-orientated basis. Selection for primary care management as opposed to hospital referral is then considered, following which the wide range of available treatment is evaluated with particular emphasis on the maximum use of up-to-date but proven regimes. The full use of the expertise of the practitioner is highlighted throughout. The second aim is to encourage the practice of primary care gynaecology and to help those doctors who have a special in terest in the subject, while hopefully stimulating others to de velop a similar one. With this in mind, the approach to the problems is realistic and often dogmatic while opportunities for individual management and for practical procedures are kept to the forefront.

Primary Liver Cancer: Surveillance, Diagnosis and Treatment focuses on the many therapies rapidly evolving to assist with controlling hepatocellular carcinoma as well as emerging technologies to assist in early diagnosis as well as prevention. All chapters are written by experts in their fields and include the most up to date information for diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, epidemiology, staging, recurrence and prevention. This volume will serve as a useful resource for clinical gastroenterologists, hepatologists, oncologists, pathologists, and physicians who treat patients with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma.

This volume covers the myriad of functional and motility gastrointestinal disorders in a comprehensive manner. The book is divided into seven major sections, with each section beginning with a brief case presentation highlighting the specific disorder to be reviewed. Appropriate criteria is highlighted, followed by a brief review on the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of each specific disorder. 2-3 key teaching "pearls", test questions and key references are also provided for each chapter. The book is organized so that each chapter can stand on its own and be used as a quick reference source in the clinic. Alternatively, it can be read cover to cover as an authoritative textbook on gastrointestinal functional and motility disorders. Written by international experts in the field of motility disorders, Functional and Motility Disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Case Study Approach is an invaluable resource for experienced physicians, students, residents, fellows, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

This is a book about primary care clinicians and the "clinical uncertainty" endemic to their work. Even when seemingly straightforward, each patient raises unique questions regarding how best to listen to their complaints, empathize with their suffering, or respond to their silences.

This book is also about "addressing" uncertainty in primary care practice and "engaging" it. Engagement requires knowledge, explicit and tacit, placed in the service of a single patient s problem. It also requires carefully managed communication, facilitating dialogue with the patient and encouraging shared problem-solving.

Most importantly, this book is about "collaborative engagement with case-based uncertainty in the setting of small groups of clinicians. "Sommers and Launer contend that the medical profession s tradition of working independently should be augmented with an explicitly shared, collegial one of jointly creating wisdom through practice-based learning.

An international panel of expert clinicians and educators provides: Perspectives on clinical uncertainty in the medical literatureA taxonomy of clinical uncertainty with patient examplesAnalysis of the educator role to support clinicians in engaginguncertainty A compendium of small group methods for collaborative engagement with clinical scenariosAnalysis of the special challenges ofcollaborative engagement

A mind-opening manifesto, "Clinical Uncertainty in Primary Care" will equip primary care clinicians, educators, public health and behavioral health professionals with resources for infusing practice with meaning through collegial collaboration.

From the Foreword: Lucia Sommers and John Launer, with the accompanying input of their contributing authors, have done a deeply insightful and close-to-exhaustive job of defining clinical uncertainty. They identify its origins, components and subtypes; demonstrate the ways in which, and the extent to which it is intrinsic to medicine and they present a cogent case for itsspecial relationship to primary care practice Clinical Uncertainty in Primary Care not only presents amodel of collegialcollaboration and support, it also implicitly legitimatesit. Renee Fox. "

Whereas during the past decade endoscopy has become established as the leading means of diagnosis and management of diseases affecting the esophagus, starnach and large bowel, radiology has retained its pre-eminence for the clinical study and evaluation of the small bowel. This book provides unique coverage of all current radiological techniques used to study the small bowel, including not only barium studies and angiography but also cross-sectional methods such as uhrasound and computer tomography as well as nuclear medicine. Ernerging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging are given close consideration, and interventional procedures are dealt with fully. Following an introduction on anatomy, physiology, and pathology pertinent to radiol ogy, the book describes in great detail common and less common congenital and development anomalies, trauma, infectious and infl.ammatory conditions, and tumors. The radiological accounts are illustrated by unique color photographs of pathological specimens. It is important for all professionals involved in the management of patients with small-bowel disease tobe critically informed about the specific advantages as well as the limitations of the various modern imaging techniques now employed for the in vivo morphological evaluation of the small bowel. This comprehensive book provides a timely update of our knowledge in this field and is a welcome addition to our series "Medical Radiology;' which aims to provide exhaustive coverage of modern diagnostic radiology. It will be of great interest for general and abdominal radiologists, gastroen terologists, and abdominal surgeons.

