Mimicry and deception in inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal behçet disease.

Behçet disease (BD) is a rare, chronic, multisystemic, inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, uveitis, and skin lesions. Intestinal BD occurs in 10-15% of BD patients and shares many clinical characteristics with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), making differentiation of the 2 diseases very difficult and occasionally impossible. The diagnosis of intestinal BD is based on clinical findings-as there is no pathognomonic laboratory test-and should be considered in patients who present with abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and rectal bleeding and who are susceptible to intestinal BD.

Effect of massage therapy for postsurgical mastectomy recipients.

This quality improvement pilot study evaluated the effect of massage therapy on pain, anxiety, and overall well-being in women who received mastectomies at a busy hospital practice. Participants reported a significant reduction in pain, stress, and muscle tension, as well as an increase in relaxation. Oncology nurses should consider the feasibility of massage therapy as a valuable nonpharmcologic pain management strategy.

Mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease-a true paradigm of success?

Mucosal healing is gaining more acceptance as a measure of disease activity in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and it is also gaining acceptance as an endpoint in clinical trials. Recent publications have correlated achievement of mucosal healing with good outcomes. Currently, there is no validated definition of what constitutes mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease.

The obesity epidemic: challenges, health initiatives, and implications for gastroenterologists.

Obesity is the next major epidemiologic challenge facing today's doctors, with the annual allocation of healthcare resources for the disease and related comorbidities projected to exceed $150 billion in the United States. The incidence of obesity has risen in the United States over the past 30 years; 60% of adults are currently either obese or overweight. Obesity is associated with a higher incidence of a number of diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Prepare for a behavioral interview, then ace it!

By reflecting on your past experiences before an interview, you'll be better prepared to respond to an interviewer's questions.

Management of fecal incontinence.

Fecal incontinence is a common condition that often impairs quality of life. It is generally caused by a variety of conditions that are associated with anorectal sensorimotor dysfunction and/or diarrhea. A detailed characterization of symptoms, particularly bowel habits, is useful for assessing symptom severity and guiding management.

Overcoming adherence issues in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic condition requiring lifelong medication to minimize the incidence of symptomatic flares. Nevertheless, studies have shown that a large proportion of patients are nonadherent to their prescribed therapeutic regimen. This review examines studies of patient adherence to 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) therapy in real world settings and considers the reasons that patients do not adhere to medication.

Nursing-sensitive outcome reliability testing in a tertiary care setting.

Purpose: To describe nursing outcomes classification (NOC) that are most relevant for, specialty acute care nursing practice, and to assess the adequacy of measures.

Methods: Data were collected on 434 patients during the 14-month data collection period at a tertiary care center: cardiac surgery intensive care (n = 76), cardiac transplant unit (n = 153), and medical unit (n = 205).

Findings: Thirty-six NOC outcomes were used 10 or more times during the study.

Venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes: results of a longitudinal continuation study.

Purpose/objectives: To evaluate the intermediate term efficacy and toxicity of the use of venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes.

Design: An open-label continuation phase study following a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that tested three doses of venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes.

Setting: North Central Cancer Treatment Group institutions.