Tick-Related Infections
Tick-Related Infections Alan Taege Ticks are the vectors of at least 10 clinically significant zoonotic illnesses in the United States (Box 1). These illnesses may be caused by bacterial, viral,…
GENERAL SURGERY
Pericardial Disease
Pericardial Disease Ron Jacob, Richard A. Grimm ACUTE PERICARDITIS Definition Acute pericarditis is an inflammatory process involving the pericardium that results in a clinical syndrome with the triad of chest…
Common Benign Growths
Common Benign Growths Justin G. Woodhouse, Kenneth J. Tomecki Human skin is subject to a variety of common benign growths, but most never require medical attention. Management (or lack thereof)…
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Michael S. Chen, Harry Lever DEFINITION AND ETIOLOGY Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is defined as hypertrophy of the myocardium more than 1.5 cm, without an identifiable cause (Fig. 1). Other…
Viral Hepatitis
Viral Hepatitis Hepatitis A Talal Adhami, William D. Carey DEFINITION AND ETIOLOGY Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a cause of acute liver inflammation or hepatitis. It can cause relapsing signs…
Systemic Scleroderma
Systemic Scleroderma Soumya Chatterjee DEFINITION AND ETIOLOGY Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis (SSc), is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by a vasculopathy, diffuse fibrosis of skin and various internal organs,…
Structural Disorders of the Esophagus
Structural Disorders of the Esophagus Edgar Achkar Dysphagia, a common symptom in those with esophageal disorders, can arise from a multitude of underlying causes. Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, refers to…
Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary Embolism Anil Gopinath, Thomas R. Gildea DEFINITION AND ETIOLOGY Pulmonary embolism (PE) refers to the presence of endogenous or exogenous substances within the pulmonary vascular bed that result in…
Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Rebecca Tung, Allison Vidimos More than 1 million cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2007. About 80% of these new skin cancer…
Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia
Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia Boon Wee Teo, Saul Nurko PHYSIOLOGY OF POTASSIUM HANDLING Potassium (K+) is the most abundant cation in the body. About 90% of total body potassium is intracellular…