This book is about a new surgical procedure, surgical hysteroscopy, for out-patients. It is both a diagnostic approach and a surgical procedure. As a simple and non-aggresive technique, it is a "patient-friendly" procedure with a little surgical trauma as it avoids hysterectomy or laparotomy procedures thus preserving the genital tract. It is the leading procedure in the treatment of uterine bleeding. It has also proved to be an essential investigation technique of in the assessment of infertility. This book is the result of surgical practice and teaching experience in the field of hysteroscopic procedures.

For over 30 years, the stepped care approach has been used in the management and treatment of hypertension. This approach advocates the use of initial monotherapy to reach the desired blood pressure, and the subsequent use of additional drugs with complementary modes of action, until the target BP is achieved. However, current control rates for hypertension suggest that such an approach may be outdated and no longer effective in the management of hypertension. Clinical trials have shown that more than 50% of patients require a combination of drug therapies to achieve their target BP. Some proponents of combination therapy have argued that the risk of adverse side effects and non-compliance will be lower than that compared to monotherapy, which initially requires higher doses to be administered to be effective. Consequently, there have been increasing calls of the necessity for a much more combined approach in the treatment of hypertension. Adding to this, Combination Therapy in Hypertension will cover current control rates of blood pressure worldwide, the benefits of monotherapy and combination therapy, examine the effectiveness, risk of adverse effects, compliance, and cost of the available therapies and will also include information on relevant outcome studies.

Healthcare Changes Reach Main Street: A Call to Action for Physicians provides guidance, examples, and information on processes and time lines for physicians based on the implementation of The Affordable Care Act (ACA) that was established in 2010. This volume focuses on how geriatricians and other healthcare professionals can be engaged in responding to the roll-out of the ACA in their communities, and through this engagement assume leadership roles in local hospitals, healthcare organizations, and medical societies to advance quality improvement and new models of care for older adults. In-depth chapters provide an update on quality improvement efforts at the state level, as well as changes in Medicaid financing and the significant impact this will have for older adults, particularly dual-eligibles. Many elements of the ACA are yet to be rolled out and many healthcare decisions are yet to be made. Healthcare Changes Reach Main Street: A Call to Action for Physicians will guide healthcare decision makers and help them to play a leadership role in advancing quality care for older adults in our changing healthcare environment.

Primary care physicians are increasingly called upon to identify and manage complex musculoskeletal issues in their patients. This second edition of Common Musculoskeletal Problems in Primary Care: A Handbook is an excellent point of care resource for health care providers to better diagnose and treat patients presenting with common musculoskeletal complaints. Each chapter in this book focuses on a specific joint or region and discusses anatomy, red flags, approach to the patient, common clinical presentations and management, and includes a flow diagram to help direct management and follow-up of a patient's problem. A number of important updates in the field have been addressed in this revised version, most notably the inclusion of information on meaningful use. Meaningful Use legislation requires that healthcare providers give documentation on diagnosis and treatment to every patient at the time of their evaluation and as such, each chapter of this revised edition includes patient instructions and education sections for clinicians. Updated algorithms and physical examination sheets are provided and are formatted to easily fit into an electronic medical record. Featuring a user-friendly approach and step-by-step guidelines for managing a number of common musculoskeletal conditions, this handbook is an ideal reference for medical students, primary care residents and practicing primary care providers alike.

Gastroparesis is an increasingly recognized disorder. Treatment can be difficult due to the several mechanisms for symptom production. Gastroparesis: Pathophysiology, Presentation and Treatment serves as a concise reference on this disorder that allows clinicians to quickly access and evaluate the necessary information for treating and managing patients with gastroparesis. Each chapter is written byexperts in their respective area. The volume will enable the reader to better understand all aspects of this disorder. The book presents current concepts in a variety of areas opening with the epidemiology, clinical presentation and pathophysiology of gastroparesis. The natural history of patients is explored as well as evaluation of patients with suspected gastroparesis. This section includes chapters on Wireless Capsule Motility, Electrogastrography and Antroduodenal Manometry. This important resource concludes with a full section on treatment including dietary, prokinetic, antiemetic, sensory, electric stimulation, and surgical methods. New developments include the use of gastric electric stimulation for treatment, the use of SmartPill for diagnosis, and a number of new agents in development for this disorder. Gastroparesis: Pathophysiology, Presentation and Treatment is the ideal reference for gastroenterologists, and also for surgeons, endocrinologists, primary care physicians and nutritionists looking to keep pace with the latest information treatment options for their patients. "

In the last decade there has been no major clinical mono- graph on this increasingly common and difficult malignancy which is a killer of young people. The gap in the literature is now filled by this authoritative volumewhich will be essential reading for any body involved in the study or management of melanoma.

