Table of Contents

June 3, 2003; 138 (11)

Articles

  • Which Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Benefit from Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation?: A Systematic Review of the Literature

    • Sean P. Keenan,
    • Tasnim Sinuff,
    • Deborah J. Cook,
    • and Nicholas S. Hill
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:861-870

    Patients receiving standard therapy for severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) benefit from noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV). However, hospitalized patients with milder COPD exacerbations do not benefit from NPPV.

  • Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Low Back Pain: A Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness Relative to Other Therapies

    • Willem J.J. Assendelft,
    • Sally C. Morton,
    • Emily I. Yu,
    • Marika J. Suttorp,
    • and Paul G. Shekelle
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:871-881

    This meta-analysis found no evidence that spinal manipulative therapy is superior to other standard treatments for patients with acute or chronic low back pain.

  • Accepting Critically Ill Transfer Patients: Adverse Effect on a Referral Center's Outcome and Benchmark Measures

    • Andrew L. Rosenberg,
    • Timothy P. Hofer,
    • Cathy Strachan,
    • Charles M. Watts,
    • and Rodney A. Hayward
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:882-890

    Accepting transfer patients can adversely affect measures of efficiency and quality of care, even after use of the most thorough, precise methods to adjust for case mix. If organizations that collect and publish measures of hospital quality of care fail to account for this phenomenon, referral centers may have an incentive to refuse to accept very sick patients in transfer from other hospitals.

Brief Communications

  • Relationship between Cigarette Smoking and Novel Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in the United States

    • Lydia A. Bazzano,
    • Jiang He,
    • Paul Muntner,
    • Suma Vupputuri,
    • and Paul K. Whelton
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:891-897

    Inflammation and hyperhomocysteinemia may be important mechanisms by which smoking promotes atherosclerotic disease.

Academia and Clinic

  • A Review of the Evidence for the Effectiveness, Safety, and Cost of Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, and Spinal Manipulation for Back Pain

    • Daniel C. Cherkin,
    • Karen J. Sherman,
    • Richard A. Deyo,
    • and Paul G. Shekelle
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:898-906

    Massage seems to be effective for persistent back pain, spinal manipulation has small clinical benefits equivalent to those of other common back pain therapies, and the effectiveness of acupuncture remains unclear. All of these treatments seem to be relatively safe.

Review

  • The Epidemiology of “Asymptomatic” Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction: Implications for Screening

    • Thomas J. Wang,
    • Daniel Levy,
    • Emelia J. Benjamin,
    • and Ramachandran S. Vasan
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:907-916

    Asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) precedes congestive heart failure in many patients. While several landmark trials have enrolled patients with asymptomatic LVSD, those patients make up only a subset of the people who are possible candidates for screening. The available evidence is inadequate to decide about screening for LVSD in the general population.

Perspectives

  • Pharmacotherapy for Heart Failure in Patients with Renal Insufficiency

    • Michael G. Shlipak
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:917-924

    Patients with heart failure and renal insufficiency have been underrepresented in clinical trials of drugs for congestive heart failure. This paper reviews the evidence and suggests ways to balance benefit and harm when treating heart failure in the presence of renal insufficiency.

Clinical Guidelines

  • Screening for Dementia: Recommendation and Rationale

    • U.S. Preventive Services Task Force*
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:925-926

    The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for dementia in older adults.

  • Screening for Dementia in Primary Care: A Summary of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

    • Malaz Boustani,
    • Britt Peterson,
    • Laura Hanson,
    • Russell Harris,
    • and Kathleen N. Lohr
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:927-937

    This systematic review evaluates the evidence that screening for dementia can alter health outcomes.

Editorial

  • Applying Evidence to Patient Care: From Black and White to Shades of Grey

    • Finlay A. McAlister
    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:938-939

    This editorial focuses on the dilemma at the heart of Dr. Shlipak's paper in this issue: How can we extrapolate from trials conducted in highly selected patients to a broader population of patients who have the same condition but do not meet the trial eligibility criteria?

Letters

Book Listings

Medical Notices

Summaries for Patients

  • Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation for Severe Worsening of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-27

  • The Effectiveness of Spinal Manipulation Relative to Other Therapies for Low Back Pain

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-33

  • Accepting Critically Ill Transfer Patients

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-42

  • Associations between Smoking and Newer Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-45

  • Screening for Asymptomatic Heart Failure

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-51

  • Screening for Dementia in Primary Care Settings

    Ann Intern Med June 3, 2003 138:I-60
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This Issue

June 3, 2003; 138 (11)
  1. Articles
  2. Brief Communications
  3. Academia and Clinic
  4. Review
  5. Perspectives
  6. Clinical Guidelines
  7. Editorial
  8. Letters
  9. Book Listings
  10. Medical Notices
  11. Summaries for Patients

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