Texting, Not Smoking. A new effort to help teens quit smoking makes use of one of teens’ most constant companions—the mobile phone. According to the program’s developers, 75% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 own a cell phone, so “there is immense potential for mobile technologies to affect health awareness and behavior change among teens.”

PSA Testing and Mortality. There continues to be much controversy as to whether prostate cancer screening for all men older than 50 years is a clinically useful—or harmful—tool.

OpenNotes: A New Prescription for Communicating With Your Patients. According to early data from the OpenNotes project, patients are overwhelmingly interested in exploring the notes their primary care doctors write about them after an office visit. However, the doctors worry about the impact of such transparency on their patients and on their own workflow.

FDA Approves Expanded Use of Prevnar 13 Vaccine in Patients Aged 50 and Older. With winter and flu season encroaching on much of the United States, we thought you’d be interested in the latest FDA approval to prevent pneumonia in older adults.

"Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times"—Mark Twain. At this time of year, many of your patients are likely to make a resolution to stop smoking. But like all good intentions that go awry, patients may need your support and encouragement to help them through the physiologic and psychological barriers they face in quitting. Many of them are also likely to ask you about the latest trend in smoking cessation aids—electronic cigarettes.

New AAP Report: Don't Rely on Blood Tests to Determine Pediatric Allergies. Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities for more than 40% of them and are the third most common chronic disease for children younger than 18 years old. However, a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urges clinicians

Founder Effect in Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH): A Focus on Early Detection and Treatment to Prevent Premature CHD in FH   CME Information Program Overview Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common autosomal dominant genetic disorder associated with...

No Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Adults Who Take ADHD Medications. A new study published in JAMA has found no evidence of an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or sudden cardiac death in young and middle-aged adults who use medications to control attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The medications studied include stimulants (amphetamine products and methylphenidate), atomoxetine, and pemoline.

Panel Endorses Active Monitoring and Delay of Treatment for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer. An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health has concluded that many men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer should be closely monitored, permitting treatment to be delayed until warranted by disease progression.

New CDC Guidelines for Treating Latent Tuberculosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just published a new and less onerous regimen to treat latent tuberculosis (TB) infection. The new recommendations provide guidance about how to administer a new 12-dose regimen of TB preventive therapy that will significantly simplify the course of treatment from about nine months to 12 weeks.