Basicmedical Key

KEY CONCEPTS   Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease characterized by symmetrical inflammation of joints, yet may involve other organ systems.   Control of inflammation is the key to…

Intraabdominal Infections Keith M. Olsen, Alan E. Gross, and Joseph T. DiPiro   KEY CONCEPTS   Most intraabdominal infections are “secondary” infections that are polymicrobial and are caused by a…

Upper Respiratory Tract Infections Christopher Frei and Bradi Frei   KEY CONCEPTS   Most upper respiratory tract infections have a viral etiology and tend to resolve spontaneously without pharmacologic therapy….

KEY CONCEPTS   The decision to use perimenopausal or postmenopausal hormone therapy must be individualized and based on several parameters, including menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis fracture risk, cardiovascular disease risk, breast…

Vaccines, Toxoids, and Other Immunobiologics Mary S. Hayney   KEY CONCEPTS   Live vaccines may confer life-long immunity but cannot be administered to the immunosuppressed.   Inactivated and subunit vaccines…

Sickle Cell Disease C. Y. Jennifer Chan and Melissa Frei-Jones   KEY CONCEPTS   Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder caused by a defect in the gene for…

Gastrointestinal Infections and Enterotoxigenic Poisonings Steven Martin and Rose Jung   KEY CONCEPTS   The etiology of infectious diarrhea includes bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. Viral infections are the leading cause…

Obesity Amy Heck Sheehan, Judy T. Chen, Jack A. Yanovski, and Karim Anton Calis   KEY CONCEPTS   Two clinical measures of excess body fat, regardless of sex, are the…

Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock S. Lena Kang-Birken   KEY CONCEPTS   The spectrum of microorganisms associated with sepsis has changed from predominantly gram-negative bacteria in the late 1970s and…

Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Kevin M. Sowinski, Mariann D. Churchwell, and Brian S. Decker   KEY CONCEPTS   Hemodialysis (HD) involves the perfusion of blood and dialysate on opposite sides…