Colorectal Cancer Screening provides a complete overview of colorectal cancer screening, from epidemiology and molecular abnormalities, to the latest screening techniques such as stool DNA and FIT, Computerized Tomography (CT) Colonography, High Definition Colonoscopes and Narrow Band Imaging. As the text is devoted entirely to CRC screening, it features many facts, principles, guidelines and figures related to screening in an easy access format. This volume provides a complete guide to colorectal cancer screening which will be informative to the subspecialist as well as the primary care practitioner. It represents the only text that provides this up to date information about a subject that is continually changing. For the primary practitioner, information on the guidelines for screening as well as increasing patient participation is presentedd. For the subspecialist, information regarding the latest imaging techniques as well as flat adenomas and chromoendoscopy are covered. The section on the molecular changes in CRC will appeal to both groups. The text includes up to date information about colorectal screening that encompasses the entire spectrum of the topic and features photographs of polyps as well as diagrams of the morphology of polyps as well as photographs of CT colonography images. Algorithms are presented for all the suggested guidelines. Chapters are devoted to patient participation in screening and risk factors as well as new imaging technology. This useful volume explains the rationale behind screening for CRC. In addition, it covers the different screening options as well as the performance characteristics, when available in the literature, for each test. This volume will be used by the sub specialists who perform screening tests as well as primary care practitioners who refer patients to be screened for colorectal cancer.

This timely guide to communication in patient-centered medicine argues for greater clarity in explaining health risks versus benefits of an array of screening tests, procedures, and drug regimens. It reviews the growing trend toward patients' involvement in their own care, particularly in terms of chronic conditions, and details approaches physicians can use to prepare patients (and themselves) for collaborative decision-making based on informed choices and clear, meaningful knowledge. Chapters apply this lens to a wide range of common interventions as contentious as estrogen replacement therapy and antibiotics, and as widely prescribed as the daily aspirin and the annual physical. With this goal in mind, the authors also introduce an innovative decision-making tool that translates risks and benefits into a clear graphic format for fewer chances of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Among the topics covered: Involving the patient in decision making. Towards a universal decision aid. BRCT: the Benefit/Risk Characterization Theater. Breast Cancer Screening-Mammograms. Prostate Cancer Screening. Colon cancer screening with colonoscopy. Screening for and treating dementia. Statins, cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Physicians in family and internal medicine will find Interpreting Health Benefits and Risks: A Practical Guide to Facilitate Doctor- Patient Communication a valuable resource for communicating with patients and new possibilities for working toward their better health and health education. This book considers several common and important situations where faulty decision-making makes overtreatment a serious risk. Clear, fair, referenced, and useful information is provided. And a powerful intuitive technique is introduced which allows patient and doctor to talk as equals as they work together in the exam room. The authors emphasize that some patients who have been fully educated will still accept high risks of harm for a small chance of avoiding premature death. But as this book is accepted and its ideas and technique are extended, I feel sure that net harm to patients will be curtailed. And what is more, the integrity of the decision-making process will be improved. -Thomas Finucane, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

This book is based on the proceedings of the fourth Medical Microcomputer Workshop held at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School on 3-5 September 1986. The workshop was attended by clinicians and computer scientists with an interest in applying computer technology to current medical practice. The problems ranged from audit and patient management through to the more complex applications of data analysis obtained from current diagnos tic techniques. The choice of microcomputers has never been greater with low cost making them readily available. A single microcomputer has limita tions in clinical practice and the use of networks for multi-user tasks has expanded its capability but increased the complexity both in terms of hardware and the software needed to run it. Although comprehensive commercial packages are available, none of these are entirely suitable for medical applications without modification. Many of the chapters presented in this book describe the problems encountered and the solutions achieved by configuring and modifying applications software.

Developed by renowned experts, this comprehensive and easy to read title offers a state-of-the-art description of the management of endocrine, diabetic, and metabolic emergencies and brings the field fully up to date, setting a high standard for diagnosis and treatment in each category. All chapters begin with a summary that presents, in concentrated form, what the physician needs to know to begin the evaluation and emergency treatment of the known endocrine emergencies. This is followed by an extended discussion of the pathophysiology that can be read after initial treatment has begun. Covering such areas as hypoglycemia, acute adrenal insufficiency, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, thyroid storm, and pituitary apoplexy, just to name several, Endocrine Emergencies: Recognition and Treatment is an invaluable, practical resource that will be of great interest to endocrinologists, internal medicine and emergency room physicians, fellows and residents.

