A primary care focus on the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric illness affecting nearly 20% of adults in the United States at least once during their lifetime. MDD is frequently diagnosed and treated in the primary care setting. Management of the disease may be complicated by patients and family members feeling stigmatized by the diagnosis and not understanding that depression is a treatable medical illness, which, in turn, fosters low rates of adherence to treatment recommendations.

Impact of data from recent clinical trials on strategies for treating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased risk for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) secondary to hyperglycemia's toxicity to blood vessels. The escalating incidence of CVD among patients with type 2 diabetes has prompted research into how lowering glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) may improve CVD-related morbidity and mortality. Data from recent studies have shown that some patients with type 2 diabetes actually have increased mortality after achieving the lowest possible HbA(1c) using intensive antidiabetes treatment.