Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a public health problem as a sexually transmitted disease and as a critical factor in the pathogenesis of various cancers. The clinical manifestations, epidemiology, and virology that are critical to understanding the process of cervical dysplasia and neoplasia are reviewed. A discussion of the cervical transformation zone and the classification of cervical dysplasia and neoplasia leads into the importance of the Papanicolaou smear in prevention of potentially devastating sequelae of this virus. The role of the immune system in the progression of the disease and how it relates to vaccines, as well as treatment and prevention of HPV, are reviewed.
Physician education in the United States must change to meet the primary care needs of a rapidly transforming health care delivery system. Yet medical schools continue to produce a disproportionate number of hospital-based specialists through a high-cost, time-intensive educational model. In response, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine established a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes needed to prepare primary care physicians for the evolving system. The commission recommends that medical schools, in collaboration with their graduate medical education partners, create a new education model that is based on achievement of competencies without a prescribed number of months of study and incorporates the knowledge and skills needed for a twenty-first-century primary care practice. The course of study would occur within a longitudinal clinical training environment that allows for seamless transition from medical school through residency training.
When people overuse their legs they develop an uncomfortable awareness of these limbs manifested as a dull burning or aching. The cause is often clear to the person with the problem as a result of the often obvious relationship to overdoing an exercise or activity and the pain. "Shin splints" is the lay term; physicians use the term medial tibial stress syndrome. The pathophysiology that leads to this pain is unclear, although there are a number of competing theories. Differential diagnosis includes stress fractures and compartment syndromes. Bone tumors or lipomas can also cause similar pain to shin splints. Diagnosis can be made by history alone in a majority of cases, but if the diagnosis is unclear, an X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging should be considered. Treatment is still mostly supportive and symptom related. Rest is the most important aspect of treatment. Locally applied cold and anti-inflammatory medication have also been felt to be beneficial.
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