This handbook discusses developments and the future of gout treatment, which looks promising. Gout has been a well-known disease for over 2000 years, and is the most common cause of joint inflammation in adult males. It has become apparent that no therapeutic target based on hyperuricemia outcome had been defined. Very few controlled trials were available to test the efficacy and safety of treatments, and no research on diagnosis and management had been done despite data showing that patients with gout were generally improperly treated even in the hands of specialists. In the last 10 years, good-quality evidence on gout impact and management has grown exponentially, renal transporters have been recently identified, and a number of new drugs have been approved or are under current development.

This concise drug guide lists 500 substances, such as pharmaceutical drugs, lifestyle drugs, and environmental toxicants, which show documented untoward effects on the male sexual organs and their functions. All substances are listed in user-friendly alphabetical order with a uniform structure throughout the book. Each listing includes evidence-based information with up-to-date references and all studies mentioned are evaluated and categorized according to study and sample types. This unique compendium provides more detailed information on each drug than any other standard pharmacology title.

One of the major advances in the understanding of the mechanism of action of hormones, neurotransmitters and drugs had arisen from the hypothesis that the physiological or pharmacological responses are trig gered by their interaction with specific cell compo nents, termed receptors. However, the presence of receptors has been inferred from indirect data, and only recently has it been possible to study the kinetics of the interaction between drug and receptors directly, through the so called "binding technique. " This NATO-ASI on "Principles and Methods in Receptor Binding" was devoted mainly to the following aspects of the study of receptors: the principles underlying the use of the binding technique; the mathematical models necessary to interpret binding data; the application of binding methods to specific receptors; and, finally, a few selected examples of coupling between receptors and physiological re sponses. In the chapters of this book, special interest is devoted to the analysis of the simplest models for the interaction of receptors with their ligands (either hormones or neurotransmitters or drugs). The graphical techniques used to analyze the data from binding exper iments are extensively discussed, together with the statistics that have to be used in binding analysis. Moreover, the basic concepts to analyze binding data using a personal computer are presented. v vi PREFACE The factors which should be considered when setting up a binding assay (such as choice of ligand and incubation conditions, preparation of tissue, termina tion of incubation) are discussed."

Bipolar disorder is one of the most common and disabling conditions affecting humankind. It is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide, affecting millions of people. The illness is complex and dynamic, so that many individuals are misdiagnosed for years and clinicians struggle with identifying the most appropriate and successful treatment. Because it is complex and common, people suffering from bipolar disorder seek help from clinicians of all types - from psychiatrists, family doctors, gynecologists, and internists to psychologists, social workers and other therapists. For clinicians without significant experience with bipolar disorder, how to manage the condition can be mystifying. Even experienced psychiatrists will frequently find themselves uncertain of the best approach to a given individual with bipolar illness. This pocket-sized guide was specifically written with this diverse group of clinicians in mind. It provides a concise, practical and current overview of bipolar disorder, including making a correct diagnosis, identifying important medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and describing our current understanding of the epidemiology, genetics and neurobiology of the condition. In addition to these topics to provide context, the majority of the book is focused on a programmatic approach toward managing bipolar disorder, including discussions of specific subpopulations, such as children or women who are pregnant. The book may also be of interest for people with bipolar disorder and their families, to help guide treatment seeking and provide education about this sometimes mystifying condition. The author is an internationally recognized and trusted expert in the study and treatment of bipolar disorder, annually named a Best Doctor (R) and recognized by US News and World Report (R) as a Top 1% Psychiatrist, whose own extensive clinical experience working with people with bipolar disorder guides this book.

Throughout the world, scientists and the general with environmental illness. Part II presents an over public are concerned about the adverse effects of view of chemical and physical agents commonly toxic agents found in contaminated air, water, food, found in contaminated air, water, food, and soil. and soil. In the past, attention has focused on haz The problem of hazardous wastes is also discussed. ards originating in the workplace. As a consequence, Part III characterizes the body's defense against occupational medicine has become a well-recognized such exposure. Defenses at the portals of entry are and established clinical discipline. Much less atten discussed, with emphasis placed on the role of tion has been paid to nonoccupational hazards. There nutrition. Detoxication and immunologic defense is a growing awareness, however, of the dangers of mechanisms are described. Part IV indicates the exposure to toxic chemical and physical agents in importance of and provides instruction on the the homes, community, and general environment, method of including occupational and environmen especially for the fetus, the infant, the very young, tal factors in the routine medical history. The role of the elderly, and the chronically ill, those most sus enhanced susceptibility as a factor in an individual's ceptible. Environmental medicine, fOCUSing on the response to toxic exposure is discussed."

