The Insulin Regimen That Works.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus requires monitoring patients' glycemic control. Treatment must be escalated if glucose levels remain above the recommended goal in patients who are adherent to their current treatment. If glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels remain unmet with maximum doses as recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) after adding basal insulin, but fasting blood glucose is at goal, one to three injections daily of rapid-acting insulin are typically added to the treatment plan to be injected prior to meals while continuing all other antihyperglycemic medications.

Is transcatheter aortic valve replacement a safe treatment for elderly patients with severe aortic valve stenosis?

Purpose: This article's purpose is to make advanced practice nurses (APNs) aware of a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for treating symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis in elderly patients. These patients are not safe surgical candidates because of their age and prohibitive risk profile, but they can benefit from valve replacement.

Methods: A systematic literature review was completed by searching online databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, and Google.

Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis: what the primary care provider should know.

Purpose: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with an overview of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, including the pathophysiology and etiology, incidence and prevalence, clinical presentation, diagnosis and differentials, management, and prognosis for these conditions.

Data Sources: Selected research, reviews, and clinical articles, and the authors' experience.

Conclusions: Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis are two common and confusing diagnoses identified by healthcare providers in the treatment of low back pain.

Neurocysticercosis in pregnancy: not just another headache.

Infection with pork tapeworm, or Taenia solium, affects approximately 50 million people worldwide. The most important and potentially devastating form of the infestation, neurocysticercosis, occurs when the parasite invades the central nervous system. There has been a significant increase in the number of cases in the United States due to immigration from endemic areas.

Evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation.

Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Nurse practitioners play an important role in implementing effective smoking cessation treatments and educating patients about the associated risks of smoking.

Weight gain among women during smoking cessation: testing the effects of a multifaceted program.

Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of chronic illness in the United States. A high percentage of smokers attempt to quit each year; however, smoking cessation success rates are low. Adding an exercise program to traditional therapies can increase smoking cessation rates among women.

Active participation in a research study: a teaching strategy.

As nurse educators, it is necessary to make the connection between nursing theory and nursing practice. By implementing a new teaching strategy in a nursing research course, faculty researchers were able to accomplish 3 goals: (1) get students excited about the research process and view its relevance to nursing practice; (2) understand how all nursing and medical interventions begin with research; and (3) enlist student help on a faculty-sponsored research project. The authors discuss the project and its outcomes.

Use of an insulin pen by homeless patients with diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: To assess the impact of an insulin delivery system, the NovoPen, on diabetes treatment for the homeless.

Data Sources: Homeless patients (n = 23) with diabetes and using insulin were identified from a registry of patients with diabetes maintained at the Homeless Outreach Medical Services clinical sites. Baseline evaluations included glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measurements and a questionnaire about the patient's current treatment practices.