JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Symptoms suggestive of acute urinary tract infection (UTI) constitute one of the most common reasons for women to visit clinicians. Although the clinical encounter typically involves taking a history and performing a physical examination, the diagnostic accuracy of the clinical assessment for UTI remains uncertain. ⋯ In women who present with 1 or more symptoms of UTI, the probability of infection is approximately 50%. Specific combinations of symptoms (eg, dysuria and frequency without vaginal discharge or irritation) raise the probability of UTI to more than 90%, effectively ruling in the diagnosis based on history alone. In contrast, history taking, physical examination, and dipstick urinalysis are not able to reliably lower the posttest probability of disease to a level where a UTI can be ruled out when a patient presents with 1 or more symptoms.
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Comparative Study
Risk of perinatal death associated with labor after previous cesarean delivery in uncomplicated term pregnancies.
Trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery is associated with increased risk of uterine rupture. However, no reliable data exist on the effect of a trial of labor on the risk of perinatal death in otherwise uncomplicated term pregnancies. ⋯ The absolute risk of perinatal death associated with trial of labor following previous cesarean delivery is low. However, in our study, the risk was significantly higher than that associated with planned repeat cesarean delivery, and there was a marked excess of deaths due to uterine rupture compared with other women in labor.
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Diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia are acute complications of type 1 diabetes that are related, respectively, to insufficient or excessive insulin treatment. However, little is known about additional modifiable risk factors. ⋯ Some children with diabetes remain at high risk for ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia. Age- and sex-specific incidence patterns suggest that ketoacidosis is a challenge in adolescent girls while severe hypoglycemia continues to affect disproportionally the youngest patients and boys of all ages. The pattern of modifiable risk factors indicates that underinsured children and those with psychiatric disorders or at the extremes of the HbA(1c) distribution should be targeted for specific interventions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of intensive therapy on the microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
The purpose of this report is to summarize and integrate the findings of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), a randomized controlled clinical trial, and the succeeding observational follow-up of the DCCT cohort in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, regarding the effects of intensive treatment on the microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The DCCT proved that intensive treatment reduced the risks of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy by 35% to 90% compared with conventional treatment. The absolute risks of retinopathy and nephropathy were proportional to the mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) level over the follow-up period preceding each event. ⋯ The further rate of progression of complications from their levels at the end of the DCCT remains less in the former intensive treatment group. Thus, the benefits of 6.5 years of intensive treatment extend well beyond the period of its most intensive implementation. Intensive treatment should be started as soon as is safely possible after the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus and maintained thereafter, aiming for a practicable target HbA(1c) level of 7.0% or less.