This work, Essential Endocrinology: A Primer for Nonspecialists, is written with dual purposes in mind: first, to provide a framework of basic endocrinology and diabetology to the medical student, and second, to provide a quick, con cise, and handy "guide" to the junior residents in their early years of training who wish to obtain a working knowledge about endocrine disorders that affect their patients. One of the outstanding advantages of being a teacher of en docrinology to students and junior residents is that it bestows a perspective from a unique vantage point. Books written for the junior members of our profession have suffered from extremes of caliber, ranging from excellence beyond their comprehension to insufferable mediocrity. Textbooks in en docrinology that are simple enough to cover the principles of that speciality and yet comprehensive enough without treading into controversial quicksand are few and far between. This book is aimed at filling that gap and is written with no other criterion than simplifying a complex subject matter. From this touchstone, the work has never really departed. A decade of experience as a teacher and physician in the field of endo crinologyhas impressed on me that the process of "simplification" rests on four basic principles: an understanding of endocrine concepts, the application of these concepts to the understanding of diseases, the transference of knowl edge to clinical situations, and the integration of the patient with the labo ratory, the ultimate testing ground where clinical diagnoses stand or fall."

Challenging Cases in Allergic and Immunologic Diseases of the Skin offers clinicians a wide range of challenging cases that are certain to provide hours of thoughtful and instructive review. Using a case study format and including excellent quality color images, Challenging Cases in Allergic and Immunologic Diseases of the Skin consists of five parts and 20 chapters. The chapters cover such areas as allergic rhinitis, allergic diseases of the eye, drug-induced urticaria, cosmetic allergy, drug allergy, latex allergy, atopic dermatitis, vasculitis, and a range of other commonly seen disorders of the skin. Each chapter comprises at least two cases that are followed by a differential diagnosis, discussion, and five multiple choice questions for thoughtful stimulation and excellent value as a teaching tool. Comprehensive, concise, and well-designed in presentation, Challenging Cases in Allergic and Immunologic Diseases of the Skin is a one-of-a-kind resource that will become a standard resource for all clinicians who care for patients with allergic and immunologic diseases of the skin.

The NATO-Advanced Research Workshop "Esterases, Lipases and Phospholipases: From Structure to Clinical Significance" was held at the University of Bordeaux II, France from 22nd- 24th September 1993 under the Directorship of Professor Michel Clerc of the University of Bordeaux II. The meeting was organised by Hugues Chap (INSERM U 326, Toulouse, France), Georges Ferard (University of Strasbourg, France), Wolfgang Junge (University of Kiel, Germany) and Michael Mackness (University of Manchester, UK). In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that hydrolytic enzymes of the esterase, lipase and phospholipase type play central roles in the pathophysiology of many human diseases. The purpose of this NATO-ARW was to bring together experts (both clinical and scientific) in all three interrelated fields to review the current basic and clinical position and discuss future developments particularly with respect to future research aimed at determining the basic biochemical lesion involving hydrolytic enzymes involved in human disease and the use of these enzymes in diagnosis. As well as formal lectures from established researchers, the meeting also involved a number of lively round-table discussions on future developments and presentations from younger research workers, all of which are recorded in this Proceedings and which contribute to the success of the meeting.

Although there are a number of excellent current reviews on one or another aspect of cytomegalovirus, the last comprehensive treatment of this subject was that of Krech et al. (197la). In view of the amazing advances in the virological, epidemiologic, and clinical knowledge of cytomegaloviruses, an up-to-date book is needed. Such a work should cover many areas of expertise and a voluminous technical literature. Each area might have been reviewed and analyzed by workers more expert than myself. However, I have embarked on the entire venture alone in order to attain unity and continuity in this book, characteristics that are not easily achieved in the more popular multiauthored works. I have tried to review the Iiterature and provide a critical summary for each area discussed. To do this, I provide as much of the primary data of the relevant works as needed and not just the qualitative conclusions. Inevitably, the flow of the narrative may be interrupted by dry facts and figures. However, such information is essential to make this a meaningful reference work. But for those not interested in such details, I have provided at what I hope are crucial points critiques and summaries. This book is not an exhaustive review of all the literature. This is probably no Ionger possible or even desirable. By selection, however, one runs the risk of having missed or ignored important papers. I am keenly aware of this, and I wish to apologize for such oversight, if that is possible.