OBJECTIVE The use of gabapentin, an antiepileptic agent, in a primary care setting was evaluated to determine (a) the conditions being treated, (b) specialties of the prescribers, (c) dose ranges, and (d) the extent of documentation and follow-up. METHODS A retrospective review of both claims data and patient charts was performed by a clinical pharmacist. Patients were identified from CareOre...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was for us to present our findings on the prospectively audited impact of head and neck multidisciplinary team meetings on patient management. METHODS We collected clinical data, the pre-multidisciplinary team meeting treatment plan, the post-multidisciplinary team meeting treatment plans, and follow-up data from all patients discussed at a weekly multidis...

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of a value-based insurance design providing enhanced access to physical therapy (PT) for treatment of back pain on treatment patterns and cost of care. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective analysis of claims data obtained from Geisinger Health Plan (GHP). In April 2013, GHP began offering "PT bundle" - i.e., a bundle of up to five PT visits for a single one-time copay t...

BACKGROUND Conflict of interest (COI) is an important potential source of bias in the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and high rates of COI among guideline authors have been reported in the past. Our objective was to report current rates of disclosure and specific author COI across a broad range of CPGs and to examine whether CPG characteristics were associated with the prese...

The Gaussian error function model, containing pairs of error and complementary error functions, was used to carry out cumulative dose-volume histogram (cDVH) analysis on prostate intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans with interfraction prostate motion. Cumulative DVHs for clinical target volumes (CTVs) shifted in the anterior-posterior directions based on a 7-beam IMRT plan were ca...

Analysis of the response to corticosteroid therapy in a personal series of 8 consecutive cases of dermatomyositis in childhood shows that there are advantages in a moderate dosage, short-term treatment schedule, with gradual tapering of the dosage as soon as there is clinical improvement without waiting for full remission, and in trying to stop steroid therapy within six months rather than foll...

background & aim: nowadays tuberculosis (tb) is one of the public health concerns in iran. the present study aimed to examine the clinical epidemiology and treatment findings of tuberculosis in babol, northern iran. methods & materials: this cross-sectional study was carried out on medical records of tuberculosis registry pertained to health center of babol, mazandaran province, iran. the inves...

clinical practice guidelines are the most important and valid guidelines for treatment of diseases, and are developed through experts consensus on a subject, considering the highest available evidence (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials). we briefly review the latest evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of two common diseases of acne (provided by european...

corneal transplantation is the most common and successful form of solid organ transplantation with a 2-year survival rate of over 90% in low risk cases. this high success rate may be due to the immune privileged status of the cornea, acaid (anterior chamber associated immune deviation) induction phenomena and secretion of inhibitory molecules by corneal cells such as il1-ra, il-1a and fas ligan...