Initial evaluation of thyroid nodules by primary care physicians and internal medicine residents.

Objective: The article studied the knowledge and practice patterns of primary care providers and internal medicine residents in their initial evaluation of thyroid nodules and determined whether their practice is in accordance with published guidelines by the American Thyroid Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Method: A survey was distributed to primary care physicians (PCPs) and internal medicine residents at a community hospital in Baltimore and a chart review was conducted at the Diabetes and Endocrine Center in the same hospital.

Results: A total of 47 physicians (70%) responded to the survey, 16 PCPs and 33 residents.

History of current non-insulin medications for diabetes mellitus.

This article is a brief review of the current non-insulin agents for diabetes mellitus in the United States, namely, sulfonylureas, biguanides, thiazolidinediones, meglitinides, α-glucosidase inhibitors, glucacon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors, amylin agonists, bromocriptine, and colesevelam.

History of insulin.

The advancement of diabetes treatment has gone from crude extracts of insulin and accidental discovery of sulfa-like drugs in antibiotics to the development of drugs based on improved understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. This article will review the history of the discovery and development of insulin. A companion focusing on non-insulin diabetes agents will follow in the next issue of JCHIMP.

The utility of the initial electrocardiogram in predicting acute coronary events in current cocaine users with chest pain in the emergency department.

Introduction: Chest pain suggestive of myocardial ischemia or infarction is a common emergency department complaint and a subset of these is associated with cocaine use. It can be difficult to triage patients with chest pain while using cocaine.

Objective: To assess the reliability of the initial electrocardiogram (ECG) done in the emergency department in current cocaine users suspected of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in predicting a true event.